Transcript
The date for the vote has already been moved once, from June 15th to October.
Now there is a call for it to be delayed further, with the Bougainville Referendum Commission, which is in charge of preparing the region for the vote, saying more time is needed to ensure the integrity of the electoral roll.
A six week extension has been mentioned.
But the newly appointed PNG Minister of Bougainville Affairs, Dr Puka Temu, says the BRC needs to make a formal request if it wants to delay the referendum.
"If the BRC thinks they need a little more time because of the credibility issue on the referendum roll then the Joint Supervisory Body (JSB) will be the body that will make the final decision. It is not the national government or the ABG, it is a JSB decision. If they say no then that's it. If they agree then we will inform our people and the basis will be the credibility of the common roll."
That JSB meeting is set to be held in south Bougainville, in Buin, within weeks.
And the PNG Prime Minister, James Marape, has now confirmed that the National Executive Council, the cabinet, will hold its meeting there at the same time.
Dr Temu, who has significantly lifted the tempo on Bougainville since coming into the role just weeks ago, says it is vital for all of PNG's leaders to show their commitment to the referendum process.
Two upcoming reconciliations are to be held on Bougainville at the same time before the referendum.
Dr Temu says a national reconciliation and another involving former combatants were postponed last month because of the PNG government's change of leadership.
He says these events will include commitments to dispose of weapons.
Dr Temu says there are now teams on the ground preparing for the events at a date that is yet to be announced but expected to be the end of the month.
He says he embraces the reconciliations because of their importance to Melanesian culture and also the commitment that the final outcome will be jointly negotiated.
"So as part of that is to guarantee the security of the process and also reconcile and rebuild the relationship amongst all of us - our soldiers on this side and ex-combatants on the other side because that will then remove this cloud of suspicion."
Meanwhile at discussions this week a British political scientist with experience in referenda said if Bougainville chooses independence from PNG it's likely to be some years before it is implemented.
Coventry University's Matt Qvortrup was in Port Moresby to speak to lawmakers about possible scenarios after the referendum.
He says if there is a clear vote for independence it's still important that there is what he calls a 'a just and fair divorce settlement' - not just one party walking away.
Professor Qvortrup says he's seen other referenda results implemented in a matter of months, for instance in Czechoslovakia and Ukraine.
"Those examples are examples of countries that break up very quickly. The more successful ones have taken a little bit longer, so I think the process of independence will probably take, my estimate compared to other cases would probably be up to five years, or even more."
Also this week a survey of more than 1,000 Bougainvilleans has found people still need to know more about the Bougainville Peace Agreement and the upcoming referendum.
One of the key findings of the second Bougainville Audience Study is the need for continuous awareness in the lead up to the referendum and beyond.
The ABG's communications director, Adriana Schmidt, says the report provides a clear picture of the information needs of Bougainvilleans going into the vote.
She says people want to know more about what the two options - greater autonomy and independence - mean in practical terms, and to understand what happens after the vote.
