Scott
Waide, RNZ Pacific PNG
correspondent
Analysis – The signing of the Papua
New Guinea-Australia Mutual Defence Treaty – officially
known as the Pukpuk Treaty – marks a defining moment in the
modern Pacific order.
Framed as a “historic
milestone”, the pact re-casts security cooperation between
Port Moresby and Canberra while stirring deeper debates
about sovereignty, dependency, and the shifting balance of
power in the region.
A new era of
partnership
At a joint press conference in Canberra,
PNG Prime Minister James Marape called the treaty “a product
of geography, not geopolitics”, emphasising the shared
neighbourhood and history binding both nations.
“This
Treaty was not conceived out of geopolitics or any other
reason, but out of geography, history, and the enduring
reality of our shared neighbourhood,” Marape
said.
Described as “two houses with one fence,” the
Pukpuk Treaty cements Australia as PNG’s “security partner
of choice.” It encompasses training, intelligence, disaster
relief, and maritime cooperation while pledging full respect
for sovereignty.
“Papua New Guinea made a strategic
and conscious choice – Australia is our security partner of
choice. This choice was made not out of pressure or
convenience, but from the heart and soul of our coexistence
as neighbours,” Marape said.
Advertisement – scroll to continue reading
For Canberra, Prime
Minister Anthony Albanese cast the accord as an extension of
“family ties” – a reaffirmation that Australia “will stand
shoulder-to-shoulder with PNG to ensure a peaceful and
secure Pacific family.”
It comes amid intensifying
competition for influence across the Pacific, where security
and sport now intersect in Canberra’s broader regional
strategy.
Strengthening – and questioning – PNG’s
defence capacity
The Treaty promises to bolster the
Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) through joint
training, infrastructure upgrades, and enhanced maritime
surveillance. Marape conceded that the country’s forces have
long struggled with under-resourcing.
“The reality is
that our Defence Force needs enhanced capacity to defend our
sovereign territorial integrity. This Treaty will help us
build that capacity – through shared resources,
intelligence, technology, and training,” he said.
Yet,
retired Major-General Jerry Singirok, former PNGDF
Commander, has urged caution.
“Signing a Defence Pact
with Australia for the purposes of strengthening our
military capacity and capabilities is most welcomed, but an
Act of Parliament must give legal effect to whatever
military activities a foreign country intends,” Singirok
said in a statement.
He warned that Sections 202 and
206 of PNG’s Constitution already define the Defence Force’s
role and foreign cooperation limits, stressing that any new
arrangement must pass parliamentary scrutiny to avoid
infringing sovereignty.
The sovereignty
debate
Singirok’s warning reflects a broader unease
in Port Moresby – that the Pukpuk Treaty could re-entrench
post-colonial dependency. He described the PNGDF as
“retarded and stagnated”, spending just 0.38 percent of GDP
on defence, with limited capacity to patrol its vast land
and maritime borders.
“In essence, PNG is in the
process of offloading its sovereign responsibilities to
protect its national interest and sovereign protection to
Australia to fill the gaps and carry,” he wrote.
“This
move, while from face value appeals, has serious
consequences from dependency to strategic synergy and
blatant disregard to sovereignty at the expense of
Australia.”
Former leaders, including Sir Warren
Dutton, have been even more blunt: “If our Defence Force is
trained, funded, and deployed under Australian priorities,
then whose sovereignty are we defending? Ours – or
theirs?”
Canberra’s broader strategy: Defence to
rugby league
The Pukpuk Treaty coincides with
Australia’s “Pacific Step-up,” a network of economic,
security, and cultural initiatives aimed at deepening ties
with its neighbours. Central to this is sport diplomacy –
most notably the proposed NRL Pacific team, which Albanese
and Marape both support.
Canberra views the NRL deal
not simply as a sporting venture but as “soft power in
action” – embedding Australian culture and visibility across
the Pacific through a sport already seen as a regional
passion.
Marape called it “another platform of shared
identity” between PNG and Australia, aligning with the
spirit of the Pukpuk Treaty: partnership through shared
interests.
However, critics argue the twin
announcements – a defence pact and an NRL team – reveal a
coordinated Australian effort to strengthen influence at
multiple levels: security, economy, and society.
The
US factor and overall strategy
The Pukpuk Treaty
follows last year’s Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA)
signed between Papua New Guinea and the United States, which
grants US forces access to key PNG military facilities,
including Lombrum Naval Base on Manus Island.
That
deal drew domestic protests over transparency and the
perception of external control. The Marape government
insisted the arrangement respected PNG’s sovereignty, but
combined with the new Australian treaty, it positions the
country at the centre of a US-led security network
stretching from Hawaii to Canberra.
Analysts say the
two pacts complement each other – with the US providing
strategic hardware and global deterrence, and Australia
delivering regional training and operational
partnership.
Together, they represent a deepening of
what one defence analyst called “the Pacific’s most
consequential alignment since independence.”
PNG’s
deepening security ties with the United States also appear
to have shaped its diplomatic posture in the Middle
East.
As part of its broader alignment with
Washington, PNG in September 2023 opened an embassy in
Jerusalem – becoming one of only a handful of states to do
so, and signalling strong support for Israel.
In
recent UN votes on Gaza, PNG has repeatedly voted against
ceasefire resolutions, siding with Israel and the US. Some
analysts link this to evangelical Christian influence in
PNG’s politics and to the strategic expectation of favour
with major powers.
China’s measured
response
Beijing has responded cautiously. China’s
Embassy in Port Moresby reiterated that it “respects the
independent choices of Pacific nations” but warned that
“regional security frameworks should not become exclusive
blocs.”
China has been one of PNG’s longest and most
consistent diplomatic partners since formal relations began
in 1976.
China’s role in Papua New Guinea is not
limited to diplomatic signalling – it remains a major
provider of loans, grants and infrastructure projects across
the country, even as the strategic winds shift. Chinese
state-owned enterprises and development funds have backed
highways, power plants, courts, telecoms and port facilities
in PNG.
In recent years, PNG has signed onto China’s
Belt and Road Initiative, and observers count at least 40
Chinese SOEs currently operating in Papua New Guinea, many
tied to mining, construction, and trade
projects.
While Marape has repeatedly said PNG
“welcomes all partners,” the growing web of Western defence
agreements has clearly shifted regional dynamics. China
views the Pukpuk Treaty as another signal of Canberra and
Washington’s determination to counter its influence in the
Pacific – even as Port Moresby maintains that its foreign
policy is one of “friends to all, enemies to none.”
A
balancing act
For Marape, the Treaty is not about
choosing sides but strengthening capacity through
trust.
“Our cooperation is built on mutual respect,
not dominance; on trust, not imposition. Australia never
imposed this on us – this was our proposal, and we thank
them for walking with us as equal partners,” he
said.
He stressed that parliamentary ratification
under Section 117 of the Constitution will ensure
accountability.
“This is a fireplace conversation
between neighbours – Papua New Guinea and Australia. We
share this part of the earth forever, and together we will
safeguard it for the generations to come,” he
added.
The road ahead
Named after the Tok
Pisin word for crocodile – pukpuk, a symbol of endurance and
guardianship – the Treaty embodies both trust and caution.
Its success will depend on transparency, parliamentary
oversight, and a shared understanding of what “mutual
defence” means in practice.
As PNG moves to ratify the
agreement, it stands at a delicate crossroads – between
empowerment and dependency, regional cooperation and
strategic
competition.
New Zealand’s public broadcaster, providing comprehensive NZ news and current affairs, specialist audio features and documentaries.
Radio New Zealand is a Crown entity established under the Radio New Zealand Act 1995. Radio New Zealand News are vital elements in our programming, providing impartial news and information to New Zealanders every day. Radio New Zealand (RNZ) provides listeners with exciting and independent radio programmes in accordance with the Radio New Zealand Charter.
