PM Transcripts

4JJ,, AUSr1( A .1A_ 1 PRESS STATEMENT NO. 399
6 December 1974
PAPUA NEW GUINEA TRANSFER OF POWERS
The Prime Minister, Mr Whitlam, said this
evening that the Australian Government welcomed the
initiative of the Papua New Guinea Government in requesting
that authority over defence and foreign relations, the
Papua New Guinea Supreme Court and other leqal matters
be transferred' to Papua New Guinea as soon as practicable.
Mr Whitlam said that such a transfer was in
accordance with long-standing Australian policy which was
to enable Papua New Guinea to exercise final authority in
all matters of government before the formal step to
independence. The existing close consultations on major
foreign policy and defence matters would continue.
Mr Whitlam said that the transfer of authority
over the defence and foreign relations functions in the
period to independence would necessarily be subject to
Australia's continuing international and treaty obligations
including its obligations to the United Nations under the
Trusteeship Agreement and the Charter, and the Papua New
Guinea Government had agreed to this. However, the transfer
to Papua New Guinea of these matters would enable the
Papua New Guinea Government to give effect to its own
policies and priorities which it was already determining.
Mr Whitlam said that Australia, by legislation
at present before the Senate, was preparing itself to be
able to transfer these matters and he was confident that
the administrative and legislative details regarding the
transfers could be settled in time to meet Papua New Guinea's
requests. CANBERRA. A. C. T.