Coalition accused of trying to palm off its diplomatic damage

Source: DAN OAKES SMH

PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S high commissioner has staged an astonishing attack on the Coalition and strongly endorsed the Gillard Labor government, throwing foreign affairs into the spotlight for the first time during the election campaign.

Charles Lepani told the Herald that relations between his country and the Coalition had been severely damaged by the former Howard government, and that the opposition had made little effort to repair them since its defeat in 2007.

Mr Lepani was speaking after a debate at the National Press Club between the deputy Liberal leader, Julie Bishop, and the Foreign Affairs Minister, Stephen Smith, in which Ms Bishop said that a Coalition government would repair relations with PNG.

The diplomat said he was mystified by Ms Bishop's claim that the relationship between Australia and its former colony had deteriorated under Labor. ''There was no relationship left to repair when Labor was elected,'' Mr Lepani said. ''As Stephen Smith said, Labor has progressed, enhanced and put our relations back on track.

''[The former foreign minister, Alexander] Downer, particularly - and Howard admitted to us that it was Downer pushing them - pushed these issues in the Pacific and that derailed our bilateral relations in a very serious way.''

Mr Lepani said the Labor government had reached out to PNG and the Pacific islands in a way that did not make them feel they were being preached to or regarded simply as aid recipients.

''We want to get away from aid to a relationship of sovereign nations equally dealing with each other on trade and investment,'' Mr Lepani said.

''In that regard, Labor, through Stephen Smith, has done an excellent job. What he described in the debate today is exactly how we see the future of Papua New Guinea's relationship, and generally the Pacific islands' relationship, with Australia.

''The treatment we got [previously] in the region was so much more proselytising the values of Western society without attempting to understand the values of Pacific islands' culture.''

Mr Lepani pointed to the advocacy of the Opposition Leader, Tony Abbott, for an ''Anglo-sphere'' as an example of why countries in the region regarded the Coalition with suspicion.

The Australian Council for International Development says the federal government will give $457.2 million in aid to PNG this year, up 5 per cent on last year.

Both Mr Smith and Ms Bishop said their parties would achieve a goal of 0.5 per cent of the gross national income in aid.