The signing of a new defence treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea will mark one of the most significant moments in the history of the bilateral relationship since PNG’s independence 50 years ago this week.

The treaty, to be signed by Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his counterpart James Marape in PNG, is expected to provide for closer military integration, mutual consultation on security threats, and a large-scale Australian investment in modernising the PNG Defence Force.

It will also set the framework for Papua New Guineans to serve in the Australian Defence Force on equal terms with Australian soldiers.

The broad thrust of the deal is clear: Australia and PNG are locking in a long-term, formal security partnership at a critical time in the Pacific.

The alliance between the two countries can be traced back to 1942, when Papua New Guinean soldiers, carriers, guides and villagers played a decisive role in the Kokoda campaign against invading Japanese forces. That experience imprinted itself deeply on Australia’s strategic consciousness and on our sense of obligation to PNG.

Formal defence cooperation began soon after PNG’s independence in 1975, with the creation of the Defence Cooperation Program. For nearly five decades, this program has provided training, infrastructure and advisory support. Thousands of PNG officers and enlisted personnel have passed through Australian training institutions, and joint exercises have become routine.

At times, however, cooperation has been complicated. During the 1990s, when conflict raged on Bougainville, many people in PNG believed Australian-supplied equipment was being used against Bougainvillean separatists.

That perception caused........

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