Bougainville had a history of small-scale mining, but the identification of a major gold, copper and silver orebody at Panguna in the 1960s led to the operation of a major mine…

We drove through the ruins of the Panguna Mine, with its burned down buildings and factories.

The mine began production in 1972 with the Papua New Guinea National Government as a 20% shareholder of which the Bougainvilleans received 0.5–1.25% share of the total profit. An Australian mining company began prospecting for copper in the Crown Prince Range at Panguna in the early 1960s.

The mine at Panguna had been perhaps the most major sticking point between Bougainville and the mainland.

As ever, the dark history of the Panguna mine will have to be revisited.

Even now, the divisions between the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the PNG government and various Australian investors hover with a certain menace. Even now, the divisions between the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the PNG government and various Australian investors hover with a certain menace. Jubilee Australia.

From 1972 to 1989, the company Bougainville … The mine training college which BCL built at Panguna was the best technical training facility in Papua New Guinea.

Even now, the divisions between the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the … As ever, the dark history of the Panguna mine will have to be revisited. That said, any independent Bougainville will need an income stream and hard currency. The mine at Panguna was opened in 1972 and was majority-owned by Rio Tinto..

As ever, the dark history of the Panguna mine will have to be revisited. That said, any independent Bougainville will need an … Even now, the divisions between the Autonomous Bougainville Government, the PNG government and various Australian investors hover with a certain menace. History.

The mine was the largest non-aid revenue stream of the Government of Papua New Guinea from the nation’s independence in 1975 to the mine’s closure.
The mine produced copper concentrate that also contained … It provided over 45% of Papua New Guinea's national export revenue and was incredibly imp… Panguna Mine Conflict. Panguna mine in Boungainville, 1971.


This year, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), Panguna mine lease landowners, and other interest groups in Bouganville are considering re-opening the Panguna copper mine, which has influenced almost every aspect of Bougainville’s complex history since the mid-1960s.

The case of Bougainville and the Panguna mine is arguably the most heinous example of criminal behaviour by an Australian company overseas in our recent history.

It is not only a story of lost lives, lost land and lost opportunities. As the Autonomous Bougainville Government plans to reopen the island up to mining, Jubilee has done a number of investigations into the issue over the past few years. More than 12,000 employees undertook its courses and many emerged as fully qualified tradesmen with skills that would serve them for life.

It is not only a story of lost lives, lost land and lost opportunities.