Damon Mcknight
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean north of Australia. The western half of New Guinea falls within Indonesian territory. Papua New Guinea has a population of approximately 9 million to 11.8 million people, most of whom are Melanesian. The country has a complex and wide-ranging bilateral relationship with Australia, with close and regular contact between leaders and ministers. Australia became a colonial administrator of Papua New Guinea in 1906, and the country gained independence in 1975.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is Papua New Guinea a country of Australia? | No, Papua New Guinea is an independent country. |
| Is Papua New Guinea a territory of Australia? | Papua New Guinea was a territory of Australia until 1975. |
| Is Papua New Guinea geographically close to Australia? | Yes, Papua New Guinea is located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. |
| Does Papua New Guinea have a close relationship with Australia? | Yes, the two countries have a complex and wide-ranging bilateral relationship. |
| Does Papua New Guinea have a similar name to a region in Australia? | Yes, there is a region in Australia called the Gulf of Papua. |
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What You'll Learn
Papua New Guinea's independence from Australia in 1975
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an island country in Oceania, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia.
The territory of Papua New Guinea was split in the 1880s between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south, the latter of which was ceded to Australia in 1902. All of present-day Papua New Guinea came under Australian control following World War I, although it remained two distinct territories.
In 1972, Michael Somare was elected as Chief Minister of Papua New Guinea. The following year, in December 1973, self-governance was instituted by the Whitlam government, and the kina was introduced as a separate currency in April 1975. The push for independence was driven by internal policies of the Whitlam government, rather than in response to calls from Papua New Guinea.
The Papua New Guinea Independence Act 1975 passed in September 1975, setting 16 September 1975 as the date of independence. Somare became the country's first Prime Minister. Upon independence, most Australian officials left the territory. Papua New Guinea became a constitutional monarchy with membership of the British Commonwealth.
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The complex bilateral relationship between Papua New Guinea and Australia
Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia have a complex bilateral relationship that is influenced by their geographical proximity, shared history, and economic ties. Located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour, with only 3.75 km separating the two countries at their closest point in the Torres Strait. The two nations also share the same continent in the Oceania region.
Historically, Papua New Guinea was a colony of Australia, with the territory coming under Australian control after World War I. Australia governed Papua New Guinea until it gained independence in 1975. The path towards independence was driven by internal policies within Australia, rather than a strong push from Papua New Guinea itself, as the concept of a "country" was foreign to many in the territory. Upon independence, most Australian officials left, and the two countries established diplomatic relations.
The economic relationship between Papua New Guinea and Australia is strong. Australia is Papua New Guinea's leading trade and investment partner, with bilateral trade valued at A$6.7 billion in 2018 and Australian investment at A$17 billion. Australia is also the largest bilateral provider of aid to Papua New Guinea, with Australian aid accounting for 68% of the total official development assistance received by Papua New Guinea. This aid is seen by many Australians as a moral obligation due to their shared history.
However, the relationship between the two countries has experienced tensions. In 2006, for example, there was a diplomatic incident involving the treatment of Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Michael Somare at Brisbane Airport, which led to a significant cooling of relations. There have also been concerns about the influence of Australian aid on Papua New Guinea's politics and the impact of Australia's refugee detention centre on Manus Island. Despite these challenges, the two countries have worked to maintain a friendly bilateral relationship and have signed several agreements to strengthen their economic partnership.
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Papua New Guinea's geographic proximity to Australia
Papua New Guinea is Australia's closest neighbour, with only about 3.75 km separating the two countries at Saibai Island in the Torres Strait. The two countries share maritime borders, and Papua New Guinea is a short flight away from Australia's northern coast.
Papua New Guinea is an island country in Oceania, located in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea, the world's second-largest island, and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region north of Australia. The island of New Guinea is bounded by the Pacific Ocean to the north, the Bismarck and Solomon Seas to the east, the Coral Sea and
The territory of Papua New Guinea was split between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south in the 1880s. The British territory was ceded to Australia in 1902, and in 1904, the administration of German New Guinea was also passed to Australia. All of present-day Papua New Guinea came under Australian control following World War I, although it remained two distinct territories. After World War II, the two territories were united, and in 1945, Papua and New Guinea were combined in an administrative union.
Papua New Guinea remained an external territory of Australia until 1975, when the Papua New Guinea Independence Act was passed, granting the country independence. Despite achieving independence, Papua New Guinea has retained close relations with Australia. The two countries signed a free trade agreement in 1977, and Australia has provided development aid to Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea's political institutions are modelled on the Westminster system, the same system used by Australia.
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Australia's colonial administration of Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is an island country in Oceania, in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, north of Australia. It comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia.
The territory of Papua New Guinea was split in the 1880s between German New Guinea in the north and the British Territory of Papua in the south, the latter of which was ceded to Australia in 1902. Australia thus became a colonial administrator when it assumed responsibility for the external territory of Papua – the southern half of what is now Papua New Guinea. In 1906, Australia took full control of Papua as an 'external territory', and its name was changed to the Territory of Papua.
Following World War I, German New Guinea was also ceded to Australia, which administered it as the Territory of New Guinea. In 1949, the two territories were established in an administrative union by the name of the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. However, they retained distinct legal statuses and identities. The territory of Papua was a Possession of the Crown, while the Territory of New Guinea was initially a League of Nations mandate territory and later a United Nations trust territory.
During the 1960s, there was a growing debate about the future of Australia's colonial administration of Papua New Guinea. The push for independence was driven by internal policies of the Whitlam government, rather than in response to calls from Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea became an independent country in 1975, and most Australian officials left the territory.
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Australia's role in Papua New Guinea's independence
Papua New Guinea was granted independence from Australia on 15 or 16 September 1975, during the term of the Whitlam government in Australia. The territory had been administered by Australia as a single territory from 1945, and before that, it was a League of Nations territory granted under mandate to Australia in 1920.
In the two decades following the Second World War, Australia administered Papua New Guinea as a UN Trust Territory, promoting gradual development and arguing that the road to independence would be a slow one. In 1949, the Papua and New Guinea Act brought both territories together under one administration based in Port Moresby.
During the 1960s, there was a growing debate in Canberra and Papua New Guinea about the future role of Australia's administration. In 1964, at the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), Australian policymakers devised a Middle Zone policy that sought to present Australia as neither 'developed' nor 'developing'. This had significant consequences for the colonial administration of Papua New Guinea.
In November 1973, Papua New Guinea attained self-government, and on 1 December 1973, it became a self-governing territory. In 1972, the territory adopted self-government and the name was changed to Papua New Guinea. Elections saw the formation of a ministry headed by Chief Minister Michael Somare, who became the country's first prime minister after independence.
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Frequently asked questions
No, Papua New Guinea is an independent country that was formerly administered by Australia.
No, in 1884, Germany formally took possession of the northeast quarter of the island, which later became known as German New Guinea. In 1884, a British protectorate was also proclaimed over Papua – the southern coast of New Guinea. In 1902, Papua was effectively transferred to the authority of the newly federated British dominion of Australia. In 1946, New Guinea was declared a United Nations trust territory under Australian governance. In 1949, the Papua and New Guinea Act brought both territories together under one administration based in Port Moresby, and in 1971, the territory's name was changed to Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guinea attained self-government in 1972 and became an independent state on 16 September 1975.
Papua New Guinea retains close ties to Australia, and Australians travelling to or living in Papua New Guinea can receive consular and passport help from the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby or the Australian Consulate-General in Lae.
Papua New Guinea is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It encompasses the eastern half of New Guinea, the world's second-largest island, as well as the Bismarck Archipelago, Bougainville and Buka (part of the Solomon Islands chain), and small offshore islands and atolls. The country has a diverse and rural population due to its highly mountainous geography. The low-lying plains of southern New Guinea are geologically part of the Australian Plate, and New Guinea was separated physically from Australia only some 8,000 years ago by the shallow flooding of the Torres Strait.
