Papua New Guinea s trupla leading Daily Newspaper Since 1969.The Post-Courier is proud of its record as the voice of PNG. We were there when the nation took its first bold steps towards independence. Since that time, we have fearlessly recorded the nation s progress.
The passing of Sir Michael Somare, the first chief minister and the founding prime minister of Papua New Guinea, ends a remarkable political life that began when he was elected to the pre-independence House of Assembly in 1968 and saw him serve four terms as prime minister.
No PNG prime minister worked with more Australian prime ministers and their governments. As chief minister from 1973 he worked with the Whitlam government on the transition from self-government to independence in 1975. He subsequently worked with the Fraser, Hawke, Howard, Rudd and Gillard governments during his four terms as his nation’s head.
Prior to self-government he had gained the confidence of territories minister, Andrew Peacock, an association that helped secure bipartisan support for self-government.