Senator HOGG (6:26 PM) —I realise the debate on this closes in another two minutes, so obviously I do not have a great deal of time. I may seek an extension. Suffice to say, the significant part of this inquiry was that, when the inquiry started out, no-one knew exactly where it was going to lead to. It became evident during the inquiry from outside of Australia that, unless the committee travelled, this report would have little or no credibility to our neighbours in the Pacific. I must commend the government on the fact that, when a request was put by this committee to travel, in extraordinary circumstances indeed, the request was granted. It is very much to the credit of the government and, I am sure, lends great credibility to this report. I commend the report for that very reason to those out there in the broad Australian public.

I want to focus briefly on the people who assisted us on the trip that we undertook investigating PNG and the South Pacific. We insisted as a committee that we saw the practical application of our aid dollars—we did not want it to be a glossy tour. The work of the secretariat in setting up the program for us was remarkable indeed. It was a hard work program: not only did we meet the politicians, the business community and the community in general but we met church leaders, who play such a significant role in the South Pacific and PNG, and also the NGOs. We also had the opportunity to meet with expats. In that sense, it was a well-balanced, well-organised program and it gave us a fair feeling, although we were not in many of these places for a long period of time, of precisely what the life and lifestyle in these places was about. (Extension of time granted) As I say, the program was tightly packed. We did not go as tourists; we went as a working party—that is what it was: work from one day to the next. That will be seen in the program that was put together by the various high commissions in cooperation with the various governments that we paid our respects to on the visits.

I must commend the high commissioners and their staff, as has been done here. Without them, the investigations made by the committee would have fallen flat indeed. But also I must mention that we did have a senior AusAID officer, Cathy Bennett, who travelled with us. The work done by AusAID in assisting our program was remarkable indeed, and that is covered within the report itself.

My particular interest was in the area of good governance, as has been mentioned by Senator Johnston. That is something in which we are playing a very practical role in many of these island states and, in particular, in PNG. The direct assistance that is being given through practical programs under the auspices of AusAID really stands out. It seems to me that, unless there is law and order and good governance in these places, we will have a recipe for disaster on our doorstep indeed.

One of the highlights for me—and there were a couple—was the visit to the high school in Tari. I was accompanied by Senator Marshall and Senator Johnston, and that visit was a very touching experience. We met Sister Carmel, the principal of the school, and Father Dom, one of the school mentors, along with the school staff. But the outstanding feature of that school tucked away in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea was the fact that it was the only high school to remain open and give schooling to children during the uprising in the Southern Highlands the year before. They determined that, against the odds, they would remain open to teach the students in that area, because that was their goal in life and that was their obligation. They were doing a marvellous job indeed.

Another thing that stood out was our visit to the Oil Search gas site at the Hides. We visited there a medical centre that was receiving assistance from AusAID, as well as the primary school. If you think you have it tough in Australia, then you should visit those places and you really will see—and I have photographs of the medical centre and the primary school there—that there are no luxuries there at all. They are very basic and rudimentary, but nonetheless very important, pieces of assistance which Australia is giving in PNG.

Another memorable feature was our visit to Honiara in the Solomons. Whilst that was brief, I agree that it was very timely indeed. We saw the problems that are besetting that place. One can only wish well those people from the Defence Force, the AFP and the Australian Protective Services who are there now assisting that island to re-establish good governance principles and to allow the economy to develop.

Last but not least, I want to thank Saxon Patience from the committee. I believe that she did an exemplary job in organising and coordinating on behalf of the committee, and I am sure that my thanks are shared by my colleagues. I also want to thank my colleagues, who proved to be so good spirited, in spite of some of the heat that we had to withstand on the tour—that is Senator Sandy Macdonald, Senator Johnston, Senator Marshall and Senator Cook. I seek leave to continue my remarks later.

Leave granted; debate adjourned.