Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

The Senate records its deep sorrow at the death, on 26 February 2021, of Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare, the first and longest serving Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, places on record its acknowledgement of his central role in Papua New Guinea's development, including of its national constitution, and tenders its profound sympathy to his family and the people of Papua New Guinea in their bereavement.

Papa blo kantri. As well as bearing the title of Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare was rightly known as 'father of the nation'. Sir Michael was the principal architect of Papua New Guinea's smooth and peaceful independence from Australia in 1975. He served his country throughout his life, including as Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister and then as Prime Minister on several other occasions, including the longest period between 2002 and 2011. He also served in other ways, including several periods as Leader of the Opposition, through to his eventual retirement from politics just four years ago, in 2017.

As the nation's first and longest-serving Prime Minister, the Grand Chief has an unparalleled place in Papua New Guinean history and in Pacific history. His contribution to peaceful order and growth in the Pacific was widely appreciated across the region. He worked with Australia and with leaders from across the region from the 1970s through to the 2010s, helping to build the peaceful region of which we are a part today. The early development and successes of the South Pacific Forum, now the Pacific Islands Forum, owed much to the firm friendship that Sir Michael built with Ratu Mara, Fiji's founding Prime Minister. His contribution touched every aspect of Papua New Guinea's transition to full sovereignty, from helping to shape Papua New Guinea's constitution to launching its economic independence to fostering the creative arts in celebration of Papua New Guinea's rich and diverse culture. I was honoured to see this firsthand in one of my visits to Papua New Guinea.

In 2018 I attended the reopening of the National Museum and Art Gallery with Sir Michael and Lady Veronica. The gallery, 44 years ago, was his vision. He wanted it to be an intensely indigenous institution, a centre for cultural activity, identity and knowledge. So our work with Papua New Guinea to refurbish the gallery is a very strong reminder of the emphasis that Australia places on Papua New Guinea's culture and diversity and the emphasis that I know he wanted to see. As you walk through that gallery—and I have said this to many people—you see one of the most extraordinary series of exhibits of regional culture that I have ever seen. It is spellbinding. You view it in silence but wonder at the complexity and diversity of the culture laid out across the gallery. That was his vision. That was his leadership. And we played a small part in bringing that back to the people of Papua New Guinea in 2018.

Sir Michael was dedicated to his family as a loyal husband and father. I want to extend my personal condolences to his daughter Dulcie Somare, whom I know personally, on this great loss. As a loving son, Sir Michael talked publicly about his own father's advice to him about the magic of peace, saying, 'Every clan has its own special magic, and ours is the magic of peace.' He was also a conciliator. In 1975, on the cusp of Papua New Guinea's independence, Sir Michael wrote in his autobiography: 'When people come to fight us, we will call them to eat first. We sit down together, we talk, we eat. Then we say to them: "All right, if you want to fight, take your spears and stand over there. We also will take our weapons, and will stand on this side."' The effect of this magic on those interlocutors was profound.

By the end of the 1960s and into the early 1970s there was bipartisan support in Australia for Papua New Guinea's self-determination. Prime Minister Gough Whitlam, Prime Minister when Papua New Guinea became a sovereign nation, acknowledged former foreign minister Andrew Peacock's key role in the process as Minister for External Territories in 1972. No transition to political independence is easy. In the early 1970s Papua New Guinea faced major political, economic and separatist challenges. Sir Michael's gifts as a consensus builder, an inspirational leader and a fierce believer in his people were essential to the peacefulness of PNG's transition. His dedication to public service and national unity helped to create the vibrant and unbroken democracy that Papua New Guinea has been since independence.

Australia has a strong relationship with an independent and sovereign Papua New Guinea, thanks to the groundwork Sir Michael laid for an enduring friendship between our countries. Sir Michael was generous, and full of energy and time. He was a model for leadership. In doing all of these things and so much more Sir Michael spread the magic that his father taught him. Papa blo kantri.