When Canberra bound itself to defend PNG’s “territorial integrity” in the 1980s, Bougainville’s independence bid was crushed under blockades, gunships, and starvation. With the Pukpuk Treaty now inked, leaders face a choice: repeat the mistakes of the 1990s, or finally respect Bougainville’s 97% vote for independence.
🛑 Then: Australia’s Hand in Bougainville’s War
Back in the early 1990s, Bougainville’s volcanic valleys echoed with gunfire and rotor blades. Papua New Guinea (PNG) was determined to choke off the island’s push for independence, and Australia was right there in the shadows.
The 1987 Australia–Papua New Guinea Defence Cooperation Treaty obligated Canberra to support PNG in defending its territorial integrity. In practice, that meant one thing: stopping Bougainville’s secession.
So Australia shipped in UH-1 Iroquois helicopters, Pacific-class patrol boats, and a steady flow of intelligence. PNG’s military tightened the noose. From 1990 to 1998, a blockade sealed off food, fuel, and medicine.
The result? 10,000–15,000 lives lost. Not mainly from bullets, but from malaria, malnutrition, and treatable infections. Elders still tell stories of children starving because antibiotics and rice couldn’t get through. The blockade wasn’t just a military tactic it was a humanitarian disaster.
And while PNG pulled the trigger, Canberra supplied the gun. That’s the legacy of Australia’s first defence treaty with PNG: invisible fingerprints on a slow-motion catastrophe.
🗳️ The Referendum and the Road to Independence
Fast forward to 2019. Bougainville finally got its say.
Turnout: 87%.
Result: 97.7% voted “yes” for independence.
It was overwhelming — not a murmur, but a roar. Under the 2001 Peace Agreement, the referendum wasn’t binding, but it carried moral weight too heavy to ignore.
Now, Bougainville’s leaders are aiming for full independence by 2027. President Ishmael Toroama has made it the cornerstone of his mandate, while PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape drags his feet with promises of “consultation.” Parliament’s ratification is still missing in action.
And in the middle of this fragile countdown, on October 2, 2025, PNG’s cabinet just approved the Pukpuk Treaty with Australia a shiny new mutual defence pact.
⚠️ Why the Pukpuk Treaty Raises Old Ghosts
The parallels are too sharp to ignore.
- Then (1987 Treaty): Canberra pledges to back PNG’s unity → Bougainville blockade → 15,000 dead.
- Now (2025 Treaty): Canberra pledges mutual defence with PNG → Bougainville deadline looms → risk of history repeating.
But this isn’t the 1990s anymore. The Pacific has changed:
🌊 Regional solidarity: Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) nations are vocal about self-determination. Another blockade would set the Pacific alight in fury.
📱 Information age: Back then, the world barely noticed the starvation. Today, one viral TikTok clip of crowded hospitals in Buka could trigger outrage.
🇦🇺 Soft power collapse: Australia can’t preach democracy and self-determination abroad if it crushes Bougainville at home. The hypocrisy would be glaring across the Pacific.
