Disclaimer

General information, not legal advice

Everything published on PNG Law Explained — every article, guide, glossary entry, case note, update and answer — is published for general information and public education only.

It is not legal advice, it is not a substitute for legal advice, and it must not be relied upon or acted upon as legal advice. Legal advice is the application of the law to a particular person’s particular facts by a lawyer who has taken instructions, examined the documents, and accepted professional responsibility for the answer. Nothing on this site does any of that.

No lawyer–client relationship

Reading this site, contacting us, subscribing to anything, or using any material published here does not create a lawyer–client relationship between you and PNG Law Explained or any of its contributors. We are not your lawyers.

We do not accept requests for legal representation, do not take instructions, and cannot act for you in any matter. See Contact for what we can and cannot help with.

The law changes

Papua New Guinean law is not static. Acts are amended and repealed. New Acts are passed, and some sit uncommenced for years before taking effect. Regulations change the operative detail without any parliamentary debate. Courts hand down decisions that alter how existing provisions are understood and applied.

Material on this site reflects our understanding at the time it was written, and may not have been updated since. Where an Act, a section or a case is named, always check the current official text before relying on it. See how to check the law yourself.

Outcomes depend on facts

The result of a legal matter usually turns on details a general article cannot know: what the documents actually say, what dates things happened on, what was said and by whom, what evidence exists, which court the matter is in, what stage it has reached, and the custom of the particular place.

Two situations that look identical in summary can have opposite outcomes. A guide that describes the general position may be entirely accurate and still be the wrong answer for you.

Custom varies

Custom is a source of law in Papua New Guinea, and it differs profoundly between provinces, language groups and societies — particularly on land, marriage and inheritance. Where this site describes custom, it describes it in general terms only. The custom that governs your situation is a question of fact to be established by evidence in your area.

Case summaries

Case notes on this site are summaries written by a person, not substitutes for the judgment. Courts decide on the specific facts before them; later decisions distinguish and overrule earlier ones; and a case may be under appeal when a note is written. Never argue a case on the strength of a summary, including one published here.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, PNG Law Explained, its authors, editors and contributors:

• make no representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the accuracy, currency, completeness or fitness for any purpose of any material on this site;
• exclude all liability for any loss, damage, cost or expense — whether direct, indirect, consequential or economic — arising from any use of, or reliance on, anything published here, or from any inability to access the site; and
• accept no responsibility for any action taken, or not taken, on the basis of material published on this site.

Nothing in this disclaimer excludes any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded.

External links and organisations

This site names and links to other organisations — courts, government bodies, legal aid providers and support services — for convenience. We do not control them and are not responsible for their content, their services, their accuracy or their availability. A description of what an organisation does may be incomplete or out of date, and contact details change.

Naming an organisation is not an endorsement, and does not mean they endorse us.

Jurisdiction

This site describes the law of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. It does not describe the law of any other country. Material about the law of Australia, or of any other jurisdiction, may be actively misleading if applied here — the sources of law in PNG are ordered differently, and custom occupies a place it does not occupy elsewhere.

Independence

PNG Law Explained is an independent legal education project. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or speaking for the Government of Papua New Guinea, the National Judiciary Staff Service, the Office of the Public Solicitor, the Papua New Guinea Law Society, or any law firm.

See also the Terms of Use and the Privacy Policy.