How Mixed Up Can

You Get?

From a Port Moresby correspondent How mixed is “mixed race”? This has been a thorny question for years in Papua-New Guinea. And the answer to it has meant quite a lot in terms of hard cash to many people of varying pigmentation and diverse ancestry.

For most purposes a man or woman is regarded as of “mixed race” if one parent, or even a grandparent or great-grandparent, was a national of some country or territory other than P-NG. This definition has pro duced some odd results. If your grandfater came from the British Solomon Islands, you are of mixed race, but if he came from Bougain ville you are not. It could make a substantial difference to your pay: indeed in a number of cases it has done so.

Is the offspring of a coastal Papuan and a New Guinea Highlander of less mixed race than the offspring of a New Irelander and a Niuean?

The commonsense answer would appear to be “no”; but in fact the latter would have a good chance of being recognised as “mixed race” and securing “mixed race pay”, while the former woudn’t have a hope.

Hoary old problem

Now the hoary old problem has cropped up in a new form. Since 1962, mixed race residents of the territory may apply for permission to live permanently in Australia.

Many have done so, some of them not because they really wanted to go and live there but because it has been ruled that those holding such residency permits are eligible for expatriate rates of pay.

For the purpose of such permits it is expected that the applicant will be able to produce a bona-fide Aus tralian citizen in his family tree. So far, so good.

But in the Western District of Papua there are quite a number of people with Torres Strait Islanders in their family trees. And Torres Strait Islanders are Australian citizens. So what? Are they eligible for Australian residency permits and ‘expatriate” rates of pay? This is something which Mr. Sneddon, as Minister for Immigration, will have to decide.

All this, of course, shows up what nonsense the whole filing is. Papuans are “Australian citizens”, but have no automatic right to enter Australia even temporarily. New Guineans are “Australian Protected Persons”. Not that it makes the slightest difference when they want to go abroad.

Now, for those, in whichever part of the territory they were born, who can produce a dinkum Aussie in their pedigree, there will be yet another category. How silly can we get?

The only way out of the tangle is surely to establish, as soon as pos sible, a Papua-New Guinea national ity. Do we have to wait for inde pendence, or even for an amalga mation of the two territories, for this?

If a white man can be an Aus tralian citizen and British subject at the same time, there does not seem to be any reason why a brown man should not be, at one and the same time, a P-NG national and an Aus tralian citizen or Australian protected person, as the case may be. • Mr. John Greville Smith, President of the Public Service As sociation of P-NG, has complained to Australia’s Attorney-General about the “gross delay” of the Minister for External Territories, Mr. Barnes, in implementing NG’s Public Service arbitration awards announced in August 22 last year. The association threatens “legal action” if Mr. Barnes does not carry out his “statutory functions” and implement the awards.