Papua New Guinea

Order of Logohu medal awarded to Hawke, from the Bob Hawke Collection, unprocessed

Until independence in 1975, Papua New Guinea was a territory of Australia. During the late 1960s and into 1970, the Public Service Association of Papua New Guinea sought a review of an earlier Commission ruling relating to Local Officers’ wages and sought assistance from Hawke and the ACTU in their claims for improvement in relative wages as compared to expatriate workers.

Hawke spent several months in Papua New Guinea where he helped to establish the union movement and acted as Advocate in the Local Officers’ case.

The ACTU, Australian Council of Salaried and Professional Associations (ACSPA), and Council of Commonwealth Public Service Organisations (CCPSO) all publicly supported the Local Officers’ claims.

Hawke's handwritten notes on Local Officers' Salaries case, from the Bob Hawke Collection, RH56/8/Papua New Guinea Public Service employees Folder 6

Sample of Hawke's case notes, from the Bob Hawke Collection, RH56/8/Papua New Guinea Public Service employees Folder 6

Joint press release by presidents of the ACTU, ACSPA, & CCPSO.png

Joint press release by union presidents on salary claims (1970), from the Bob Hawke Collection, RH56/8/Papua New Guinea Public Service employees Folder 3

ACTU outline of P.S.A. case, from the Bob Hawke Collection, RH56/8/Papua New Guinea Public Service employees Folder 2

Mace given to Hawke from Papua New Guinea, from the Bob Hawke Collection, unprocessed

Hawke's entry permit to the Territory of Papua and New Guinea (1967), from the Bob Hawke Collection, RH56/8/Papua New Guinea Public Service employees Folder 4

Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu medal awarded to Hawke, from the Bob Hawke Collection, unprocessed

In October 2009, Hawke was awarded the Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu for his service to Papua New Guinea prior to, and since, Independence. This honour was awarded due to his involvement in the establishment of the trade union movement and early national wage development, and later, as Prime Minister of Australia, by presiding over a period of harmonious relations between Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Logohu is a Motuan word meaning bird of paradise.

The Grand Companion of the Order of Logohu is the highest honour that can be awarded to citizens and others for service, achievement, and merit, and confers the title of Chief to its recipients.

Explore more

Australia and Papua New Guinea 1966-1969 - Commonwealth of Australia (2006)
Hawke awarded top PNG honour - ABC (2009, October 22)

Sources

Order of Logohu. (2021, September 23). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_of_Logohu

➥ For information on the library's collection, visit the Bob Hawke Guide or explore the Bob Hawke Collection.