Overview

• A copy of the pact seen by AFP says an armed attack on either country within the Pacific would threaten both, requiring each to act in line with its constitutional processes.
• The agreement enables Australians and Papua New Guineans to serve in each other's armed forces to deepen interoperability.
• Leaders plan to sign the treaty in Port Moresby on Wednesday after Papua New Guinea's cabinet failed to reach quorum during independence festivities.
• Australia announced support for a new ministerial wing at Papua New Guinea's Parliament as a 50th independence anniversary gift to underscore respect for sovereignty.
• The push follows a 2023 security agreement and comes as Canberra seeks to blunt China's regional influence, while some PNG lawmakers fear the pact could strain a 'friend to all, enemy to none' stance.