Mr FORREST (12:48 PM) —It was a great honour to participate in this very valuable delegation to Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. A number of highlights and special occasions occurred in both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. The member for Denison has focused his remarks on the Solomon Islands. It was very important to meet with dignitaries and leaders from both countries. I cannot help but reflect on how very sad it is that security is so badly affected in both Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands by the deteriorating social disruption that is occurring there. Events in the Solomon Islands have confirmed that. It is very sad, too, that both countries have such enormous potential in making a contribution in the world community.

Probably the most striking impression made upon me personally in regard to the visit to the Solomon Islands was at a meeting with the Prime Minister, the Hon. Bartholomew Ulufa'alu, which the member for Denison has referred to. The Prime Minister opened our meeting with one of the most fervent prayers of desperation I have ever heard. It was the most earnest of prayers. It has left me with a permanent impression of a good man in a desperate situation, seeing the erosion of democracy in his precious country. His prayer contained all the anxiety of a leader caught up in the spiralling downhill demise of his country, paralysed by ethnic tensions and violence—ethnic tensions that go back centuries. It is so sad that a man with a capacity to pray as he did with us was not able to prevent the circumstances which have subsequently occurred in the Solomon Islands.

At the meeting which the member for Denison has referred to, the Prime Minister made reference to requests that Australia be involved in a 50-person multinational task force. I have to say, contrary to the member for Denison, that I had deep reservations about how such a move, if Australia approved it, would be interpreted. The problems of the Solomon Islands can only be solved by the people of the Solomon Islands. To have a big brother move in there left me with some uneasiness. More will be said, I guess, as things continue to occur in that country.

In the few minutes that are available it is not possible to reflect on everything that occurs on a delegation: there are many things. But I would like to make reference to Papua New Guinea. The delegation had an opportunity to look at several engineering and resource development projects being undertaken—one with Australian interests and another with United States interests. One was the Moro gas fields, developed by Chevron Niugini, from which a pipeline will be built to supply gas to Queensland, which holds active interest for us in Australia.

The other mining operation is the Ok Tedi copper mine in the Star Mountains in the far north-west of Papua New Guinea. Much has been written about this mine over the years. As someone who has practised for 25 years as a consulting and practising engineer and who has lectured in mining subjects for some of that period, I believe they are very sad circumstances. The Ok Tedi mine now stands as a testimony to a monumental mistake. A deliberate policy to release rock waste and tailings waste into the Ok Tedi River, finding its way to the Fly River, which is now a very badly silted river, is an appalling situation to see. Claims that the value of the mine in terms of the development and prosperity it has brought to the Papua New Guinea community have to be tested against the cost and deterioration that has occurred in that river. I believe we need to keep up international pressure on the operators of the Ok Tedi mine to ensure that, as the mine closes down, the river is not left in a situation that leaves the Papua New Guinea people with a poor legacy and, therefore, a poor opinion of what Australian mining operations can do for their country. In speaking with a former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, the Hon. Michael Somare, in Port Moresby after the visit, I found he was very concerned that he was the Prime Minister who signed off on the environmental requirements to operate that mine. I believe the pressure and desire for international revenue was abused in this situation. (Time expired)

Mr SPEAKER —Order! The time allotted for statements on the report has expired. Does the honourable member for Denison wish to move a motion in connection with the report to enable it to be debated on a future occasion?