Domestic, Expatriate, International, Overseas? Australian Government's Categorisation of Students from the Territory of Papua and New Guinea

Abstract

Despite their status as residents of the Australian Territory of Papua and New Guinea (TPNG), students in TPNG often faced challenges to accessing their entitlements to education. The Australian government attempted to manage these peculiar cohorts with classifications such as: ‘domestic or international’; ‘internal or external’; ‘European or non-European’; ‘expatriate or local’. However, these categorisations often created as much confusion as they solved. Using several examples from the 1960s and 1970s, this article will highlight the way in which the administration categorised students, both those travelling to mainland Australia for study and those who remained in TPNG. These categorisations were not merely bureaucratic designations; they had significant implications for TPNG students, including scholarship eligibility, eligibility for particular courses and wage rates after graduation. This approach to education by the Australian government had fundamental impacts on educational attainment in TPNG across the colonial period, and into independence.