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 New Guineaportal |
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea on 18 March 1961. [1] Indigenous members were elected for the first time, although on an indirect basis. The territory's first political party, the United Progress Party, won three seats. [1]
In September 1960 the Australian government announced that the Legislative Council would be expanded. Having previously been a 29-member body with 17 officials (civil servants), nine appointed members and three elected members, the new council was to have 37 members, of which 15 were officials, 10 were appointees (of which at least five would be indigenous members) and twelve were elected. The twelve elected members would consist of six Europeans elected directly from single-member constituencies, and six indigenous members indirectly elected from the same constituencies. [2]
The indirect elections for the indigenous members saw 220 representatives nominated by 39 Native Local Government Council and 144 representatives nominated by 33 special electoral groups, covering areas where no Native Local Government Council existed. [3] The 364 representatives subsequently elected the six indigenous members of the Legislative Council.
A total of 108 candidates contested the six indigenous seats, whilst only nine ran in the six European seats, leaving three candidates elected unopposed. [4]
| Constituency | European candidates | Indigenous candidates |
|---|---|---|
| New Britain | Don Barrett (incumbent, UPP), John Chipper | 12 |
| New Guinea Coastal | Lloyd Hurrell (incumbent) | 7 |
| New Guinea Highlands | Ian Downs (UPP) | 40 |
| New Guinea Islands | W. Meehan (UPP), Paul Mason | 25 |
| Western Papua | Craig Kirke (incumbent, UPP), Ron Slaughter | 13 |
| Eastern Papua | John Stuntz (UPP) | 11 |
| Constituency | European elected member | Indigenous elected member |
|---|---|---|
| Eastern Papua | John Stuntz (UPP) | John Guise |
| Highlands | Ian Downs (UPP) | Kondom Agaundo |
| New Britain | John Chipper | Vin ToBaining |
| New Guinea Coastal | Lloyd Hurrell | Somu Sigob |
| New Guinea Islands | Paul Mason | Nicholas Brokam |
| Western Papua | Ron Slaughter (UPP) | Simoi Paradi |
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | ||
| Position | Member |
|---|---|
| Assistant Administrator | John Gunther |
| Chief Collector of Customs | K.M. Chambers |
| Chief Native Lands Commissioner | Ivan Champion |
| Director of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries | Frank Henderson |
| Director of Education | Geoffrey Roscoe |
| Director of Lands, Surveys and Mines | Douglas Macinnis |
| Director of Native Affairs | John Keith McCarthy |
| Director of Posts and Telegraphs | William Frederick Carter |
| Director of Public Health | Roy Scragg |
| Director of Public Works | J. Glen |
| District Commissioner, Morobe | Horrie Niall |
| District Commissioner, New Britain | John Rollo Foldi |
| Secretary for Law | Walter William Watkins |
| Treasurer and Director of Finance | Harold Reeve |
| Appointed members | Roma Bates |
| Basil Fairfax-Ross | |
| Ephraim Jubilee | |
| Bonjul Korogo | |
| Maneto Kuradal | |
| John McGhee | |
| Philip Strong | |
| Reuben Taureka | |
| Kinuki Wabag | |
| Alice Wedega | |
| Source: Pacific Islands Monthly | |
Following the elections, the Administrator appointed the Administrator's Council, the territory's cabinet. [5]
| Position | Member |
|---|---|
| Assistant Administrator | John Gunther |
| Director of Native Affairs | John Keith McCarthy |
| Treasurer | Harold Reeve |
| Unofficial members | Basil Fairfax-Ross |
| Ian Downs | |
| John Guise |
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General elections were held in Papua and New Guinea on 27 August 1960.
General elections were held in Dutch New Guinea for the first and only time in January 1961.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 15 February and 15 March 1964. They were the first elections in the territory held under universal suffrage. Voter turnout among enrolled voters was 65%.
A by-election for Kaindi constituency was held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 16 July and 15 August 1966.
General elections were held in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea between 17 February and 16 March 1968.
Donald Barrett was an Australian planter, army major, politician and sports coach in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. He served as a member of the Legislative Council and House of Assembly in two spells between 1951 and 1968.
Matthias Tutanava Toliman was a Papua New Guinean politician. He served as a member of the House of Assembly between 1964 and 1973, also holding ministerial roles from 1964 until 1972.
Oala Oala-Rarua was a Papua New Guinean educator, civil servant, trade unionist, politician and diplomat. He served as a member of the House of Assembly and Assistant Minister for the Treasury between 1968 and 1972, later becoming the first Lord Mayor of Port Moresby and High Commissioner to Australia.
Basil Edward Fairfax-Ross was an Australian businessman who spent much of his career in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. He served as a nominated member of the Legislative Council from 1951 to 1963.
Ronald Thomas Dalton Neville was an Australia-born Papua New Guinean politician and businessman. He served as a member of the House of Assembly and National Parliament from 1964 to 1977.
Sir Pita Simogun was a Papua New Guinean policeman, farmer and politician. He served as a member of the Legislative Council from 1951 to 1961 and then as a member of the House of Assembly from 1964 to 1968, during which time he was also Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Police.
Vin ToBaining was one of the first six elected indigenous members of the colonial-era Legislative Council of Papua and New Guinea, between 1961 and 1963. Subsequently, he was involved in the formation of the Pangu Party in 1967, which went on to form the government of Papua New Guinea (PNG) when the country became independent in 1975.
