Papua New Guinean Australians
Papua New Guinean Australians are the citizens and residents of Australia who were born in Papua New Guinea or have Papua New Guinean ancestry.
Due to the country's proximity, the vast majority of Papua New Guinean Australians live in Queensland, particularly in Far North Queensland and the Torres Strait Islands. Cairns, the largest city in Far North Queensland, has the highest number of Papua New Guineans than anywhere outside Papua New Guinea itself.
History
A handful of people from Papua New Guinea, crew members of boats and mission-sponsored villagers, visited Australia in the 1870s. In the early 1880s, more than 3000 Papuan workers were recruited to work in the sugarcane industry in Queensland. A majority of these labourers later returned to Papua New Guinea, but a minority remained in Australia.From 1914 to 1975, Papua New Guinea was administered by Australia, divided into the Territory of Papua and the Territory of New Guinea. Despite being administered by Australia, the indigenous peoples of the island were nonetheless subject to the White Australia policy. As a result, only limited numbers of Papuans were allowed to enter the rest of Australia, notably to work in the Queensland pearling industry.
The number of Papua New Guineans in Australia is considered relatively small, given the countries are neighbours and PNG's status as a former Australian territory. Other Pacific island countries have much larger populations in Australia.