Australia in the Age of International Development, 1945–1975: Colonial and Foreign Aid Policy in Papua New Guinea and Southeast Asia

239 Pages·2020·2.282 MB·English

by  Nicholas Ferns

SECURITY, CONFLICT AND COOPERATION
IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORLD
Australia in the Age of
International Development,
1945–1975
Colonial and Foreign Aid Policy
in Papua New Guinea and
Southeast Asia
nicholas ferns
Security, Conflict and Cooperation
in the Contemporary World
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Effie G. H. Pedaliu
LSE Ideas
London, UK
John W. Young
University of Nottingham
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Nicholas Ferns
Australia in the Age
of International
Development,
1945–1975
Colonial and Foreign Aid Policy in Papua New
Guinea and Southeast Asia
Nicholas Ferns
School of Philosophical, Historical
and International Studies
Monash University
Clayton, VIC, Australia
Security, Conflict and Cooperation in the Contemporary World
ISBN 978-3-030-50227-0 ISBN 978-3-030-50228-7 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50228-7
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Acknowledgements
This project began as a doctoral thesis at Monash University in 2012.
Over the past eight years I have benefitted from the advice and assistance
ofahugerangeofpeopleandinstitutions.Ioweaparticulardebtofgrat-
itude to my former supervisors, now mentors and colleagues, Agnieszka
Sobocinska and Tom Heenan. Their support both during and following
mydoctoralstudieshasenabledmetofinallycompletethisproject.Ihave
alsobenefittedfromthekindsupportofstaffmembersatMonashUniver-
sity, who have kindly offered their advice and assistance throughout my
research.
I would also like to thank the staff members of the archives and insti-
tutions in which this research was undertaken. I am grateful to the staff
of the National Archives of Australia, the National Library of Australia,
theUnitedStatesNationalArchives,theMitchellLibraryandtheUnited
Nations Archives.
Asthisprojectnearedcompletion,Ireceivedinvaluableassistancefrom
a number of helpful scholars. Kate Rivington, Emma Kluge, Jon Piccini,
Evan Smith, Kirstie Close, Anisa Puri, Bernard Keo, Anna Kent and Sam
Nicholls, all provided advice on chapters or full drafts. I am immensely
grateful for their help.
Finally, I would like to thank my close friends for helping me get
through everything. To Peter, Eamon, Martin, Chris, James and Daniel,
yoursupporthasbeeninvaluable.Tomyfamily,Julie,DennisandAllyce,
you have been there for me throughout the entire process.
v
vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Butaboveall,IhavetothankmybeautifulwifeGaby.Icouldnothave
done this without you.
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 “Stone Age to the Twentieth Century”: Trusteeship
and the New Deal for Papua New Guinea, 1945–1949 21
3 “By Every Means in Our Power”: The Establishment
of the Colombo Plan, 1949–1957 47
4 “New Codes and a New Order”: Papua New Guinean
Development in the Hasluck Era, 1951–1963 77
5 “Developed, Developing or Midway?” Australia
at the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development, 1964 109
6 “We Should Be Doing More Than We Are”: The
Colombo Plan, Papua New Guinea and the Australian
External Aid Review, 1957–1965 139
7 Taking Up the “Latest Fashions”: International
Development in Flux and the Australian Response,
1965–1975 167
vii
viii CONTENTS
8 Conclusion 197
Bibliography 203
Index 225
About the Author
Nicholas Ferns is a research and teaching associate at Monash Univer-
sity.HecompletedhisPh.D.inhistoryatMonashUniversityin2017.His
researchexaminesthewaysthat,between1945and1975,Australiancolo-
nial policy towards PNG and foreign aid policy towards Southeast Asia
was driven by policymakers’ engagement with post-war notions of inter-
nationaldevelopment.HisresearchhasbeenpublishedinTheAustralian
Journal of Politics and History, The Australasian Journal of American
Studies and Diplomacy and Statecraft. In addition to his research on
development and foreign aid, he has also published work on Australia’s
engagement with the American notion of “Manifest Destiny” between
1850 and 1900 and on the role of personal friendships in the diplo-
macyofWoodrowWilson.Heiscurrentlyworkingonanewprojectthat
explores the relationship between Australia and the World Bank in the
several decades following the Second World War.
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