Television interview, ABC

SUBJECTS: Opening of Lombrum Naval Base; Australia-Vanuatu Relationship. 

MARIAN FAA, JOURNALIST: This $500 million spend is quite a bit more than was originally announced. Where did that money go? Was the contract increased? What has this money been spent on?

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, there have been a number of factors which have led to the cost, and part of that has been the time that it’s taken to deliver the project. Ultimately, we are really pleased with what has been delivered. At $500 million, this is the biggest infrastructure project that Australia has ever undertaken in the Pacific. What we are building here is a base that is a great asset for Papua New Guinea, of course, but also an asset that ultimately can be used by Australia. The United States has also made a contribution. And we are here in the northernmost part of Papua New Guinea, at the gateway to the Western Pacific, in a deep part of Seeadler Harbor – so it’s a very, very significant contribution.

JOURNALIST: So was it intended to be the biggest infrastructure project in the Pacific for Australia, or have costs blown out?

MARLES: It was always imagined that this was going to be a major project for Australia, and the reason is the strategic significance of this place. At the end of the Second World War, it was one of the largest US naval bases outside of the United States. It was always understood that this represented a gateway to the Western Pacific. We have always understood this — including in the Defence Strategic Review – as being a really strategically significant place for Australia and Papua New Guinea. This is a great asset for both of our nations, along with the United States. But I think the other point to make is that this is a symbol of how close our two countries have become, and specifically in relation to Defence. This base is a very tangible expression of that. We’ve also seen in the last couple of weeks Talisman Sabre, for the first time, having a component outside of Australia, with the closing ceremony held here in PNG. And when you look at the schedule of other exercises we’re doing with the PNGDF and the training that’s undertaken, we are at a point where our countries have never been closer in our defence forces.

JOURNALIST: What sort of access will Australia get to this facility?

MARLES: Firstly, I want to make clear – this is a sovereign asset for Papua New Guinea, and we very much respect that. But it’s really clear in what we are doing with the Defence Cooperation Agreement between our two countries, which updates the old Status of Forces Agreement from 1977, that we want to be able to operate out of each other’s facilities. That’s what the Defence Cooperation Agreement will provide. It will also enable the PNGDF to operate from Australia as well. When you look at what we are about to sign in the lead-up to Independence Day on the 16th of September, and you look at this base, you put that together – this is a really big strategic step for our nations.

JOURNALIST: Will this base support larger amphibious ships from Australia, like air warfare destroyers, or is it only designed for smaller ships like the Guardian-class?

MARLES: Lombrum Naval Base is able to take ships of all sizes, including our largest ships – our LHDs. In terms of the wharf, which you see here, it can provide for offshore patrol vessels, including the newer vessels. But being out in the harbour and coming back and forth by launch, it is possible to get all of our ships into this site. That’s why this is such a significant area – the deep-water nature of this harbour and its location are exactly why it was so important during the Second World War, and its strategic significance then is just as strong today.

JOURNALIST: Finally, Minister – Australia is in the midst of negotiating an agreement with Vanuatu worth something to the tune of half a billion dollars. Will there be any security or defence assurances attached to that agreement?

MARLES: I don’t want to pre-empt what we are doing in Vanuatu, but we’ve been negotiating the agreement with the Vanuatu Government for some time. We’re looking forward to tomorrow and taking that next step as we continue to build that relationship. Our relationship with Vanuatu is a fundamentally important one for both of our countries. Our geography defines us as the closest of friends and the closest of family, and we look forward to progressing that sentiment through these continued negotiations.

JOURNALIST: [inaudible] what was it like standing up on that podium?

MARLES: Today was a day that was quintessentially PNG. This is the land of the unexpected, and to be making a speech and then suddenly finding oneself inundated with a tropical rainstorm is a perfect PNG day. The great thing about this country is the way in which moments like this are embraced. What it has meant is that today is much more memorable as a result. Water is the giver of life, and so I take the rainstorm as the very best omen for the future of the naval base.

JOURNALIST: The Prime Minister of PNG was pretty heroic there – continuing with no umbrella.

MARLES: I think soldiering on in these moments is what you try to do. It was a pretty significant weather event, but one that is very much part of what this country is about. And actually, what this country is more about is the way in which the moment was embraced.

JOURNALIST: Thanks very much.