A hard drugs crisis is the last thing PNG needs

Moving from cannabis, grown in the Highlands, to hard drugs imported from Asia, and possibly South America, is a whole new challenge for PNG and Australia.

Speaking on Ray Hadley's radio programme on Sydney and Brisbane radio this week the highly articulate AFP Commissioner, Reece Kershaw, was full of praise for the PNG Police Commissioner, David Manning.

I share that view.

But David Manning and the force need our support - and they need it urgently.

As the IMF has revealed, the PNG Government is essentially broke.

The Albanese Government determined that our priority needed to be the PNG Defence Force, which has been in very poor shape and getting worse.

That clearly was of interest to China!

Fortunately the security agreement being negotiated between Australia and Papua New Guinea has curtailed China for now.

The focus needs to now shift to the police force under the leadership of David Manning.

We currently give PNG about $600 million in aid each year. Penny Wong has ordered a full review of our aid program, headed by aid to PNG.

The police force is under resourced and under enormous pressure - Street crime, ethnic outbreaks of violence especially in the Highlands.

It has an excellent Commissioner but he, and the good people of PNG, desperately need our help and that of New Zealand and the US.

We should co-ordinate it. It is in our Australian National Interest to do so.