Canberra, 26 November 1969
Confidential
Submission no. 5—Territory of Papua and New Guinea Bougainville copper project1
The Minister for Territories informed the Cabinet that the first of the recommendations at paragraph 25 of the Submission was now excluded, the developments which it foreshadowed having already occurred.2
2. Turning to the issue of the short-term admission of Asian labour and the recommendation at paragraph 25(2) of the Submission, the Cabinet saw this matter as one which should, in the first instance, fall within the responsibility of the Territory authorities—that is to say, the Administrator, the Administrator’s Executive Council and, unless this would be imprudent, the House of Assembly.3
3. Therefore, it felt that the appropriate course would be for the company to take up with the Administrator the issue of relaxation of existing immigration procedures of the Territory to permit, under specified conditions, the short-term entry of Asian labour where this is called for in any tender which the company may wish to accept.
4. If the Administrator, having consulted his Council—and if so decided the House of Assembly—wishes to approve the admission of Asian labour in a particular case, it will be for him to propose to the Minister a relaxation of Territory immigration policy for this purpose. The Cabinet indicated that the Minister was authorised to view such proposals sympathetically provided the conditions set out in paragraph 25(2) of the Submission are satisfied and provided the number of Asian workers admitted is limited to need and does not exceed 1,000 at any one time. In taking this view, the Cabinet had regard to the importance for the Territory economy of the development of the Bougainville copper deposits—see paragraph 11 of the Submission.
[NAA: A5869, 5]
1 Are-submission of Document 291.
2 See Document 317.
3 Opposition from Trade and Industry (see footnote 6, Document 291) appears to have dissipated after DOET supported a request by McEwen that Cabinet approve insurance for Australian exports to the Commonwealth’s external territories. The proposal was primarily aimed at assisting Australian companies to tender for contracts to supply certain needs of Bougainville Copper—exports that had an estimated potential value of $137,000,000. Cabinet approved the suggestion pending further examination by Treasury (submission no. 789, McEwen to Cabinet, 18 September 1969, and Cabinet decision no. 1288, same date, NAA: A5868, 759).