Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 7:44:49 to 7:49:38
Discussion on the pilot project to recruit Papua New Guinea nationals into the ADF under the Pakpak treaty, including specific entry requirements for university students.
Topics: Papua New Guinea, ADF
Speakers: Natasha Fox, Hugh Jeffrey, Meghan Quinn, Malcolm Roberts, Unknown Speaker
My first set of questions goes to the recent announcement of the Australian Defense Force would be allowing Papa New Guinea, Papa New Guinea to be recruited into our Australian Defense Force. How many PNG citizens will be recruited into the ADF and what entry requirements do
>> Uh so I'm happy to start while other officials come to the table. So it's part of the book treaty signed between Australia and Papa Newu Guinea.
>> When was that signed?
>> Uh just earlier this year. >> Uh and uh we're having a pilot project to start with with the first um entrance into that uh being available to apply uh towards the end of this year. But in terms of additional detail um my W and there is there is a whole series of um conditions and processes.
>> Uh good uh good afternoon Senator Hugh Jeffrey Deputy Secretary Strategy Policy and Industry. Um uh as you know um uh we as and as the secretary just stated we signed the Pakpak treaty um with Papa New Guinea. It's our first mutual defense treaty um with a foreign country outside of the signing of ANCIS with the as part of this treaty is a commitment um to work together on the integration interoperability of our forces and that includes a policy around um permitting uh the recruitment of PNG nationals into the Australian Defense Force. Um as the secretary said uh the deputy prime minister last week announced the first tranch of that uh of that uh recruitment of 50 PNG nationals. Uh for the past um uh year uh my team and um a defense personnel team led by uh General Natasha Fox has been working together on setting up the systems for how we do this in a manner consistent with the treaty obligations on both sides and also the domestic constitutional requirements of both countries. Um that that process is ongoing and we're going to continue to work at it. the the and um General Fox can take you through um the exact um processes for how we are doing that consistent with our broader
>> Senator, uh we are opening applications to join the Australian Defense Force uh from November 16. Uh that is the application period for the first cohort of candidates from Papa Newu Guinea. Uh there are some settings around the first cohorts. They will be from three universities in Papa Newu Guinea aged between just confirm 18 to 25 year old. um they will uh not be participants of the Papa New Guineian overseas STEM scholarship program or have had no prior service in the Papy Nuginian defense force or the constabularary or PNG government security institutions. These um parameters have been agreed with our Papinian colleagues. Uh once uh the screening has under been undertaken from November through December um we will then uh confirm eligibility and screening again for a short list of candidates of up to 50 uh for a pilot course of 16 weeks in Papa Newu Guinea which is pre-inlistment and then uh
>> excuse me that course will be run by ADF
>> Yes sir. uh and some contracted solutions as well um up in Papa New Guinea. Uh and from September uh from May 2027, we will commence the 16week residential course and at the end of the residential >> where will that be? in Papa Newu Guinea, Manis Island. Uh and then at the end of that course, uh the selection then for the ADF will come from that group of candidates and they will commence in the ADF under a temporary visa arrangement that has been agreed with home affairs for them to participate in training um and then meet eligibility requirements for citizenship uh for the Australia. And that's been worked in conjunction with our Papy Nuginian colleagues as uh the deputy prime minister had said.