Bougainville govt plans radical overhaul of land ownership laws

Bougainville Lands Minister Junior Tumare said four key bills are nearing completion in parliament. Photo: Johnny Blades / RNZ Pacific

The government in the autonomous Papua New Guinea region of Bougainville is planning reforms that will transform land management and ownership.

Bougainville Lands Minister Junior Tumare said four key bills are nearing completion in parliament.

These are the Bougainville Government Land Bill, Customary Land Bill, Land Registers Bill 2024, and the Planning and Development Bill.

The minister said these bills represent the most radical overhaul of land law in Bougainville since the civil war ended.

He said they will deliver a wholly new system, representing a decisive break from the current PNG laws.

Tumare said the reforms will standardise land tenure systems and address long-standing disparities between customary land and state land.

He said this will promote economic development by making land more accessible for investment, while also respecting the traditional land rights of Bougainvillean clans.

Tumare said the bills are the product of extensive consultations with local communities and legal experts, to ensure they address the core concerns of customary landowners who have long felt marginalised.

The bills are expected to be reviewed by the Department of Justice and Legal Services and could be presented to parliament for consideration before the end of the year​.