The governments of Australia and Papua New Guinea announced on December 12 a team-up with the Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) to strengthen ties through rugby league, a sport passionately embraced by both nations.
Stressing its role as the primary security and development partner to Papua New Guinea, Australia pledged to support the establishment of a PNG team in the National Rugby League (NRL) by 2028, a move expected to deepen bilateral relations and promote economic and social development.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the initiative as transformative, adding: “A Papua New Guinea NRL team is a game-changer for Australia’s relationship with PNG and a unifying force – no two countries have a greater passion for rugby league.”
“Australia’s relationship with the Pacific is profoundly important, and our sporting ties are unique,” he added.
As PNG approaches its 50th anniversary of independence in 2025, Albanese said the partnership symbolizes “a shared history, mutual trust, and a future filled with economic and social opportunities.”
PNG Prime Minister James Marape emphasized the initiative's potential for national unity.
“This one team will be for one people, one country, one nation, a national unifier. We deeply appreciate our relationship with Australia. While government-to-government ties are important, at the heart and soul of this relationship must be people-to-people connections.”
“An NRL team for PNG is more than just sports – it is a national unification strategy. With our diverse cultures and people, rugby league can bring us together as one nation. At the same time, it strengthens the shared history and people-to-people links between PNG and Australia.”
The partnership will also deliver significant economic benefits through infrastructure investments and boosts to the sports and tourism sectors in both countries, Marape said.
The Australian government will also collaborate with the ARLC on a Pacific Rugby League Partnership to promote rugby league at all levels across PNG, Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga, offering pathways from grassroots participation to elite competition.
The program will focus on increasing school retention, improving health and nutrition, advancing gender equality, and fostering youth leadership. It will also prioritize developing girls’ and women’s rugby league, including plans for a future PNG women’s team in an Australian state competition.
Albanese stressed the broader social impact, saying: “Partnering on rugby league is a genuine and powerful way of building lasting ties between our peoples and ensuring long-term development, social and economic outcomes for PNG and the Pacific.”
“Our partnership will create new opportunities for girls’ and women’s rugby league across PNG and the Pacific, recognizing the power of sports programs in championing inclusion and improving gender equality.”
The deal builds on Australia’s existing sports development initiatives in the Pacific, which already include netball, rugby union, Aussie rules, and cricket. It complements broader development partnerships aimed at fostering peace, prosperity, and opportunity throughout the region, Albanese’s office said.
