Timeline

Papua New Guinea before Independence: a Colonial Chronology

1828       Dutch annexation of western half of New Guinea

1884       Proclamation of Protectorate of the German New Guinea Company

               Proclamation of the British New Guinea Protectorate

1888       British New Guinea Protectorate became British Colony

1899       German New Guinea Company taken over by the German state

1906       British New Guinea formally comes under the administration of the Commonwealth of Australia, becoming the Australian Territory of Papua

1914       Australian forces occupied German New Guinea

1919       Treaty of Versailles. Australia granted a mandate to administer German New Guinea

1921       Former German New Guinea established as Australian-administered, Mandated Territory of New Guinea following Treaty of Versailles

1941       Japanese invasion

1942       Wartime Australian New Guinea Administrative Unit established as first joint civilian administration of Papua and New Guinea

1946       Amalgamation of the administrations of the Australian territories of Papua and New Guinea.

1951       Legislative Council established, including three nominated positions for Papua New Guineans

1962       Select Committee established to consider a new constitution

               UN Mission recommended establishment of a national parliament by extending the Legislative Council into a House of Assembly.

1964       Papua New Guineans vote in the first election for a national House of Assembly

1968       Second House of Assembly elections

1972       Election of first national coalition government, led by Michael Somare

1973       Self-government (1 December 1973)

1975       Independence (16 September 1975)