The leader of the autonomous Bougainville Government, Ishmael Toroama, has laid out a clear timeline for the assumption of independence by the region in 2025.
He also wants Bougainville, which got almost unanimous support for independence from Papua New Guinea in a referendum in 2019, to have achieved self government by next year.
But to get to this stage Bougainville needs to win strong support among MPs in the PNG parliament.
Anthony Regan, a research fellow at the Australian National University, has had a long involvement with Bougainville, having served as an advisor to the government.
He spoke to Don Wiseman about Toroama's chances of meeting his deadline.
Ismael Toroama Photo: Facebook
