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Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd has paid a visit to Papua New Guinea’s prime minister to discuss issues such as education, health and infrastructure development.
Mr Rudd says he did not discuss the Manus Island detention centre in “any great detail” during talks with PNG leaders, but he says they spoke at great lengths about the need for more aid in the region.
He has announced a $40 million Australian contribution to an $80 million project from the Asia Development Bank.
The project will fund dozens of new community health centres and refurbish more than 100 more to serve PNG’s largely rural population.
Mr Rudd says the project will save more than a million lives.
“Our objective is to reduce infant mortality, to reduce maternal mortality, and also to improve the life expectancy of all children under five,” he said.
“And this is what we are doing as an Australian government, not just in one health centre in one province in Papua New Guinea.
“This is what the Australian government is now doing across 3,000 health centres right across this great country.”
On the final leg of his two-day visit to the country, Mr Rudd criticized the Opposition over its past dealings with Papua New Guinea.
He dismissed comments from coalition counterpart, Julie Bishop, about rebuilding the relationship between the two nations based on an economic and strategic partnership.
He says the relationship should instead be strengthened by aid and goodwill.
foreign-affairs,
papua-new-guinea,
australia
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