Press conference, Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea

SUBJECTS: Australia-PNG Defence relationship; Pukpuk Treaty

DR BILLY JOSEPH, PNG MINISTER FOR NATIONAL DEFENCE: Good afternoon, members of the media, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen. First and foremost, I would like to acknowledge the Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, my friend, Honourable Richard Marles, as well as the Australian Government and the Australian Defence Force for your unwavering and continued support to the PNG Defence Force. Richard, it’s been not so long since we travelled to Chile and came back, and it’s good to have you back. Yes, Australia’s commitment to strengthening PNGDF is evident across our nation — from land, to sea, to air. This support has taken the form of capacity development, strategic infrastructure projects and vital training partnerships. On behalf of Papua New Guinea, I extend our sincere gratitude to the Government of Australia for this enduring support. At the heart of this collaboration lies the long-standing Defence Cooperation Program, or the DCP, an important pillar of the partnership between our two nations, built on shared values, mutual respect and a common vision for peace and stability in our region. It is both an honour and a privilege for me to be able to take part in this sod-turning event today for the new 200-person accommodation block here at the Goldie River Training Depot, PNGDF Main Recruit Training Centre. This accommodation block will significantly boost PNGDF’s ability to house and train new recruits. It is vital, considering the Marape-Rosso Government’s requirement for PNGDF to grow our force to 7,000 permanent members and 3,000 reserve by 2035. This generous contribution is yet another significant demonstration of strong and long-standing commitment to PNG. Whilst this initiative holds particular significance as the first major infrastructure investment since the signing of the Mutual Defence Treaty, or the Pukpuk Treaty, it is consistent with Australia’s long-standing support to PNG defence capability uplift. In fact, as recent as the last visit in August this year, DPM, we had the privilege of attending the opening of the renovated sergeants’ mess [and] accommodation block at Murray Barracks, as well as the opening of the Lombrum Naval Base — in which we had a really nice, healthy mini storm up there, and like His Excellency said, it was one of the best selfies. These are two very critical infrastructure investments by Australia in PNG, especially PNGDF. In June 2025, DCP also handed over an 88-bed female accommodation block at the Force Support Battalion at Murray Barracks, to support the Engineer Battalion, with a 100-bed accommodation block at Igam Barracks as well. Australia’s support not only enhances our national security and defence capacity, but also reinforces peace, stability and defence cooperation throughout the Indo-Pacific region. These investments represent a practical demonstration of how Australia supports defence capability uplift across the region as part of building a more secure and stable region. Once again, thank you so very much to the people and Government of Australia. Together, we continue to build a safe, more secure and more prosperous future for the two nations and our region. Thank you.

RICHARD MARLES, DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER: Well, can I acknowledge my good friend Billy Joseph, the Minister for National Defence. And it really is a joy to see Billy again. As Billy said, we were just a few weeks ago travelling back from Chile, having attended the South Pacific Defence Ministers’ Meeting together. This is actually one of the numerous times that we’ve met this year. It’s my third time to PNG this year, and it is wonderful to be here again. Can I acknowledge Ewan McDonald, the Australian High Commissioner to PNG, Secretary Akipe and the CDF, and all the distinguished guests who are here on what is a really important event — and that is the opening, or the turning of the sod, of this facility that we’re constructing here at the Goldie Barracks, Goldie River Training Depot. This is going to be a 200-bed, or 200-person facility, with 50 rooms. It will have resilience in terms of potable water storage and in terms of solar energy backup. It is a really important facility in terms of what Papua New Guinea and the PNG Defence Force needs to do in building its numbers, and we are a very proud partner with Papua New Guinea in seeing the building of this facility. Perhaps, though, its greatest significance is that this is the first facility — the first infrastructure investment — that we are making since the signing of the Pukpuk Treaty.
(rumble of thunder)

That is very disconcerting. In fact, Billy said that what we experienced in Lombrum was a mini storm. That is not correct at all. We experienced the apocalypse, and I’m very concerned that we’re about to see the same thing again. But then again, always expect the unexpected in the land of the unexpected. Anyway, I digress. This is the first infrastructure announcement that we are making since the signing of the Pukpuk Treaty. And indeed, we made this announcement on the 20th of October at the PNG–Australia Ministerial Forum, weeks after — literally just weeks after — signing that Treaty. And so there’s a deep significance to this, because now that we are allies, what has been clear to a number of us for a long time is now a matter of agreement at a treaty level between our two countries: what’s good for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force is good for the Australian Defence Force; what’s good for PNG is what is good for Australia. And so we are really pleased to be able to make this investment of 15 million kina in this facility. Because investing in this facility — investing in the PNG Defence Force — we see that we are investing in Australia’s security; we are investing in the joint security of our two nations, two nations, which stand before you as allies. When Billy welcomed me today, he said, “welcome home,” and for me, I have felt that for a long time. As I said, it’s my third visit here this year, but countless visits throughout my life. This is my second home, without a doubt. But that feeling, which I have had in my heart throughout my entire life, is now — as a result of the Alliance agreement that we have signed — a feeling which is manifested at a treaty level between our two nations, and this is a crystallisation of that. Thank you.

[PAUSE BEFORE QUESTIONS]

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

MARLES: So the project is expected to be built over the next 14 months, with completion in the early part of 2027.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

MARLES: We are very excited about having the inaugural Indonesia Australia PNG Trilateral Defence Ministers’ Meeting. This meeting is going to happen every year now – and it is about building a better understanding between our three countries, it is about building peace and stability between our three countries, it is about building collective security across our three countries. It's a really important piece of regional architecture, particularly in light of the signing of the Pukpuk Treaty, and we very much look forward to meeting with Minister Sjafrie Tomorrow.

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

JOSEPH: Well, PNG and Indonesia share 800 kilometres of land border and so to make sure that Papua New Guineans living on the PNG side also have very close links to (inaudible) on the other side. And so, it is really hard to police such a border that (inaudible) two people together by (inaudible). And so, to make sure that we do not import any problem from Indonesia into PNG, and export PNG’s internal issues to Indonesia, we really need to have a very strong border, and that has to be policed by our two defence forces. So giving a 10 kilometre buffer zone would ensure that there is no activity within the 10-kilometre zone; there is no construction of any military infrastructure within the 10-kilometre zone. So it is easier to police it for both sides – for Indonesia as well as the PNG side. So we want to make sure that that 10-kilometre buffer zone creates a space for both TNI and PNGDF to police. It's only for policing purposes.