The Houenipwela will address the future of relations between Solomon Islands and Australia following the conclusion of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI).

 

His address will be followed by a question-and-answer session.

 

The talk takes place at ANU's Lecture Theatre One, Hedley Bull Building in Garran Road from 11 am to 12.15pm Australian Eastern Standard time.

 

Houenipwela met with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull in London in April, and a key issue in those talks was Australian support for a submarine cable from the islands to Sydney, a crucial communications link that replaces an alternative plan backed by China.

 

An accountant by profession, Houenipwela was Governor of the Central Bank of the Solomons for 15 years in the 1990s and the early 2000s and has also held a senior position at the World Bank. He has held various portfolios in the government and was chosen Prime Minister in the election in November last year.