Pacific Islands Monthly
pp. 8-9 · Read in the full issue
Australia seeks her freedom from PNG
By New Guinean journalist
Luke Sela
Papua New Guinea was told in January it would probably become in dependent in 1974. The announce ment, by the new Australian Labor Government’s Minister for External Territories, Mr Bill Morrison, was made after a four day tour of Papua New Guinea and a talk with PNG Chief Minister Michael Somare. The announcement caused uproar inside and outside PNG.
The significance of the announce ment is that the policy of Australia’s previous Liberal Government (which was defeated in December) was that independence would be given to PNG on a date which the country itself set. It had already agreed that self government should come for PNG by December this year, or soon after, but no date for independence had been mentioned.
I spoke with Mr Morrison—who is a former Australian diplomat—in Sydney a few days before he made his visit to Papua New Guinea. As a result I was not surprised when at a news conference in Port Moresby later Mr Morrison said, “As the first step to independence, PNG will be self-governing by December 1 this year. Following that there will be independence.” And 1974 was given as the target.
In Sydney Mr Morrison had told me that the government was prepar
ing PNG for self-government in the first few months of 1973 and that preparations were also in readiness for independence. He was not able to give a date for independence, but I was then left in no doubt that the Australian Labor Party wanted to hand over the responsibility of PNG quickly. I got the impression that as far as Mr Morrison was concerned, independence would follow self government so quickly that the two were virtually one and the same thing.
Mr Morrison’s Port Moresby an nouncement, which was supported by Australian Prime Minister Whitlam, got a quick reaction. Mr Somare himself was then in Bougainville (see story opposite). He issued a state ment saying that the people of PNG and their elected representatives would decide when PNG should be come independent.
And in that statement, for once, government and opposition were in harmony.
PNG’s Opposition Leader, Mr Mathias Tollman, accused Mr Whitlam of trying to “blackmail” Mr Somare and assured the chief minis ter of his party’s full support if Mr Somare was prepared “to tell Mr Whitlam where to get off”.
As soon as he left Bougainville, Mr Somare flew to Canberra for talks, during which he was reported
to have told Mr Whitlam th; PNG did not want independence s early as 1974, but he would wor towards the end of 1974 or mid-197 as the timetable. Mr Whitlam ai nounced that he would continue wit his 1974 timetable.
What now appears to be happenic is that the Australian Government asking PNG for Australia’s indepei dence!
What is the reason for the Austr; lian Labor Party wanting to pressui Papua New Guinea? You ca draw your own conclusions from statement made by Mr Whitlam i Port Moresby in early 1971 when h was Leader of the Opposition. IV' Whitlam said, “All Australians mu now realise how damaging and dan gerous a reputation Australia’s pn sent policies produce. We are European nation on the fringe of th most populous and deprived coloure nation in the world.” He said in th same statement that an Australia Labor Government would “not H blackmailed into accepting an ui
Australia's new Minister for Extern Territories, Mr Bill Morrison, and PNG[?] Chief Minister Michael Somare were no[?] it is to be hoped, biting off more than the[?] can chew when they attended a feast [?] Wewak in January after talks on PNG future. With them is Mrs Morrison.
natural role as rulers over those who have no say in electing us”. Mr Whit lam said clearly then that Australia didn’t want the reputation of being a colonial power.
Mr Morrison told me that he would be the last Minister for Ex ternal Territories, as he would work himself out of a job. He spoke highly of the present Administrator in PNG, Mr L. W. Johnson. He stressed in my interview—and it has been stressed since by Mr Whitlam—that Australia will continue giving finan cial and other aid to PNG after in dependence, if PNG wants it.
I think PNG should wake up to the fact that it is going to be rushed towards independence. It is now up to Mr Somare and his government to decide whether they want to give Mr Whitlam his independence.