Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to 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.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise on behalf of the Australian Labor Party to express our condolences following the passing of former Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Grand Chief Sir Michael Thomas Somare at the age of 84. Throughout the histories of nations there are those who are icons, giants, that people look to, who lead people through struggles and who help people see who they are and what they can be, and the people of Papua New Guinea have lost one of theirs.

I offer my party's condolences not just to Lady Veronica and Sir Michael's family and friends but to all the people of Papua New Guinea on the passing of Sir Michael Somare—papa blo kantri, the father of the nation, Grand Chief and Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister, whose leadership spanned decades and the premierships of Whitlam, Fraser, Hawke, Howard, Rudd and Gillard. He served as Prime Minister on three occasions: from 1975 to 1980; from 1982 to 1985; and from 2002 to 2012. In the latter period I did have the opportunity to meet the Grand Chief, as minister for climate change, as the Rudd government engaged deeply with Papua New Guinea on climate change and deforestation.

Sir Michael Somare's campaign to lead his people into independence coincided with Gough Whitlam's and Labor's determination to end Australian colonialism and deliver self-government to the people of Papua New Guinea. Mr Whitlam made that clear on visits there as opposition leader in 1970 and 1971. Indeed, Gough Whitlam wanted to see self-government within a year of coming into office and full independence within his first term, and, give or take a few months, that's what happened. At the same time it was Michael Somare, with his Pangu Party, seeking to unite the people of Papua New Guinea in a campaign for independence:

A lot of people in this country thought we wouldn't be able to do it, they were talking in terms of two or three decades, while I was talking in terms of two years.

With some comparability to his own experience, Gough Whitlam once said Sir Michael's country 'had found a man whose time had come'.

Sir Michael was the son of a police officer who bore the tribal name Sana—a name he would later take himself. It is not insignificant that it is a tribal name which means 'peacemaker'. The values to which he was exposed in early life as his father carried out these dual roles in cultural and secular leadership would stay with him throughout his political career. His first vocation was in teaching, a role that again took him to different regions across Papua New Guinea. This evolved into a career in journalism and broadcasting, something that would bring with it his first forays into politics. He attended Administrative College in Port Moresby, which was designed to build the skills of the local population to serve in the Australian colonial administration but also had the effect of bringing together individuals who shared a vision of a new nation—a nation that would govern itself, a nation not subservient to a foreign master. Somewhat unwittingly, colonial Australia built the training ground for the leaders of Papua New Guinea's independence movement, and that is a good thing.

Momentum towards independence for Papua New Guinea was building throughout the sixties and into the early seventies. After little progress under Australian colonial rule for half a century, international pressure began to come to bear. There was acceleration through this period, as there was in many other parts of the world. Sir Michael Somare was one of many energetic, young, idealistic and nationalistic individuals ready to bring the curtain down on Australian administration. They came together and they organised politically. Sir Michael's union background helped him to connect with other movement participants, of whom he soon became a pre-eminent leader. At the same time Gough Whitlam was modernising Labor and preparing to modernise Australia, including an end to the era of colonisation.

Leaving his public service job to successfully contest the second elections for the House of Assembly in 1968—the year I was born, Mr President—Sir Michael entered parliament representing East Sepik and succeeded to the leadership of the Pangu Party. He became a key figure in the preparations for independence and in the preparation and adoption of the constitution for the new country. So, whilst Sir Michael did not arrive with independence, independence arrived with Sir Michael.

Recognising the importance of bringing people with him and with the movement for independence as a whole, as well as tempering the urgency with which some wanted to move, he engaged carefully across the nation and across peoples. This included travelling to the highlands and villages to talk directly with more conservative tribal leaders. For Sir Michael independence was the goal, but he recognised it had to be in keeping with Papua New Guinea's traditions and had to be delivered organically, peacefully and, most importantly, in a culturally unifying way. Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has reflected that Sir Michael was not just a disrupter but helped to build a new status quo, helped to steer his nation through the heady days of independence and beyond.

Having successfully delivered independence peacefully, as the country's first Prime Minister, Sir Michael had to make it stick. It was no foregone conclusion that the new nation would be a success, particularly considering its diversity of tribal groups. Papua New Guinea was described by Sir Michael as 'a melting pot of tribes, clans and families that were never meant to be the same,' so of course, as always, the role of leadership in those early years was pivotal. Sir Michael helped to build a nation that saw the strengths that lay in its traditional culture and diversity as sources of unity and common ground rather than as sources of potential fracture and disharmony.

Regrettably, Papua New Guinea today is not without serious struggles. Too few children complete school. Too many women are subjected to family violence. Preventable disease still has a devastating impact on the population and, as we speak, the worsening outbreak of COVID-19 poses a grave threat. But it is a country that has made its transition to independence in peace and in optimism—a legacy that is Sir Michael's as much as anybody's and a legacy which Labor will always be proud to have supported.

Ronald J May of the Department of Pacific Affairs at the ANU noted of Papua New Guinea:

It remains one of a fairly small number of post-colonial states that have maintained an unbroken record of democracy.

It has managed to maintain the spirit that characterised its transition to independence, best described by Papua New Guinea's first Governor-General when he said in 1975:

… we are lowering the flag of our colonisers … not tearing it down.

Of course, it was only a few months later that Sir Michael joked, following the dismissal of the Whitlam government:

We've only let Australia go for a few months and look at the mess they're in.

Sir Michael Somare died in February 2021. Papua New Guinea and the wider Pacific has, with his passing, lost one of its most prominent and respected leaders. In his last address to the parliament, in 2017, Sir Michael said: 'We progress through many waves and changes in the world. We survived our own bad decisions. We have united at times when the world thought it was not possible to do so. We must be thankful and we must always count our blessings.' All these things are true and they are in large part true because of Sir Michael's stewardship. The opposition again express our deep condolences to the people of Papua New Guinea and to Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare's family and his loved ones.

Zed Seselja (ACT, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's an honour to say a few words to support this condolence motion today on the passing of Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, Papua New Guinea's first Prime Minister. Can I say it was an honour to represent the government at the very moving memorial service that was held in the high commission here in Canberra over the weekend.

As Minister for International Development and the Pacific, I'm acutely aware of how significant Sir Michael's leadership of Papua New Guinea was, including for Australia's relationship with our region. In the 1960s and 1970s, as Sir Michael Somare was emerging politically and growing in his influence, questions of self-determination and democracy were at the heart of national affairs in Papua New Guinea. Papua New Guineans wanted independence, and Australia too wanted PNG to emerge as a successful independent nation.

At such a time, the emergence of political self-determination could have happened in a number of different ways. In so many countries independence was won through violence. Fortunately, as we know, a determined and charismatic Sir Michael Somare guided PNG along an entirely peaceful path, and an independent sovereign nation emerged in 1975. The Australian flag was respectfully lowered in PNG, not torn down. It is to Sir Michael's enduring credit that he not just managed to forge unity of PNG's diverse peoples but simultaneously presided over the negotiation of an enduring political compact with Australia. Our two countries worked together on independence and have continued to partner on securing a sustainable and sovereign path of development for PNG.

Sir Michael's successes in building consensus and building relationships across the region meant that he developed strong ties with successive Australian governments and leaders, from Gough Whitlam and Malcolm Fraser through to Bob Hawke, John Howard and Prime Ministers Rudd and Gillard. Australia's relationship with Papua New Guinea under Sir Michael Somare in his successive terms as Prime Minister set the tenor for Australia's broader engagement with the Pacific. Sir Michael came to symbolise PNG's independence movement, but he also ensured that its independence was more than symbolic. His enduring focus was on PNG's ability to forge a unique national identity, govern independently and sustain itself economically.

At the point of independence, Australian financial support for Papua New Guinea was significant. Of course it was since PNG had been an Australian territory for several decades. But neither side wanted a long-term relationship of financial dependence. Under Sir Michael's stewardship, and that of subsequent PNG leaders, PNG built its economy and developed its self-reliance. Guided by PNG's priorities as a sovereign nation, Australia continues to provide a helping hand, but we do so in ways that Sir Michael Somare helped establish. We do so as peers—sovereign, independent and free—but linked fundamentally by our past, our present and our future.

Right through to 2021 and the continuing COVID era, our partnership with PNG seeks to enhance health security, deepen economic sustainability and strengthen regional stability. We continue to champion self-determination and locally driven decision-making throughout the Pacific, just as we did in 1975. Self-determination, consensus building and respectful partnerships to advance security, prosperity and stability in the Pacific is a legacy that sir Michael has helped bequeath to Australia's relationships with our nearest neighbours.

In closing, I would like to recognise Sir Michael's family—Lady Veronica, their children and their grandchildren. Most profoundly I acknowledge with gratitude the extraordinary contribution Sir Michael Somare made to the tradition of peaceful cooperation that binds the Pacific today. May he rest in peace.

Nita Green (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on this condolence motion and to pay my respects to the father of Papua New Guinea, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare. In doing so, I want to associate myself with the remarks of Senator Wong and, in contributing to this important motion, recognise the close relationship between Papua New Guinea and Queensland and the very close and customary relationship between the sovereign peoples of the Torres Strait and PNG.

In his time as chief minister and then as Prime Minister, Sir Michael in his important role in the independence of PNG always understood and valued the relationship between Papua New Guinea and Queensland. The state of Queensland and Papua New Guinea share more than an international border. Sir Michael remarked in 2008 that the connection extended to his own education. He was educated by Queensland teachers under the Queensland curriculum. It extended even to the sugar crop in Queensland, which he was reliably told originally came from Papua New Guinea.

Sir Michael lived a life of service to his people and to a nation. As vice-president of the Public Service Association, he spoke up on local wages and the working conditions of local workers. He helped launch the school of broadcasting in Port Moresby. But it was independence and the transformation of Papua New Guinea into the youthful, modern and proud nation that it is today that was Sir Michael's life's work, bringing people together and uniting a nation against the odds.

In 2008, Sir Michael delivered an historic address at a sitting of the Queensland parliament in Cairns. It was the first time an invitation of that kind had been offered to the Papua New Guinean Prime Minister and, as he remarked at the time, was an occasion:

… fitting recognition of the importance we both attach to our relationship and to the long and extensive links that have prevailed between our two peoples.

Sir Michael told the parliament:

Relations between Papua New Guinea and Queensland are indeed the most extensive of all relations with other Australian states. … The challenge for us is to ensure that the reservoir of goodwill that exists between our peoples is exploited to the fullest to deepen our relationship and grow our respective economies.

These challenges remain today. Right now, we face the challenge of responding to the coronavirus pandemic together. In the future, we will face many more challenges. The way we face those challenges will always be informed by the deep affection and reverence our nation has, and the Far North Queensland community has, for the 'father of PNG'.

The Torres Straight Islands and PNG share more than an international border. They share customs and kinship. The Torres Strait Treaty, signed by Sir Michael and Prime Minister Malcolm Fraser in 1978, is recognised as one of the most creative solutions in international law. It uniquely aims to maintain the lives and livelihoods, the traditions and family life between the people living within the Torres Strait protected zone. Families live across these islands, and you can reach out and almost touch the villages from the shore of another. Because of this closeness, and the treaty which Sir Michael authored, we are not two countries or two people; we are family. And so we grieve with the nation of Papua New Guinea for the loss of your Grand Chief, not as simply a partner in the Pacific but as family.

As a sign of the close connection between not only our two countries but also between the regions of Papua New Guinea and Far North Queensland, of the four memorials for Sir Michael being held in Australia, one of those memorials will be held in Cairns later this week. That memorial service will be held this Thursday, 18 March, at Saint Monica's Cathedral on Abbott Street in Cairns. On that occasion, the many people from Papua New Guinea living in Cairns, and the people connected to the Torres Strait, will have the opportunity to grieve and commemorate a great life. I extend my condolences to Lady Veronica and to the entire Somare family.

Jim Molan (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We are proud, as a nation, to say that, as a Commonwealth and as a federation, we are a young nation. Compared to our Indigenous peoples in the old world, yes, we are young. But still, as one of the oldest democracies in the world, Australia has assisted a number of nations, not just in our region but across the world, to either attain a form of democratic government or to sustain that form against internal problems and external aggression. Australia has a proud record of doing so, and one of the main agencies for doing so has been the Australian Defence Force under the direction of government.

One of our nearest neighbours is Papua New Guinea. Its road to independence has been long and hard, and the person we are here to commemorate today, Sir Michael Somare, played a major role in that process and has deep links to Australia. The eastern part of the island of New Guinea has been ruled by three external powers since 1884. Germany ruled the north of the island, beginning that year, calling it German New Guinea. The United Kingdom colonised the southern half in the same year, calling it British New Guinea. It transferred that portion to Australian administration in 1905. At the outbreak of World War I, Australia took the northern half of the island from Germany in the only truly independent military action ever conducted by Australia—that is, without being in a coalition with other nations. After World War I, Australia administered the northern and southern halves of the eastern side of the island separately until 1949.

World War II broke on PNG with violence and suffering. The size of the catastrophe for the local Melanesian people has never been measured, but the interruption to their lifestyle, their local subsistence economy and the introduction of disease and conscript labour could be measured perhaps by the fact that well over 200,000 Japanese, Australian and US soldiers died in the fighting in PNG. So the impact on the local people must have been immeasurable.

As we know, the two territories were combined after World War II into the territory of PNG. This was the nation into which Sir Michael Somare was born. We rise today to offer our condolences on the death of Sir Michael Somare, the first Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea when the nation gained independence from Australia in 1975.

Sir Michael grew up in East Sepik province, first attending school there during the Japanese occupation. Sir Michael became a teacher, teaching at several schools. He returned to Sogeri for further training from 1962 to 1963. He was interested in politics early in the development of his nation. He was co-founder of the pro-independence Pangu Party in 1967. In 1968 he became the first official opposition leader in the fledgling PNG parliament. In 1972, when PNG achieved self-government, Sir Michael became the first Chief Minister, and then PNG's first Prime Minister in 1975 when the nation achieved its independence.

It was at this stage that my life and those of PNG and, very briefly, Sir Michael Somare became mildly interconnected. My first posting on graduating from the Royal Military College in December 1971 was to Papua New Guinea. I was sent there, as a lieutenant infantry platoon commander in the 1st Battalion of the Pacific Islands Regiment, for three years—half in Port Moresby and half in Lae. My job was to command 30 PNG soldiers as one of the last Australian lieutenants to be sent to PNG, as all young lieutenants who arrived after I did were Papua New Guineans. Our function was not only to lead and train the PNG soldiers to provide security to the process of self-government and independence, backing up the police in internal security, but also to assist in building the nation of PNG. This last duty involved what was called 'patrolling', which was walking, carrying very heavy packs, often with local white kiaps or civilian administrators, through the hills and mountains, swamps and rivers of PNG—as my father and uncles did during World War II—for eight months of each of the three years I was posted to PNG. We were to tell the villagers along the route that there was a country called PNG and they were it. I might have made some small contribution to the stability of PNG during self-government and independence, but that country and the PNG people taught me much more about myself as a person, a leader and a soldier than I could ever remember, and for that I will always be grateful.

I met Sir Michael during that period on several occasions, none of which he would ever have remembered. Probably the strangest was when I played representative Australian Rules football for PNG against a visiting representative Australian Aboriginal team—all Victorian Football League, VFL, players—as ruck. We lined up in the centre of the main Port Moresby stadium to be personally greeted by Sir Michael. Apart from the umpire, I was the only white man on the field and stood considerably taller than most PNG players. Sir Michael, moving along the line of players, shaking all our hands, had to significantly lift his gaze and his handshake when he came to me. He may also have noticed that I played appallingly on that day and PNG lost.

I was lucky enough to see up close the remarkable change that this society of PNG has gone through from when I was a lieutenant on many visits back to PNG, until I went back as a general many years later. PNG has had many stumbles as a nation, as we all do as our nations develop, but in all those visits I was able to see how Sir Michael inspired and led his people. Apart from being a key figure in the independence negotiations and in the preparation and adoption of a constitution—the single most difficult task that one could ever imagine—Sir Michael was the first and longest-serving Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. He served either in government or as a senior statesman through political crises, natural disasters, economic trials, rebellion, conflict and constitutional challenges. He was honoured by being made a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of St Michael and St George by the Queen in the Birthday Honours List in 1990. He is often referred to by his people as Grand Chief or the father of the nation—titles earned through those three separate terms as Prime Minister, totalling 17 years leading the nation.

The nation of PNG, our closest neighbour and of the greatest importance to this country and the rapidly changing strategic environment facing our region, will miss the advice and leadership of Sir Michael Somare, as will many Australian leaders and many of my generation who served in PNG. I offer my condolences to the people of PNG. May Sir Michael Somare rest in peace, and may the nation he led, of which he was the father, prosper in his absence.

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm deeply honoured to speak on this condolence motion in relation to the passing of the Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare. And perhaps I could say to my friend the senator from New South Wales that it should be recognised that Sir Michael was a devout Blues supporter! There were occasions when political leaders from Queensland visited Papua New Guinea and sought to present Sir Michael with a Maroons jumper and were quickly disabused of the notion that Sir Michael could possibly support a team other than the Blues.

Honourable Senator:

An honourable senator interjecting—

Paul Scarr (Queensland, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Or other codes—indeed, Senator. It was in the period between 1999 and 2001 that I lived and worked in Papua New Guinea, and as part of that process I sat the Papua New Guinea law exams. There were three law exams that I had to sit: constitutional law, customary law and land law. It was in reading the history of the development of PNG's constitution that I developed a deep abiding respect for Sir Michael Somare. I can remember that in the year 2000, when PNG was celebrating the 25th anniversary of its independence, there was a lot of discussion with respect to the journey to independence and where PNG had gotten up to at that stage, after 25 years. I always reminded my friends in Australia that PNG had gone on a fantastic, momentous journey to independence. It was still a functioning democracy. It still had rule of law. It still had free press. And it still does, to this day.

That year, 2000, there was an Olympic torch relay. Senators here might not realise that the Olympic torch, as it made its way to Sydney, actually went through Papua New Guinea. The penultimate holder of the torch during that relay was the great Melbourne Storm winger Marcus Bai, in keeping with PNG's esteem for the great game of rugby league, the greatest game of all. But the last holder of the torch was Michael Somare, and I can picture Sir Michael with the torch as I deliver this speech, and the joy with which he took that torch as he handed it on to those who were to take it to the Sydney Olympics.

In reflecting on Sir Michael's contribution to the independent state of Papua New Guinea we should give careful regard to the events of 1980. In my view, this was a key moment in the history of Papua New Guinea. Sir Michael, who was the sitting Prime Minister in the time leading up to 1980, had been the subject of three no-confidence motions on the floor of the parliament in Papua New Guinea. Now, no-confidence motions are not a rare thing on the floor of the parliament in Papua New Guinea, and politics in PNG is extraordinarily robust. Sir Michael had successfully defeated the first three no-confidence resolutions. But in 1980 he succumbed to one; he lost one. So, the father of the nation, the first Prime Minister, had lost a motion of no confidence on the floor of parliament. What did Sir Michael do? He respected the decision of the parliament, he respected the democratic process and he stood aside for the next prime minister.

That was a key point where Papua New Guinea demonstrated that instead of going the way of some post-colonial nations, where they embrace dictatorship and despotism and turn their back on democracy, PNG would not take that path. Indeed, Sir Michael successfully contested the next election, where his Pangu Party had a storming election win. A storming election win in a Papua New Guinea context was 51 seats out of 109—about 34 per cent of the vote. That's a huge win in Papua New Guinea's first-past-the-post system. So Sir Michael respected legal and democratic processes deeply. He carried no rancour or hubris in relation to the discharge of his deeply held responsibilities and he was well respected by all of the people of Papua New Guinea, including the people of Bougainville, even during the times of great difficulty in that regard.

Sir Michael, notwithstanding the fact that he was a Blues supporter, did have a close connection to Queensland, and I would like to tell at least two stories in that regard. I'm informed by a friend of mine who was head of the PNG Students Association at the University of Queensland that, on one occasion, Sir Michael presented himself to a bank in Queen Street in Brisbane to convert some kina into Australian currency. The bank teller advised him that Sir Michael would have to show identification before she could convert the currency, in response to which Sir Michael duly presented the 50-kina note and said, 'That's me, Sir Michael Somare.' I think he got his Australian dollars! Sir Michael was also known to go to horseraces in Brisbane and really enjoyed that spirit of freedom he could have in a Brisbane context, where he didn't need a security detail; he was just another racegoer enjoying the day.

Finally, I would just note—and I was reflecting on this over the weekend—that perhaps the events of Sir Michael's final journey, from Port Moresby to his final resting place in Wewak, say all you need to know about the regard in which Sir Michael was held by the Papua New Guinean people and also about Papua New Guinea's relationship with Australia. When Sir Michael's casket was taken to the PNG airport, the attendants attempted to load it into the Air Niugini flight to go to Wewak, and the casket wouldn't fit. So the attendants proposed to put the casket in the hold of the Air Niugini flight. In response to that, the many hundreds and hundreds of Papua New Guineans present watching this journey revolted. This could not occur. Their founding father, Sir Michael Somare, could not suffer the indignity of being held in the hold of an Air Niugini flight on his final journey to Wewak. So what was the solution? Well, the Australian RAAF provided a transport plane. After some negotiations with the Somare family and also with the protesters, it was agreed that that plane would collect Sir Michael and deliver him, with dignity and honour, back to Wewak. That, in my view, says everything you need to know about the special relationship between Australia and Papua New Guinea. Long may it be so.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As a former Minister for International Development and the Pacific, I would like to add my condolences to the family of Sir Michael Somare and to the people of Papua New Guinea on his passing. I would like to associate myself with the comments that have been made by my colleagues. Most especially, Senator Scarr, your anecdotes about Sir Michael really demonstrate the close relationship that Australia has with Papua New Guinea, on so many different fronts. I have to say that I always enjoyed my visits to Papua New Guinea, but most especially my interaction with the people of Papua New Guinea.

Let's not forget that the stability, security and prosperity of the region is, for Australia, second only to the defence of Australia. When you look at the history of Papua New Guinea and what has been relayed to us in relation to the history of Sir Michael Somare, as Grand Chief and father of the nation, you know that Sir Michael contributed very much to the stability, security and prosperity of not just his own country but, in turn, the region.

I know that many in Papua New Guinea will mourn him—close friends, like Dame Meg Taylor, who have worked so hard to carry on his legacy. As Dame Meg leaves her role as Secretary General to the Pacific Islands Forum, I know that she leaves a legacy of which her dear friend Sir Michael would justly be proud.

His memory, I think, will live on. Whilst Papua New Guinea will continue to face challenges, I'm sure that the legacy of Sir Michael Somare will be a guiding light for the years to come. Vale, Sir Michael.

Question agreed to, honourable senators standing in their places.