Port Moresby, 18 March 1966
Confidential
I refer to your confidential memorandum 65/5939 of 25th January 1966, the draft statement attached thereto and subsequent correspondence regarding the proposal to modify the Territory’s immigration policy to permit temporary entry of a limited number of non-European specialist technicians and professional personnel for essential purposes.1
2. The matter was referred to the Administrator’s Council at its meeting on 3rd March 1966 …
3. The Council appreciated the need for relaxing present restrictions on the entry of non-European persons, in the interests of the Territory’s development, and was in general agreement with the proposals set out in the paper.
4. The Council did, however, make the following specific comments and asked that they be brought to the attention of the Commonwealth Government:
(a) It is desirable that, wherever possible, persons entering the Territory under these conditions bring their families with them. Attachments formed with local women could be a very undesirable social consequence of their admission.
(b) Care must be taken that such persons are not allowed to acquire any interest in land while they are in the Territory.
(c) The training aspects of such temporary entry should be continually stressed.
(d) Two (2) years would appear to be the desirable limit on temporary entry of technicians, etc. If necessary, the individual concerned could be replaced at the end of this time.
(e) The Council would appreciate being consulted before permission is granted for groups of Asian technicians, etc., to enter the Territory in connection with a new business or other venture. Such consultation would, of course, not extend to individual applications for temporary entry.2
[NAA: A452, 1965/5939]
1 See Document 4.
2 In a submission to Barnes of 15 June, Warwick Smith commented that the ‘qualifications suggested by the Administrator’s Council are reasonable and could be accepted’. Warwick Smith also noted that while it had been considered that the proposed changes to immigration policy should be submitted to Cabinet, this was now considered unnecessary because the changes did not go beyond recent alterations to Australia’s migration laws (see footnote 4, Document 27). Barnes endorsed Warwick Smith’s recommendations (NAA:A452, 1965/5939).