“New Codes and a New Order”: Papua New Guinean Development in the Hasluck Era, 1951–1963

Abstract

Under Paul Hasluck, Australian Minister for Territories from 1951 to 1963, Australian colonial rule assumed it’s dominant characteristics. Ferns examines this period, investigating Hasluck’s conception of ‘uniform development.’ Under Hasluck, Australian policy in PNG drew on international influences that were adapted to the ‘unique’ situation in the colony. At the same time, Australian aid policy more generally was following the international trend of consolidating its theoretical base, which during the 1950s and early 1960s was heavily influenced by the principles of modernisation theory. This was a school of thought most commonly associated with American scholars such as Walt Rostow. Hasluck’s personal emphasis on a policy of ‘uniform development’ led to a focus on improving agricultural production, primary education and very basic health services. Ferns examines the impact of Hasluck’s developmental approach on PNG’s progress towards independence, which was still seen as ‘generations’ away by the beginning of the 1960s.