PNGAA REPORT
From the President Honouring the voices that carry our history, our culture, our spirit, and inspire us to reach further, is a theme reflected in celebrations acknowledging Papua New Guinea’s 50th Anniversary of Independence...
Category: Independence
One People, One Nation, One Country
Australia’s 69-year administration in Papua New Guinea ended at midnight on 15 September 1975. Earlier that day the Australian flag, first raised on Papua New Guinean soil in 1906, was lowered ceremonially for the...
Memories of PNG’s Independence Journey
Australia and Papua New Guinea share a deep historical and contemporary relationship, highlighted by the warm respect between peoples from both countries who have shared the journey to independence and beyond. The PNGAA embraces...
Stronger Together, Growing the Future
Papua New Guinea’s 50th Independence Anniversary in 2025 will be celebrated with the theme ‘Stronger Together, Growing the Future’. This theme reflects the nation’s focus on economic diversification, infrastructure development, and partnerships with regional...
Somare-Whitlam Australia Awards
The Australia Awards Papua New Guinea (AAPNG) are designed to promote knowledge and leadership, and enduring ties between Australia and PNG. The scholarships aim to build a qualified workforce, fill critical human resource gaps,...
PNG at 50: We Are the Children of the 1960s—a Bridge Between Worlds
We were born in the late 1960s—into a world still under the shadow of colonialism, but stirring with the promise of freedom. The Queen was on our coins. English had just arrived in our...
Together, Let Us Move Forward
HON. Michael Somare MP, 1975 First Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Michael Somare was Chief Minister from 1972, and led the country to self-government up to the point Independence was proclaimed. He became...
Personal Recollections of PNG’s 50th Anniversary
Ian Howie-Willis I have reason to remember Tuesday, 16 September 1975, Papua New Guinea’s Independence Day. It was one of the most convivial days of my life, mainly spent rejoicing with old friends in...
UNITY IN DIVERSITY
Papua New Guinea will celebrate 50 years of independence from Australia on 16 September 2025 with a public holiday, but during the year there will be special events commemorating the 50th Anniversary, including diverse...
Pathways for Papua New Guinea’s Future Military Leaders 1951–75
Gregory J Ivey & Russell Wade This article outlines the pre-independence evolution of the Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF), although readers may be aware that the first indigenous battalion was formed by the...
Reforms in PNG Politics: Political Stability vs Independent Legislature
Michael Kabuni PhD Candidate at the Australian National University (ANU) At the 2024 PNG Update, the PNG Prime Minister James Marape went to great lengths to argue that political stability is a prerequisite for...
Sel Kambang and Andapen
Part ONE • BAKA BINA This story is my take on listening to my father talk about self-government with other men in the village and his play on the words sel gavaman/sel kambang and...
Independence Day, Goroka 1975
Trevor Freestone I was an education officer in Papua New Guinea from 1964 to 1975. My postings included Ambunti in the East Sepik District, Pagei in the Sandaun (West Sepik) Province and Bena Bena...
Thoughts on Papua New Guinea’s 50 Years as an Independent Country
Garrett Roche Independence Day in Mt Hagen, 1975 I remember Independence Day 1975 in Mt Hagen. I had been in the country since 1970, based in the Western Highlands and I had some grasp...
Papua New Guinea’s Road to Independence
1883: HM Chester, Queensland Government Agent on Thursday Island, raised the Union Jack near present-day Port Moresby and annexed, on behalf of Queen Victoria, that part of New Guinea and adjacent islands lying between...
