Whitlam Gives Warning On Papua-New Guinea

Press, Volume CX, Issue 32194, 13 January 1970, Page 9

Whitlam Gives Warning On Papua-New Guinea

(N.Z. Press Association—Copyright)

PORT MORESBY, Jan. 12. A Labour Government in Australia would give Papua-New Guinea immediate self-government and would provide her with increased financial aid for at least the next 30 years, the Federal Leader of the Opposition (Mr Gough Whitlam) said today.

In a manifesto on Labour's policy towards the territory, released today, Mr Whitlam said that while the territory would decide for herself what form of independence she would have, the fact of independence had already been decided. Mr Whitlam left Port Moresby this morning after a 15-day tour of the territory, during which he met general acceptance of his plan for her self-government, but stubborn opposition to his view that independence would follow within four years. Mr Whitlam gave a warning that Australia’s labour relations with Papua - New Guinea was “an Achilles heel.

full of danger for the near and distant future.” Mr Whitlam replied at length yesterday to charges by the Australian Prime Minister (Mr John Gorton) that he had encouraged extremists in the Gazelle Peninsula; Mr Whitlam counter-charged that the Australian Government’s policy in Papua - New Guinea was one of “glaring racial discrimination in law, economic opportunity and wages.” Mr Whitlam denied that he had supported the Mataungan Association which opposes the constitution of a multi-racial council in the Gazelle and wants to replace it with an all-native body. He said that in his speech to an estimated 10,000 Mataungan follower in Rabaul on Thursday he had deliberately avoided any expressions of opinion on the issues of the multi-racial council, taxes or imprisonment Late yesterday, Mr Whitlam clashed with two Papuan ministerial members of the House of Assembly while attending a public meeting organised by the Pangu Party at the village of Hanuabada, on the outskirts of Port Moresby.

After an exchange of words with Mr Whitlam, the Assistant Ministerial Member for the Treasury (Mr Oala Oala Rarua) told the Labour leader to “pack up and go home—you have caused enough trouble.” The Ministerial Member for Labour (Mr Toua Kapena) asked Mr Whitlam how a Labour Government would view any Papuan move to separate from New Guinea and set up a separate State: Mr Whitlam replied that Labour would be against such a move. Mr Kapena then accused Mr Whitlam of varying his statements from place to place to suit his audience, and added that Mr Whitlam had come to the territory for his <>wn political gain, and had only served to deepen misunderstanding. In the manifesto issued today, Mr Whitlam said: “We quickly found that our most urgent and difficult task was to reassure the people and their leaders, and even expatriates, about Australia’s relationship with New Guinea after self-government and after independence. “We have been appalled to discover how widespread and deeply rooted is the impression that either independence or even self-government means the end of Australian concern and Australian help for this country.

“I make no comment about the origins of this falsehood. An Australian who propagates it does a grave disservice to the people of Australia and the people of New Guinea.

Mr Whitlam said that Australia would not have been permitted to remain in New Guinea as trustee had she not promised to prepare the territory for independence. "The governments of 112 nations have just called on Australia to transfer full exe-

cutive and legislative powers to elected New Guineans,” Mr Whitlam said. “Australians who think that the United Nations need not be taken seriously may be more respectful to the United States. Anybody who doubts the seriousness of America’s purposes on this matter is fooling himself.”