Territory of Papua and New Guinea

Territory of Papua and New Guinea

Dependency of ‌Australia

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1949–1975

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Region

New Guinea

Capital

Port Moresby

Status

Dependency

Legislature

House of Assembly

History

- November 6, 1949

Union established

- December 1, 1973

Self-governing

- September 16, 1975

Independence

Currency

Australian Dollar

New Guinea

Papua

Papua New Guinea

v

The Territory of Papua and New Guinea (1949-1975) was a dependent territory of Australia, located on the island of New Guinea.

History[]

In 1949, the Papua and New Guinea Act confirmed the administrative union of the New Guinea and the Papua under the title of 'The Territory of Papua and New Guinea' and placed it under the international trusteeship system. The Act provided for a Legislative Council (established in 1951), a judicial organisation, a public service, and a system of local government. The first House of Assembly, which replaced the Legislative Council in 1963, opened on 8 June 1964. In 1972, the name of the territory was changed to Papua New Guinea and elections saw the formation of a ministry headed by Chief Minister Michael Somare, who pledged to lead the country to self-government and then to independence. Independence from Australia was proclaimed in 1975, and Somare became the first Prime Minister of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea.^[1]

Timeline[]

1526-27	Don Jorge de Meneses credited with naming the principal island "Papua" - a Malay word meaning frizzy hair
1545	Yngio Ortis de Retez (a Spaniard) coins the term "New Guinea" because of a presumed resemblance to inhabitants of the African Guinea coast
1884	Germany takes formal possession of the northeast quarter and adjacent islands (including Bougainville)
1884	British protectorate - British New Guinea - proclaimed over the southern coast (the area now called Papua) and adjacent islands
1888	British New Guinea annexed by Britain on 4 September
1899	German imperial government assumes direct control of the northern territory, naming it German New Guinea
1902	British New Guinea placed under the authority of the Commonwealth of Australia
1905	Passage of Papua Act in the Australian parliament - British New Guinea now known as Territory of Papua
1906	Commencement of formal Australian administration of the Territory of Papua
1914	Australian troops occupy German New Guinea, which remains under Australian military control until 1921
1920	British Government, on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia, assumes a mandate from the League of Nations to govern the Territory of New Guinea
December 1941	Japanese invasion brings suspension of Australian civil administration of the Territory of Papua
1941-45	Allied military administration of the Territory of Papua
1945	Japanese surrender restores to Australia civil administration of Papua, as well as New Guinea, under Papua New Guinea Provisional Administration Act, 1945-46^[2]