Post-Courier boldly upholds Sir Michael Somare’s legacy in PNG

Papua New Guinea’s founding father, Sir Michael Somare, who died last month at the age of 84. Picture: AFP

Shortly before COVID-19 reached crisis levels in Papua New Guinea the nation bade a sad farewell to its founding father, Sir Michael Somare.

Central to his many achievements, the man revered as Grand Chief was a brave believer in a free press.

He understood how messy democracy can be and how, in a fledgling democracy like PNG, the contest of ideas often taken for granted in Australia can trigger powerfully anti-democratic forces where the first impulse is to shoot the messenger, to muzzle the media watchdog.

As I wrote on these pages several weeks ago, free speech and a sustainable media are fundamental hallmarks of any functioning democracy.

For more than 50 years News Corp Australia has owned and operated PNG’s one truly independent major newspaper, the Post-Courier. Our PNG operation is far from a forgotten footnote but represents an important and profitable investment. It’s why my title as executive chairman refers to Australasia rather than simply Australia. Nor is the Post-Courier’s claim to be “The Heartbeat of PNG” idle marketing schtick but a profound recognition of the media’s essential role to hold those in power to account, to the people they represent and their democratic institutions.

Achieving this in a nation where upholding the rule of law can encounter pressures unimaginable in Australia is no mean feat.

Reporting without fear or favour — the standard to which all journalists aspire — can also be fraught.

Yet the Post-Courier has a proud record of delivering positive change. Its exposes have triggered commissions of inquiry, from corruption in the forestry industry to the critical shortage of vital ­medicines.

According to the Economist Intelligence Unit’s 2019 Liveability Index, Port Moresby ranked 135 out of 140 cities globally, placing it just above trouble spots Karachi, Tripoli, Dhaka, Lagos and Damascus. This, on Australia’s doorstep where our cities are arguably the planet’s most liveable.

Officials carry the coffin of the Sir Michael Somare during his funeral ceremony at Parliament House in Port Moresby earlier this month. Picture: AFP

There is, however, cause for optimism. After branding PNG “highly corrupt” in 2019, the global watchdog Transparency International declared a “huge victory” in 2020 when PNG’s parliament unanimously passed laws to establish an anti-corruption commission.

But it’s not all plain sailing — perhaps unsurprisingly in a country where vested interests run deep.

I know this because the Post-Courier’s Rebecca Kuku reported recently that the proposed ICAC lacked “the capacity, office, foundation, resources, manpower and funding to start operating”.

Her report also noted comments from Justice Minister and Attorney-General Davis Steven who said he had encountered “intense opposition” from within government ranks while working on the bill.

It’s this kind of independent scrutiny that ensures the democratic process remains intact and shows how a media outlet like the Post-Courier is a force for good.

On the global stage the Post-Courier may be a small player but it’s a perfect microcosm of journalism’s essential drivers wherever it’s practised: championing local communities, pursuing justice, telling uncomfortable truths.

Such outcomes are what happens when journalists like Rebecca and her colleagues are free to report the news and bring their audiences the stories that matter most.

By any standard PNG remains impoverished. To grow the economic pie for all, the rule of law must triumph, corruption banished, and government secrecy squashed.

A free media is critical to this endeavour.

News Corp Australia’s long presence in PNG reflects a commitment to the people of PNG, and their country’s democratic and economic development. Our plans to build three new apartment blocks to house our staff and their families is a significant boost to our staff’s safety and wellbeing so they can continue their critically important work.

Geopolitically, maintaining democratic government in PNG has never been more in Australia’s long-term interest, with tensions between the United States and China growing increasingly frayed and the latter’s ambition to wield greater influence with our Pacific neighbours beyond doubt.

As Greg Sheridan noted in The Australian on Thursday, “the Melanesian world is in permanent, slow crisis” and Australia’s and humanity’s need to get “better outcomes” is “urgent”.

We need only to look back to the early 1940s to understand PNG’s strategic importance to our nation. Despite many challenges, PNG’s future remains bright. But only in a vibrant democracy can PNG’s potential be properly nurtured and realised.

Sir Michael’s support for a free press is an important part of his enduring legacy to PNG, the wider Pacific and his bigger southern neighbour. It highlights the need for a vibrant and free media. Any interference in its role must always be opposed.

Long may the Post-Courier live and prosper in the service of its communities.

Michael Miller is the executive chairman of News Corp Australasia