PNG 50 for 50 Symposium Sparks Dialogue on Nationhood and the Next Fifty Years

Last week, as Papua New Guinea marked its 50th anniversary of independence, PNG students in Canberra hosted a landmark event to honour the past and look boldly to the future. The PNG: 50 for 50 Symposium, held on Thursday 11 September at The Australian National University (ANU), brought together scholars, policymakers, students and development partners to reflect on half a century of nationhood and to chart the next fifty years.

Held on the traditional lands of the Ngunnawal and Ngambri peoples, the symposium carried the theme “Papua New Guinea’s 50 years of nationhood and the future 50 years ahead.” The day was designed not just as a commemoration, but as a forward-looking dialogue on governance, society, economics and partnerships that will shape PNG’s path to its centenary in 2075.

Distinguished keynote speakers—including Mr Joe Warisan, Deputy High Commissioner of Papua New Guinea to Australia; Mr Justine Lee, First Assistant Secretary of the Melanesian Division at Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Dr Albert Mellam, former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Papua New Guinea; and Professor Meg Keen, Head of the Pacific Research Program at ANU’s Department of Pacific Affairs—set the tone for an engaging, intergenerational exchange. Their remarks highlighted both the achievements and the unfinished work of PNG’s first five decades as an independent state.

Four dynamic panels explored the nation’s trajectory from different angles:

• Constitution – The Bedrock of an Unbroken Democracy: Experts assessed how PNG’s constitutional foundations have sustained democracy and what reforms might ensure resilience in the years ahead.

• Economics and Politics: Drawing on insights from the new book Struggle, Reform, Boom and Bust by a team of economists from UPNG and ANU, panellists reflected on economic cycles, public sector reform and strategies for sustainable growth.

• An Evolving Social and Cultural (Dis)Order: Discussions delved into gender dynamics, youth culture, urbanisation, digital influence and religion, exploring how social change challenges existing structures.

• PNG in the Next 50 Years: A forward-looking session asked what priorities and partnerships—particularly between PNG and Australia’s universities—will drive inclusive and sovereign development by 2075.

Throughout the day, voices from across generations and disciplines stressed the importance of learning from the past while daring to imagine bold futures. Students and academics alike spoke of the value of Australia–PNG collaborations, particularly in higher education and research, as engines of shared progress.

For the PNG student organisers, the symposium was both a celebration and a call to action. As Papua New Guinea stands at the midpoint between independence and its centenary, the PNG: 50 for 50 Symposium demonstrated how dialogue, scholarship and partnership can help guide a nation toward a resilient, inclusive and self-determined future.