The Bougainville conflict, which lasted from 1988-1998, was critical to defining how sovereign risk was perceived in Papua New Guinea. Former PNG Prime Minister, Sir Julius Chan, knew that keeping the island was vital both for the PNG economy and the nation’s status as an investment destination. He reflects on the extraordinary events in his autobiography.
Forty years ago this week, Sean Dorney was one of the journalists on the spot for Papua New Guinea’s declaration of Independence. He covered it for the country’s National Broadcasting Commission and later spent 17 years in PNG as an ABC correspondent. He reflects on PNG’s journey as an independent nation.
Gough Whitlam, the Australian Prime Minister who gave Papua New Guinea its independence in 1975, died this week. The ABC’s long-serving Papua New Guinea correspondent, Sean Dorney, reflects on Whitlam’s historic relationship with PNG and the road to independence.
The Parties to the Nauru Agreement (PNA) agreed at its meeting in Honiara in March 2014 to set limits on tuna catches. Sean Dorney argues Pacific governments now need to address illegal fishing, an errant European Union, and the threat posed by subsidised foreign fishing fleets.