southernworlds

“SOUTHERN WORLDS” CONFERENCE

MONASH SOUTH AFRICA

REMARKS BY THE AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSIONER

MR PHILIP GREEN O.A.M.

26 NOVEMBER 2008

PROFESSOR TYRONE PRETORIUS, PRO VICE CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT OF MONASH SOUTH AFRICA

MR RON FAIRCHILD
PRO VICE CHANCELLOR AND PRESIDENT, ADVANCEMENT
MONASH UNIVERSITY

PROF JOHN NIEWENHUYZEN
DIRECTOR, MONASH INSTITUTE FOR THE STUDY OF GLOBAL MOVEMENTS

DR DAVID DUNSTAN
DEPUTY DIRECTOR, NATIONAL CENTRE FOR AUSTRALIAN STUDIES
MONASH UNIVERSITY

SCHOLARS AND STUDENTS

IT IS MY PLEASURE TO BE WITH YOU TODAY AS YOU EMBARK ON THE FASCINATING AND VALUABLE EXAMINATION OF THE LINKS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA.

I WANT AT THE OUTSET TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND CONGRATULATE MONASH SOUTH AFRICA ON THEIR FORESIGHT AND ACTIVISM IN ORGANISNG THIS CONFERENCE, AND THEIR BROADER EFFORTS ON THIS CAMPUS. I WANT PARTICULARLY TO CONGRATULATE PROFESSOR TYRONE PRETORIUS AND HIS TEAM ON THEIR COMMITMENT TO MAKING THIS INSTITUTION AN ORGANIC AND DYNAMIC PART OF THE TERTIARY EDUCATION SCENE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. I KNOW, FROM THE RESULTS THAT I HAVE SEEN, THE CONSIDERABLE SUCCESS THAT PROFESSOR PRETORIUS HAS ACHIEVED AGAINST THIS GOAL. UNDER HIS LEADERSHIP, MONASH SOUTH AFRICA IS ON A TRAJECTORY FOR GREAT SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE.

I ALSO WANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE COMMITMENT THAT THE MONASH UNIVERSITY FAMILY HAS TO ITS INVOLVEMENT IN AFRICA, AND PARTICULARLY TO RESEARCH. I KNOW THAT MONASH WANTS NOT ONLY TO BE A SUCCESSFUL INSTITUTION WITH AN AFRICAN CAMPUS; IT WANTS TO MAKE A REAL CONTRIBUTION TO RESEARCH ON AFRICA, IN AFRICA. THIS CONFERENCE IS A VALUABLE EARLY OFFERING IN THAT OBJECTIVE, AND I AM CONFIDENT IT BEGINS A RICH ENGAGEMENT WITH AFRICAN SCHOLARSHIP.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

YOUR CONFERENCE WILL RANGE OVER A WIDE CANVASS, COVERING AN ARRAY OF ISSUES CONNECTING AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA. IT WILL TRAVERSE ISSUES AS ARCANE AS 19TH CENTURY COLONIAL EXPERIENCES, TO ISSUES THAT – LIKE THE RUGBY – ARE OF KEEN AND CURRENT INTEREST TO A VERY WIDE RANGE OF PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INDIAN OCEAN.

I AM INVOLVED DAY-TO-DAY IN ELEMENTS OF THE RELATIONS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN GOVERNMENTS. BUT I AM A PRACTITIONER, NOT AN ANALYST. MANY OF YOU WILL HAVE BETTER PERSPECTIVE, AND DEEPER KNOWLEDGE, THAN I CAN BRING TO THE TASK.

BUT, SINCE I HAVE NOW HAD MORE THAN FOUR YEARS EXPERIENCE AS AUSTRALIA’S HIGH COMMISSIONER HERE, PLEASE ALLOW ME A FEW OBSERVATIONS WHICH I BELIEVE ARE RELEVANT TO THE SUBJECT MATTER OF THE CONFERENCE.

FIRST, I WOULD OBSERVE THAT, AT THE GOVERNMENT LEVEL, RELATIONS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA ARE EXCELLENT. THE GOVERNMENTS OF PRIME MINISTER RUDD AND PRESIDENT MOTLANTHE SHARE CLOSE PERSPECTIVES ON A WIDE RANGE OF BILATERAL, REGIONAL AND GLOBAL ISSUES – CLOSER THAN ANY TWO AUSTRALIAN AND SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENTS HAVE HAD FOR MORE THAN A DECADE.

WE THINK ALIKE ON FIELDS THAT INCLUDE CLIMATE CHANGE, FREE TRADE IN AGRICULTURE, UN REFORM, NUCLEAR DISARMAMENT AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS.

AN EXCELLENT ILLUSTRATION OF THIS CAME AT THE G20 LEADERS’ MEETING HELD ONLY DAYS AGO IN WASHINGTON. AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA TOOK TO THE MEETING ESSENTIALLY THE SAME KEY PERSPECTIVES AND OBJECTIVES.

ANOTHER EXAMPLE IS THE RECENT APPOINTMENT OF THE EMINENT SOUTH AFRICAN FRENE GINWALA TO THE INTERNATIONAL COMMISSION ON NUCLEAR NON-PROLIFERATION AND DISARMAMENT – A KEY RUDD GOVERNMENT PRIORITY.

AND LET ME SHARE WITH YOU – WITH SOME PRIDE - THE COMMENTS MADE BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN PRESIDENCY, JUST LAST WEEK, THAT WHEN IT CAME TO INTERNATIONAL RESPONSES TO SOUTH AFRICA’S SKILLS CRISIS – AND THE ASGISA PROGRAM DEVELOPED TO ADDRESS THEM – AUSTRALIA WAS ON A VERY SHORT LIST OF COUNTRIES THAT DELIVERED THE MOST VALUABLE COOPERATION.

EVERY WEEK, I HAVE THE GOOD FORTUNE TO BE ENGAGING WITH SENIOR SOUTH AFRICAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS, ON A WIDE RANGE OF TOPICS, IN AN INTIMATE AND COLLEGIATE WAY.

I SHOULD MENTION, IN THIS CONTEXT, THAT THE DIFFICULTY THAT AROSE IN OUR RELATIONSHIP A FEW YEARS AGO, OVER THE ISSUE OF ZIMBABWE, IS NO LONGER A PROBLEM IN THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP. WHILE WE HAVE, SOMETIMES, DIFFERENT PERCEPTIONS ON THIS ISSUE, IT IS NO LONGER A SOURCE OF FRICTION.

THE SECOND BROAD POINT THAT I WOULD MAKE IS THAT THERE IS VASTLY MORE TO THE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA THAN THE GOVERNMENT-TO-GOVERNMENT DEALINGS.

I GUESS THIS IS TRUE OF MANY MATURE BILATERAL RELATIONSHIPS, BUT IT IS SPECIALLY A FEATURE OF THE LINKS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA. THE BROAD BILATERAL RELATIONSHIP DWARFS THE GOVERNMENT LINKS.
• CONSIDER THE MASSIVE TRADE BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES – WORTH MORE THAN TWENTY BILLION RAND EACH YEAR. WE HAVE AN ACTIVE AUSTRADE OFFICE HERE, BUT MY SENIOR TRADE COMMISSIONER WOULD NOT CLAIM TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON MORE THAN A SMALL FRACTION OF THAT TRADE.
• CONSIDER THE EXTENSIVE PEOPLE TO PEOPLE RELATIONSHIPS. THE SUBSTANTIAL AIR LINKS, LARGE TOURISM NUMBERS.
• AND THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM OF OUR BILATERAL RELATIONS IS SPORT. SPORT IS A PASSION ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INDIAN OCEAN, INSPIRING THE INTEREST OF MILLIONS OF AUSTRALIANS AND SOUTH AFRICANS. NO LEVEL OF GOVERNMENT CONTACT CAN COMPARE WITH THAT INTENSITY OF CONTACT.

THE THIRD KEY POINT THAT I WOULD MAKE IS THAT THE ECONOMIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA IS MORE VIBRANT AND SIGNIFICANT THAN MANY PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES OF THE INDIAN OCEAN KNOW.

THE FACT THAT WE HAVE A FOUR BILLION DOLLAR – TWENTY PLUS BILLION RAND - TRADING RELATIONSHIP IS NOT SPECIALLY EYE-CATCHING.

BUT AUSTRALIANS ARE TAKEN ABACK WHEN I TELL THEM ABOUT THE MOTOR VEHICLE TRADE - THAT EVERY MERCEDES C CLASS, EVERY VW POLO, EVERY BMW 3 SERIES, AND EVERY TOYOTA COROLLA SOLD IN AUSTRALIA IS MADE IN SOUTH AFRICA.

IN FACT, OF SOUTH AFRICA’S TEN BILLION RAND IN EXPORTS TO AUSTRALIA EVERY YEAR, MORE THAN SIXTY PER CENT IS MADE UP OF HIGH QUALITY MOTOR VEHICLES. THAT CERTAINLY SHATTERS THE IMAGE OF A DEVELOPING, AFRICAN COUNTRY MOSTLY EXPORTING RAW MATERIALS TO THE WEST!

SOUTH AFRICANS TOO ARE OFTEN SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT, SINCE 1994, THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS SPENT HALF A BILLION RAND IN DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE IN SOUTH AFRICA, AND TRAINED 350 SOUTH AFRICANS IN MASTERS LEVEL PROGRAMS IN AUSTRALIA.

AND MANY ARE SURPRISED TO LEARN THAT, OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS, THE GROWTH IN AUSTRALIA’S EXPORTS TO SOUTH AFRICA HAS AVERAGED MORE THAN FIFTEEN PER CENT PER YEAR – WELL ABOVE THE TREND GROWTH IN OUR EXPORTS GLOBALLY, WHICH IS LESS THAN TEN PER CENT.

THE FOURTH POINT I WANTED TO MAKE TO YOU TODAY IS ALMOST BANAL – BUT IT IS NONETHELESS IMPORTANT TO STATE. IT IS THAT AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA HAVE VERY, VERY MUCH IN COMMON.
• SIMPLE THINGS, LIKE USE OF THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE AND INSTITUTIONS INHERITED FROM THE BRITISH.
• IMPORTANT THINGS LIKE A COMMITMENT TO DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE.
• FUNDAMENTAL THINGS, LIKE ECONOMIES THAT ARE HIGHLY DEPENDENT ON COMMODITIES.
• PROBLEMS THAT WE BOTH SHARE, LIKE DISTANCE FROM GLOBAL CENTRES OF POWER, AND THE NEED TO SHOUT LOUD TO BE HEARD.
• SIMILARITIES IN THE ROLES THAT WE PLAY IN OUR RESPECTIVE REGIONS - SOUTH AFRICA IN ITS NEAR NEIGHBOURHOOD; AUSTRALIA IN THE SOUTH WEST PACIFIC.
• SIMILARITIES IN CLIMATE AND LANDSCAPE.
• AND THIS IS NOT TO MENTION LIFESTYLE AND SPORTING INTERESTS THAT BRING COUNTLESS POINTS OF CONTACT.

OF COURSE, WE ALSO HAVE SOME THINGS THAT ARE NOT ALIKE – PRIME AMONGST THEM, THE DIFFERENCES IN DEVELOPMENT IN THE TWO ECONOMIES, AND THE MAJOR TASK SOUTH AFRICA HAS IN LEADING MANY OF ITS PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY.

BUT WHEN I LOOK AROUND MY COLLEAGUES, OTHER AMBASSADORS AND HIGH COMMISSIONERS ACCREDITED TO SOUTH AFRICA, IT IS DIFFICULT TO IDENTIFY ANY COUNTRY WHICH, IN SUM, SHARES AS MANY SIMILARITIES AS MY COUNTRY DOES WITH SOUTH AFRICA.

A FIFTH OBSERVATION THAT I WOULD MAKE IS THAT, WHILE IT IS A SENSITIVE SUBJECT, THE MIGRATION OF SOUTH AFRICANS TO AUSTRALIA IS IN MANY WAYS BUILDING A CLOSER RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN OUR SOCIETIES.

MIGRATION IS AN IMPORTANT DYNAMIC IN OUR RELATIONS. AROUND A HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICAN DESCENT NOW LIVE IN AUSTRALIA, AND THE NUMBER GROWS BY A FEW THOUSAND EACH YEAR.

THAT MIGRATION IS NOT PARTICULARLY BIG BY AUSTRALIAN STANDARDS – SOUTH AFRICANS REPRESENT ONLY THE TENTH LARGEST MIGRANT GROUP IN AUSTRALIA. BUT THE NUMBERS OF NEW MIGRANTS IS SIGNIFICANT FOR SOUTH AFRICA.

AUSTRALIA RECOGNISES THE COSTS TO AN ECONOMY LIKE SOUTH AFRICA’S OF THE LOSS OF SO MANY SKILLED PEOPLE, AND WE DO WHAT WE CAN TO AMELIORATE IT. IMPORTANTLY – AND THIS IS THE ONLY COUNTRY IN THE WORLD WHERE WE DO THIS – THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED TO DO NO MARKETING OF AUSTRALIA AS AN IMMIGRATION DESTINATION IN SOUTH AFRICA. IN ALL OTHER COMPARABLE COUNTRIES, THE GOVERNMENT REGULARLY HOLDS ‘SKILLS EXPOS’ TO ENCOURAGE MIGRANTS. WE DO NOT DO THIS HERE.

BEYOND THIS, THE POINT THAT I WANT TO MAKE TO YOU IS THAT MIGRATION IS DRIVING SUBSTANTIAL NEW LINKS BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES.
• IT IS OF COURSE INCREASING THE TIES BETWEEN OUR PEOPLES – SOUTH AFRICANS ARE NOW A SIGNIFICANT POPULATION GROUP IN AUSTRALIA.
• IT IS ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS WHY THERE ARE NOW TWENTY DIRECT FLIGHTS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA EACH WEEK.
• IT HELPS EXPLAIN THE MORE THAN A HUNDRED THOUSAND TOURISTS WHO GO BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES EACH YEAR.
• AND, THOUGH IT IS DIFFICULT TO DEMONSTRATE, I AM CONVINCED THAT THE NUMBER OF SOUTH AFRICANS IN AUSTRALIA IS A KEY DRIVER OF THE RAPID INCREASE IN TRADE.

THE CONCLUSION IS HARD TO ESCAPE THAT MIGRATION IS DRIVING SUBSTANTIAL ADDITIONAL LINKS BETWEEN OUR COUNTRIES, YEAR BY YEAR.

A FINAL PERCEPTION THAT I WOULD OFFER IS THAT THE COMPETITIVE CHARACTER OF RELATIONS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA IS, ON BALANCE, A GOOD THING. ONE OF THE COMMONPLACES IN THE ANALYSIS OF AUSTRALIA-SOUTH AFRICA RELATIONS IS THE CONCLUSION THAT WE ARE ESSENTIALLY COMPETITIVE SOCIETIES – FROM RUGBY TO GLOBAL WINE SALES.

THERE IS OF COURSE TRUTH IN THIS, PARTICULARLY IN THE COMMERCIAL SPHERE. BECAUSE OUR COUNTRIES HAVE MANY SIMILARITIES, WE INEVITABLY PRODUCE MANY OF THE SAME PRODUCTS. FOR MANY COMMODITIES (WINE, WOOL, FRUITS) WE ARE RIVALS IN WORLD TRADE. THAT CREATES AN EDGE, IN MUCH THE SAME WAY THAT OUR COUNTRIES’ HIGH STANDINGS IN THE WORLD RANKINGS OF CRICKET AND RUGBY CREATES FRICTIONS.

MY VIEW IS THAT THIS COMPETITION IS, ON BALANCE, GOOD. IT BREEDS VIGOUR IN OUR RELATIONSHIP, AND RESPECT FOR EACH OTHERS’ CAPABILITIES.

BUT THERE IS MORE TO IT THAN THAT. WHILE AT THE TACTICAL LEVEL WE COMPETE IN FOREIGN MARKETS, WE HAVE MUCH THE SAME STRATEGIC INTERESTS.
• THAT IS WHY WE WORK SO CLOSELY TOGETHER IN THE CAIRNS GROUP FOR FREE TRADE IN AGRICULTURE.
• IT IS WHY WE ARE PARTNERS IN THE WORLD WINE TRADE GROUP.
• IT IS WHY WE WORK TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT GLOBAL MARKETS FOR MINERAL COMMODITIES ARE FREE OF UNNECESSARY RESTRICTION.

FINALLY, I WANT TO SHARE WITH YOU A NEW DYNAMIC IN THE RELATIONS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA GENERATED BY THE GOVERNMENT OF PRIME MINISTER RUDD. IN OFFICE FOR JUST ON A YEAR, THE GOVERNMENT HAS DECIDED THAT IT WANTS TO SUBSTANTIALLY UPGRADE RELATIONS WITH AFRICA.

PRECISELY WHAT THAT WILL MEAN IS STILL TO BE WORKED OUT. I AM NOT ABLE TO TELL YOU QUITE HOW THAT NEW ENGAGEMENT WILL TAKE PLACE, OR WHAT FIELDS IT WILL COVER.

IN ONE AREA, HOWEVER - DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE - WE ALREADY KNOW THE SHAPE OF THE CHANGE. AUSTRALIA’S DEVELOPMENT COOPERATION BUDGET TO AFRICA IS SET TO INCREASE.

THE GOVERNMENT’S GOAL IS TO INCREASE AUSTRALIA’S OVERALL AID BUDGET FROM 0.32 OF GROSS DOMESTIC INCOME (THAT’S WHAT IT IS NOW) TO 0.5 PER CENT. THAT CHANGE IS SCHEDULED TO OCCUR BETWEEN NOW AND 2015.

SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR AFRICA? THE QUANTUM OF OUR ASSISTANCE TO AFRICA WOULD INCREASE FROM JUST OVER ONE HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS A YEAR (WHERE IT IS NOW) TO ABOUT 250 MILLION BY 2015.

THAT WILL HAVE SOME SIGNIFICANCE FOR SOUTH AFRICA – THE LEVEL OF OUR COOPERATION IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO RISE. BUT IT ALSO MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE MORE SCOPE FOR AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA TO COOPERATE IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF OTHER COUNTRIES IN AFRICA. WE ARE ALREADY ENGAGED WITH SOUTH AFRICA ON THAT, WHICH MAKES SENSE, BECAUSE SOUTH AFRICAN INSTITUTIONS ARE OFTEN MUCH BETTER SUITED TO DELIVERING ASSISTANCE TO AFRICAN COUNTRIES THAN AUSTRALIAN INSTITUTIONS.

MORE ASSISTANCE FOR AFRICA WILL MEAN MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA TO COOPERATE ON AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT. AND IT WILL BE ANOTHER DEMONSTRATION OF OUR COMMITMENT TO ACCESSING AFRICAN SOLUTIONS TO AFRICAN PROBLEMS.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN

THIS CONFERENCE IS WELL TIMED, COINCIDING AS IT DOES WITH A LULL IN THE GREAT CONTESTS BETWEEN AUSTRALIA AND SOUTH AFRICA. THE TRI-NATIONS IS OVER, AND THE CRICKET SEASON IS YET TO BEGIN.

BUT ON 17 DECEMBER IN PERTH, BATTLE WILL BE JOINED AGAIN. THE PROTEAS WILL MEET THE AUSTRALIAN CRICKET TEAM FOR THE FIRST OF THREE TESTS.

THE GREAT COMPETITION BETWEEN THE SOUTHERN WORLDS WILL BE RENEWED!

AS A CRICKET ENTHUSIAST, I FIND THAT AN EXCITING PROSPECT. BUT, IF THERE IS ONE MESSAGE I HAVE FOR YOU TODAY, IT IS THAT OUR LINKS ARE – TO MANGLE A PHRASE – “NOT JUST CRICKET”. THEY ARE WIDE-RANGING, DEEP, AND MOSTLY ON THE RIGHT TRAJECTORY.