Promoting Government Transparency in PNG: Freedom of Information and the Seabed Mining Case

Abstract

On 29 November 2023, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Supreme Court made a landmark ruling on Section 51 of the Constitution of the Independent State of PNG, which guarantees ‘freedom of information’. The case concerned the now defunct Solwara 1 project, the world’s first licensed commercial seabed mining project, which sought to extract high-grade mineral deposits from the seafloor. The court’s ruling not only added to the controversies surrounding the Solwara 1 project but importantly provided a better understanding of the operations of Section 51 in enabling access to official information and the potential for improved transparency and accountability of government decisions. This In Brief discusses the issues in the Supreme Court’s judgment and its wider implications for governance and law reform in PNG.