The same prime minister who left such a disastrous legacy on Australian politics, also threw Papua New Guinea to the wolves by rushing through an Independence for a largely unprepared country.
And neither were its "very inferior breed" of Australians, many of whom thought that Independence wouldn't happen in their lifetime. They, too, had been thrown to the wolves (with amazingly huge "golden handshakes", if they were public servants).
As Keith Jackson wrote:
Hank Nelson's final chapter "Going Finish" in TAIM BILONG MASTA gives an evocative account of Papua New Guinea's Independence.
Sadly, he forgot to explain why to this day it is celebrated on the 16th of September each year. If YOU like to know, click here.
