Manus talks every month

 AUSTRALIA and Papua New Guinea will start a monthly joint ministerial forum to oversee the implementation of their regional resettlement arrangement regarding Manus.

This follows a meeting in Port Moresby on Saturday between Foreign Affairs and Immigration Minister Rimbink Pato, Attorney-General Kerenga Kua and Australian Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison.

They re-committed themselves to the agreement and the broader partnership necessary to effectively deliver on its good intentions.

The monthly forum to begin next month will also involve Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop.

It is expected to provide clear direction and oversight on the implementation of the agreement and provide a timely and accountable process to ensure that the arrangement is being converted into tangible and practical outcomes.

The three ministers expressed their regret, sympathy and condolences on the death of Iranian citizen Reza Barati, 23, and injuries to other asylum seekers at the Manus refugee processing centre during violence on February 16 and 17.

Pato said: “The monthly forum will create an impetus to highlight the issues and manage the outcomes.”

Morrison said: “The boats are stopping and our partnership with PNG has been an important component in what we have been able to achieve to date. This monthly joint ministerial forum will aid us to keep this important arrangement on track and translate announcements into action, when it comes to the critical issues of processing claims and resettling refugees in PNG.”