Coalition pledges to ease visa restrictions on PNGns

SEAN DORNEY
CORRESPONDENTS REPORT, ABC

PAPUA NEW GUINEA'S high commissioner to Australia, Charles Lepani, recently described as galling the treatment of Papua New Guineans wanting to get visas to Australia.

The issue came up again and again at the just completed Australia-PNG Business Forum.
Aware that it would, Australia's Deputy Opposition Leader, Julie Bishop, in her keynote address made a promise.

If we are honoured to be the next government of this country I most certainly commit to ensuring that we can free up the visa arrangements between Australian business people and PNG business people in particular, so that we can have much easier means of doing business and investing in each others' countries. (Applause)

That commitment won warm support.
The current requirements to obtain a visa are time consuming and hugely frustrating according to the president of PNG's Business Council, Ernie Gangloff.

If you're applying for a business visa you still need to provide details of your family history, your spouse's family history, whether they're Australian citizens or not, whether they're deceased or still alive. All this sort of information needs to be provided.
The concern we've got it that you've got to keep providing it over and over again; it's a repeat exercise.

Papua New Guinea's former commissioner general of internal revenue, David Sode, who is now the chief executive officer of the multi-million dollar company, PNG Sustainable Development Program Ltd, broke out of his prepared speech to complain about how unfair Papua New Guineans regarded the treatment they received in applying for visas.

A little word on Australian visas. In English, in Grade 10, I was taught a terminology in High School called "being reciprocal", the terminology was called "being reciprocal". But I guess they don't teach English in Foreign Affairs any more. (Laughter and applause)
You come to PNG to the airport we'll give you a visa for $125. It would save a lot of headaches if I could turn up to the Brisbane airport, pay 125 Kina, get my visa and get on with life. I'm happy to pay that.
I thought we were a former colony but maybe we forgot history as well. Maybe the Kiwis were the former colony not us. And if for some reason we are judged as an irresponsible former colony then we must ask the question of: "who colonised us?"

That comment about being treated worse than New Zealand was echoed when I spoke to Godfrey Mantle, the chairman of Australia's Mantle Group of companies.

It's very difficult for people who are doing business in Australia from PNG to get visas. And we're talking about substantial business people who are finding that a real frustration. And it's not in Australia's interest that this be the case.
Dorney: What do you think they should do?
Mantle: Make it like New Zealand. Treat PNG as a valuable neighbour who are long term friends and have that level of trust.

During another session of the Business Forum, Scott O'Reilly, the CEO of the IPI Group of Companies, said he'd had to abandon plans to take his senior Papua New Guinean staff to a workshop in Cairns because they could not get visas. And the business went to Singapore instead, where the Papua New Guineans were welcome.