Australia police contingent tipped to return to PNG

PORT MORESBY - A contingent of Australian police is likely to return to Papua New Guinea, but they won't go back on the beat in the Pacific country.

Foreign minister Alexander Downer said he expected around 30 officers would go back to train local police and target corruption.

Speaking today in Port Moresby where he is due to meet PNG ministers to salvage Australia's Enhanced Co-operation Programme (ECP), Mr Downer said Australian officers would not return to frontline duties because they lacked legal immunity.

In May, more than 150 Australian officers had their tours of duty halted in Port Moresby and Bougainville following a PNG Supreme Court ruling their legal immunities were invalid under the constitution.

Under the original ECP package, 210 police officers were to be deployed in PNG over five years.

Mr Downer told an Australia-PNG Business Council breakfast meeting today the restoration of immunities for Australian police was not possible because the PNG government was not going to amend the constitution.

That meant Australian police would not return to frontline roles.

"They won't be on the beat and arresting people, that's just one step too far given the legal situation."

But the Australian government wanted to salvage as much of the ECP as possible, he said.

Australian taxpayers did not like to think their aid money was wasted or that corruption was involved so Canberra was keen to help the PNG government strengthen its institutions to address the problem of graft, Mr Downer said.

"The government here, from the prime minister down, has spoken strongly about the need to address corruption and we're taking that up and saying we can help you there."

Australia was willing to fund and place advisers within a properly-resourced anti-corruption unit within the PNG constabulary and send other officers to help the constabulary with training and administration, Downer said.

"Our anticipation is that if this package is agreed by the Papua New Guinea government, we would at least be able to send back around 30 or so police."

Mr Downer said 43 non-policing Australian officials who remain working in PNG's treasury, finance, justice, immigration, customs and other departments were achieving substantial results.

"There is no doubt they are improving substantially the performance of key government departments. It would be a pity to withdraw those people."

In other aid areas of education, health and infrastructure, Australia wanted to see more matching funding arrangements from the PNG government, Mr Downer said.

"It's not our job to run a whole country, we are just offering to provide assistance to those who do run the whole country."

Mr Downer said he and justice minister Chris Ellison were confident of reaching a good measure of agreement with their PNG counterparts today

PNG's foreign minister Rabbie Namaliu has said both governments were committed to restoring the ECP even in a different form and he was confident agreement would be reached.

- AAP