Guide to the Papers of Alan Wilkinson

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MS 9860

National Library of Australia View Catalogue Record

Created: ©2005.

Collection Summary

Creator
Wilkinson, A.E.
Title
Papers of Alan Wilkinson
Date Range
1977-1984
Collection Number
MS 9860
Extent
0.62 metres (2 boxes)
Language of Materials
English
Repository
National Library of Australia

Introduction

Scope and Content

The papers mostly comprise file copies of correspondence, minutes and other documents that Wilkinson wrote or drafted for ministers and other officials during the seven years that he served in the Papua New Guinea Government.

The collection includes letters, memoranda, minutes, telexes, policy submissions and statements, interim reports, departmental circulars, briefing notes, draft agreements, joint communiqués, press releases, information sheets, transcripts of speeches, and summaries of press conferences. Recipients of letters include senior officials of both the Papua New Guinea Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and of other government departments, senior diplomatic staff both in Papua New Guinea and overseas, Australian Members of Parliament, and staff of overseas aid organisations and banks. Most of the letters were written or drafted by Wilkinson himself or by other officers of the Branch in which he was currently working.

Access

The collection is available for reference.

Copying and Publishing

Copying and publishing of unpublished manuscript material is subject to copyright restrictions. For such material, written permission to publish must be obtained from the copyright holder(s). Copying of unpublished material for research purposes is permissible 50 years after the death of the creator of the material.

Preferred Citation

Items from this collection should be cited as '[Title or description of manuscript item], Papers of Alan Wilkinson, National Library of Australia, MS 9860, [file number]'.

Provenance

The papers were donated by Alan Wilkinson to the Library on 23 April 2004.

Wilkinson's Ph.D thesis entitled 'The politics of Australian foreign aid policy, 1950-1972', located in the Manuscript Section (MSD 368)

Arrangement

The collection has been largely left in original order. The papers are contained in six large lever arch files and one additional file of miscellaneous material. There is also one bound document.

The papers of each of the large files are arranged in approximately reverse date order, and originate from the period between September 1977 and November 1984. The miscellaneous papers contained in the last file are not arranged in any order of date.

Biographical Note

Alan Elliot Wilkinson was born on 15 November 1939. Studying at the University of Western Australia, he gained an engineering degree in 1962, and went on to work as an electrical engineer in the Postmaster General's Department in Perth. He later completed an Honours degree in political science and history, also at the University of Western Australia, and in 1975 gained his doctorate in international relations at the Australian National University, with a thesis on the politics of Australian foreign aid policy from 1950 to 1972.

Wilkinson's years as a student were followed by two brief periods of employment as a research assistant, first with the Australia-Japan Economic Relations Research Project at the ANU, and then with the Australian Council for Overseas Aid. Through this work, combined with his doctoral research, his knowledge of political and economic development issues in the South Pacific region increased considerably. In 1977 he successfully sought appointment to an administrative position with the Papua New Guinea Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and in September of that year he left Canberra with his wife and four children for Port Moresby.

In his new situation he became involved in the formulation of development assistance policy, and was soon promoted to the post of Acting Assistant Secretary in the newly-established Development Assistance Branch. During the course of his time in Papua New Guinea his employment contract was renewed twice. In December 1982 he became First Assistant Secretary of the Trade and Economic Relations Branch, and held that position until late 1984.

In the course of his official duties Wilkinson was always closely engaged with the coordination of foreign aid policy and procedures. Also, as an expatriate officer occupying a senior management position in the government, he was concerned to implement staffing arrangements which would lay the foundation for the promotion of Papua New Guinea nationals to senior administrative posts, and his papers reveal the importance which he attached to this objective. He left Papua New Guinea with his family to return to Canberra on the expiry of his last contract in November 1984.

Item Descriptions

Papers, 1977-1978 (File 1)

The earlier papers in this file originate from the period of Wilkinson's employment as Clerk Class 9 in the Development Assistance Branch, followed by that of his promotion to the position of Acting Assistant Secretary. Most documents deal with the establishment of foreign aid projects in Papua New Guinea.

Topics include: summaries of aid negotiations; prospective aid projects; administration and progress of current projects; requirements for technical expertise in Papua New Guinea; terms of loan agreements; legislation changes to accommodate provision of fiscal aid; aid missions to donor countries; National Executive Council policy; wording of aid agreements; establishment of a regional development fund; war damage compensation; international volunteer workers; immunisation programs; and European Economic Community scholarships and foreign-funded training courses for Branch staff. Internal departmental matters are also represented.

A notable topic covered in material of this early period is the possible effects of tied aid in relation to the desire for Papua New Guinea to be recognised as an independent nation.

The majority of letters were written by A. Siaguru (Secretary, Development Assistance Branch) and by Wilkinson.

Papers, 1978-1979 (File 2)

Many of the papers in this file are concerned with plans for increasing fiscal and technical self-reliance by Papua New Guinea. The aim for a balance between economic independence and a strong social infrastructure is reflected in documents relating to requests for increases in government expenditure on most aspects of national development. In response to this aim, the National Public Expenditure Plan emerged as a framework within which the government may decide on new development activities to be undertaken, and some documents also refer to occasional NPEP review of existing projects and policies. An important event represented in this file is the familiarisation visit by Sir John Crawford (adviser to Australian government on Australian / Papua New Guinea relations) to inspect industry development projects in various provinces, and his consequent recommendations.

Other topics include: diversification in sources of Papua New Guinea foreign aid as replacement for decreasing Australian aid; West German aid for secondary educational institutions and for the Ramu sugar project; and the possible establishment of a South Pacific Regional Development Bank.

Most letters were written or drafted by Wilkinson, although others are by A. Siaguru and also R. Kapepa (Acting Secretary, Development Assistance Branch).

Papers, 1980-1981 (File 3)

This file continues the collection of papers from Wilkinson's time as Assistant Secretary, Development Assistance Branch. A number of papers reveal the PNG government's strong preference for aid in the form of unconditional grants. There are also foreign policy documents concerned with Papua New Guinea's cooperation with Pacific island countries such as Fiji and the New Hebrides, the need for a regional development fund, and the importance of technical cooperation agreements with ASEAN countries.

Other subjects include: Papua New Guinea / Australia Development Assistance Policy Review; the North Fly highway project (providing access to Ok Tedi mine); French technical assistance for hydro-electricity schemes; a Chinese economic survey mission to PNG; West German-funded water supply rehabilitation projects; Australian assistance to PNG universities; and rejection of grant aid from Japan.

Many letters in this file were written by Norton Berman (First Assistant Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade). Most others were written or drafted by Wilkinson, and some are also by Noel Levi (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade), William Dihm (Acting Secretary, Development Assistance Branch) and Paulias Matane (Secretary, Development Assistance Branch).

Papers, 1981-1982 (File 4)

The papers in this file are from Wilkinson's period as Acting First Assistant Secretary in the Trade and Economic Relations Branch of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. A significant theme in this material is the aim for increased political direction in the national planning system, particularly in the context of world recession and the fall in the price of copper, the Papua New Guinea government's largest single domestic source of revenue.

Topics include: the search for non-Australian aid sources along with the request to Australia for an increased level of aid; committal of EEC Lome I and II funds; transfer of management for smaller NGO grants to provincial governments; and planning and progress of particular large aid projects such as Rouna 4 hydro-electricity scheme, Jacksons Airport redevelopment, and North Fly highway project. Internal departmental matters such as Branch amalgamations and assessment of subordinate staff are also very strongly represented. A major document in this file is the Papua New Guinea / Australia development review of April 1982.

Letters were principally written by Wilkinson, Noel Levi, Paulias Matane, and Kuma Aua (Acting First Assistant Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Branch).

Papers, 1982-1983 (File 5)

The majority of papers in this file originate from the period following Wilkinson's promotion to the substantive position of First Assistant Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Branch. A notable area of concern during this period of weakening revenue prospects for Papua New Guinea is the possibility of a change in government in Australia, and the effect this may have on hopes for a slowing in the planned rate of decline in Australian aid. Strategies for expanding both primary and secondary export earnings in specific industries are also represented.

Several substantial documents are contained in this file, including the transcript of a speech by Rabbie Namaliu (Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade) to the Institute for National Affairs, and others relating to reviews of the Australian aid agreement. Other subjects include: the establishment of import tariffs; talks between Bill Hayden (Australian Foreign Mininster) and senior Papua New Guinea government ministers; temporary importation of rice; the announcement by Bob Hawke (Australian Prime Minister) of an additional aid grant; Wilkinson's attendance at Canberra meetings of the SPEC Committee and the South Pacific Forum; and internal matters such as staffing and Divisional monthly reports.

Most letters in this file are by Wilkinson, and others are by Paulias Matane, A. Siaguru (Acting Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade), Rabbie Namaliu, and William Dihm (Acting Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Branch).

Papers, 1983-1984 (File 6)

The economic fortunes of Papua New Guinea considerably improved during 1983, owing to a revival in world economy, better prices for export items, higher production at the Bougainville mine, and generally effective economic management by the Government. Major activities of the Trade and Economic Relations Branch throughout 1984, however, were concerned with the Papua New Guinea / Australia aid relationship and responses to the Jackson Committee Report which recommended that future Australian aid should feature conditional elements.

Other significant topics in this file include: preparations for a Rice Supply Agreement with reliable source countries; tariff structure; import quotas; emergency relief following volcanic eruptions in Rabaul; the International Cocoa Agreement; Lome III policy development and negotiations; amendments to the Industry Assistance Board Bill; relief for border crossers from Indonesia; Australian funding of an annual independent review of the Papua New Guinea economy; a multilateral U.S.A. fisheries treaty; and Department financial assistance to the private sector. The file concludes with Wilkinson's imminent departure for Canberra at the end of his contract.

Signatories of letters in this file include Wilkinson, William Dihm, Paulias Matane, Phillip Cridge (Acting First Assistant Secretary, Trade and Economic Relations Branch), Rabbie Namaliu, Koiari Tarata (First Assistant Secretary, Macro Economic Policy Branch), and Paias Wingti (Deputy Prime Minister).

Miscellaneous papers from various periods (File 7)

This smaller file contains miscellaneous substantial documents originating from various periods. There are two confidential draft policy submissions for National Executive Council members (1981 and 1984 respectively), one document on non-Australian aid to Papua New Guinea (1978), a summary of the Papua New Guinea government's views on the recommendations of the Jackson Committee Report (no date), and several other shorter official documents.

There are six manuscripts of seminar and conference papers, authors of these being Trompf, Narokobi, Tobarua, Latukefu and O'Faircheallaigh. One short published work is the text of a lecture by Michael Somare, The emerging role of Papua New Guinea in world affairs, presented to the Australian Institute of International Affairs in Melbourne in 1974. Also included in this file are Wilkinson's curriculum vitae (1978), several of his contractual agreements and information on employment conditions in the Papua New Guinea public service.

Manual on aid administration, 1980 (Item 8)

One bound document which had been given to Wilkinson and inscribed by Vishwa Shenoi is included in the collection. Produced in October 1980 by the National Planning Office, PNG, it is designated 'For official use only' and entitled Manual on aid administration.

Container List

File/Item Box
1-3 1
4-8 2

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