The Forum > Article Comments > Australia cannot afford a failed state on our border > Comments
Australia cannot afford a failed state on our border : Comments
By Jeffrey Wall, published 23/3/2021The last thing we need to see in our northern neighbour is more meddling in the PNG health system by the Chinese government and its apologists within the PNG government.
- Pages:
-
- Page 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
-
- All
BUT AUSTRALIA IS DOING MUCH ALREADY
see Overview of Australia's aid program to Papua New Guinea at http://www.dfat.gov.au/geo/papua-new-guinea/development-assistance/Pages/papua-new-guinea
"Pillar 1 – health security:"
Our focus [is] on:
(i) the prevention, detection and response to COVID-19, while also continuing our work in other communicable diseases, including malaria, HIV, and TB; and
(ii) support to Provincial Health Authorities to improve delivery of primary health care services, including immunisation coverage, maternal and child health, access to family planning and other services.
DOES AUTHOR SUGGEST TAKING AID MONEY OUT OF:
"Pillar 2 - stability:" ie. The Defence Cooperation Program
[COMMENT: Careful what you wish for author. This defence aid/cooperation is mainly to avoid new military coup attempts and more regions of PNG threatening secession like http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Bougainville#Civil_war . Also reducing chance of PNG Army and Police mutiny/strike action concerns.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandline_affair "The Sandline affair was a political scandal that became one of the defining moments in the history of Papua New Guinea, and particularly the conflict in Bougainville. It brought down the government of Sir Julius Chan, and took Papua New Guinea to the verge of a military revolt."
"Pillar 3 – economic recovery:"
[Is author suggesting increasing the risk of greater PNG Economic Instability while China enforces a greater Debt Trap burden on PNG?]