Australia’s Bougainville Beef

After meeting with Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape in Port Moresby in mid-October, Australia’s deputy prime minister, Richard Marles, created an unintentional storm over Bougainville’s path toward independence. Marles’s comment was interpreted by Boungainville President Ishmael Toroama as support for PNG denying independence – a decision the parliament has yet to make. Toroama’s outburst prompted Marles to issue a clarifying statement that Australia will support whatever agreement is reached between Bougainville and PNG, and that it is not Canberra’s role to articulate any views on the matter. It is estimated that the Bougainville’s currently dormant Panguna mine retains around $58 billion worth of copper and gold, a significant percentage of which the PNG would hope to secure in royalties.