Join us online or in person for a special seminar with Dr Brad Underhill and Associate Professor Helen Gardner prior to the launch of their new book.

Debating the Nation: Papua New Guinea and the Colonial Legacy

We are delighted to announce the release of Debating the Nation – Papua New Guinea’s Independence Speeches (eds. Dr Brad Underhill, Associate Professor Helen Gardner and Keimelo Gima), a new volume that brings together a selection of key speeches from Papua New Guinea’s House of Assembly in the years leading up to independence (1972–1975). These speeches — many never before published in full — capture the fierce debates, competing visions, and grounded aspirations of Papua New Guinean leaders as they shaped the nation’s path to sovereignty.

Rather than framing independence as a gift from Australia, this curated and annotated collection highlights the agency, insight, and political acumen of PNG parliamentarians. The volume introduces readers to the diversity of voices and ideas that informed the drafting of the constitution and the negotiation of independence — from concerns about land, unity, and development to deeper questions of identity, autonomy, and modernity.

The book is a collaboration between Deakin University and the University of Papua New Guinea, It was jointly supported by funding from the Australian High Commission to Papua New Guinea, the Deakin University Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation), and the Centre for Contemporary Histories (CCH).

📚 Debating the Nation will be formally launched at the Australian High Commission in Port Moresby in mid-August 2025.

30th July 2025, 11am AEDT

Burwood: C2.05.01
Waurn Ponds: IC1.108
Zoom: Click here

Helen Gardner’s research focuses on all aspects of the Pacific Islands. Her interests include colonialism and post-colonialism in the Pacific. She is active in the Pacific History Association and is the external editor of the Journal of Pacific History.

Brad Underhill specialises in Papua New Guinea-Australian history. Brad’s PhD thesis, The New Deal on the Ground in Papua New Guinea was awarded the Hank Nelson memorial prize for history in 2022 for best history on PNG in the previous two years. His book, Preparing a Nation? was published by ANU Press in 2024.