Port Moresby, 24 December 1969
Constitutional Development committee—briefing papers
I refer to your 69/3605 in which you ask for our view on points the Minister may need to raise with the Prime Minister.1
It is difficult to anticipate what might be regarded as matters of important Australian Government policy and what might be considered to be of only internal administrative significance to be resolved by the Minister. In general terms I presume that the Prime Minister would want to be informed on any proposals which would involve the changing nature of the constitutional relationship between Australia and Papua–New Guinea and he would also be sensitive to areas where decisions might attract adverse publicity. I set out below some of the issues which seem to me to fall into either of these categories:
1) What would be the possible Australian position on local control of the budget, e.g. at what proportionate division of funds could local control be considered?
Would the Australian Government consider a proposition whereby there was local control of the allocation of budget funds, with perhaps local fund raising being supplemented by a modest Australian grant, while the bulk of the Australian assistance was tied to specific projects?
Would the Australian Government consider the funding of the overseas allowance for expatriate officers from the Australian budget or by a tied grant?
2) Would the Australian Government have any views on whether parliamentary system in Papua–New Guinea should be bicameral or unicameral, federal or unitary?
These appear to me to be internal in character, but the Prime Minister might be interested in expressing a point of view.
3) Would the Australian Government be prepared to accept some Ministerial appointments from those not directly elected to a parliament, e.g. appointments from outside of the House, appointment from among a number of members who might be indirectly elected to the House, or by some other means of indirect election?
4) What would be the Australian Government’s attitude should a majority political party emerge in Papua–New Guinea, determined to use its numbers to dominate Ministerial appointments and to reject Administration proposals contrary to the party’s political platform?
5) Would the Prime Minister have a view on the extension of powers to Ministerial Members and in particular the relationship of Ministerial Members or Assistant Ministerial Members to Departments at present reserved?
6) The proposals for the diminution of numbers and of voting rights of official members might be of interest.
7) I think the extension of powers of the Administrator’s Executive Council to give formal advice in an increasing range of policy areas is a significant step towards internal self-government. I believe that the Prime Minister’s attention should be drawn to this.
[NAA: A452, 1969/5484]
1 Document 349.