DistantNews
Support us
🇦🇺 Australia /Culture & Society

Australia funds PNG NRL team in Pacific influence play

From ABC Australia · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Context piece
  • Australia and Papua New Guinea are collaborating on a $600 million rugby league initiative, including establishing the PNG Chiefs team for the NRL.
  • The deal, spanning over 10 years, aims to develop rugby league in PNG, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji, with a portion funding the new team.
  • This initiative is seen as a soft power strategy by Australia amid competition for influence in the Pacific, with an unwritten condition regarding security pacts with China.

A significant diplomatic and sporting moment is unfolding in Papua New Guinea with the impending launch of the PNG Chiefs in the National Rugby League (NRL) in early 2029. This development fulfills a long-held dream for many rugby league-passionate Papua New Guineans, who have aspired to see their team compete at the highest level.

It has been challenging, not because people were opposed to the idea, but because people just saw all the barriers, all the difficulties, all the complications to it.

— Pat ConroyMinister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy reflects on the long journey to establish the PNG Chiefs.

The initiative is also a strategic move by Australia and Papua New Guinea, part of a broader contest for influence in the Pacific. Senior Australian figures describe the competition as a "knife fight," highlighting the government's readiness to employ soft power tools. The $600 million investment over 10 years is earmarked for establishing the PNG Chiefs and fostering rugby league development across Papua New Guinea, Tonga, Samoa, and Fiji.

So lots of people thought it was a good idea, but it would never happen.

— Pat ConroyMinister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy on the perceived difficulties of creating a PNG NRL team.

Leaders from Papua New Guinea, Samoa, and Tonga met in Australia to finalize the distribution of these funds. The Australian government acknowledges the substantial taxpayer investment in a single sport but deems the potential returns to be highly worthwhile. This commitment echoes earlier ambitions, dating back to 2008 when then-Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare first voiced his desire for a PNG NRL side by 2020. Australia's pledge to support the game's development in PNG has been a consistent theme, leading to the PNG Hunters' participation in the Queensland Cup since 2014.

Having two national governments really committed to it, as well as the NRL leaning in, has made it happen.

— Pat ConroyMinister for Pacific Island Affairs Pat Conroy credits government commitment and NRL support for the project's success.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

More Stories

From Our Blog