The Wire

The Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, Sir Michael Somare, today claimed that he wanted to reduce PNG’s dependence on Australia and seek stronger relations with other regional neighbours. This comes following the collapse in May of the Enhanced Cooperation Program, which involved an 800 million dollar commitment from Australia that aimed to strengthen law and order and boost the economy. The agreement feel through when the PNG High Court ruled the placement of Australian police in PNG as unconstitutional. Prime Minister Somare also today raised concerns over the access of PNG farmers and workers to Australian markets, which would greatly help the troubled economy. Allen Patience is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Papua New Guinea. He spoke to Bill Birtles about the current relationship between the two countries.