(CARICOM Secretariat, Turkeyen, Greater Georgetown, Guyana) Newly accredited Plenipotentiary Representative of Australia to CARICOM, His Excellency Philip Kentwell, in his maiden speech told a gathering as he presented Credentials to CARICOM Secretary-General Edwin Carrington at the CARICOM Secretariat that since its election in November 2007, the Australian Government has embarked on a policy to broaden, deepen and strengthen Australia's relationships internationally, including with the countries of the Caribbean.

The Plenipotentiary Representative who is based in Port-of-Spain as Australia’s High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, assured the Caribbean Community that while Australia's priorities are regional, its interests are necessarily global which now require Australia to do much more with countries, regions and continents, until now “regrettably neglected.”

High Commissioner Kentwell shared “interesting historical links” between Australia and the Caribbean citing for example, that the first Chief Justice of Western Australia, Sir Archibald Paul Burt, was born in St Kitts in 1810. Sir Archibald was appointed Chief Justice of the then newly-created Supreme Court of the colony of Western Australia in June 1861, some fifty years before Australia achieved nationhood. He described Sir Paull’s life as “dedicated to justice and institution-building in two hemispheres; the Caribbean and Australia.”

High Commissioner Kentwell described the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding on development cooperation between Australia and CARICOM in November 2009 as a catalyst for Australia to embark on a strengthening of relations with CARICOM. He concluded “my appointment is the logical next step as we continue to engage more deeply.”

CONTACT: piu@caricom.org