Aussies welcome new government

THE Australian government has welcomed Papua New Guinea’s ninth parliament and the election of its government and Peter O’Neill as prime minister.
The Australian foreign ministry said O’Neill’s re-election reflected the broad support he had secured from elected members of parliament and the PNG people.
“The (Australian) government looks forward to working closely with O’Neill and his ministerial team to further strengthen the close partnership between Australia and PNG,” the ministry said.
It said the successful election in PNG and the formation of a
broad coalition government would give renewed confidence to the international community about PNG’s political stability.
Australia also paid tribute to Sir Michael Somare.
“As Grand Chief, Sir Michael’s participation in the new parliament and new coalition is a welcome signal of political reconciliation after the tensions of recent months,” the foreign ministry said.