Aussie Premier praises PNG women in Parliament
By HILDA WAYNE of Curtin University, Western Australia THE steady and successful rise of Papua New Guinea’s three new women Members of Parliament has drawn praise from the Premier of Tasmania, Hon. Lara Giddings. Giddings was the youngest woman ever to be elected into Australia’s Parliament at the age of 23 in 1999. However her interest in PNG politics and especially the three women MPs is because she has a much deeper connection to PNG. Giddings was born and raised in Goroka, Eastern Highlands Province where she spent much of her childhood. She has been following PNG’s recent elections with much interest and praised Loujaya Toni, Dellilah Pueka Gore and Julie Soso on their win. In an interview with the Western Independent, Premier Giddings said: “As a woman born in the Eastern Highlands of PNG, and as a member of the Tasmanian Parliament, I have watched with pride the recent PNG elections where a record number of women have been elected to Parliament, including Julie Soso now Govern