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About
Legal information is not the same thing as legal advice — but a country where people do not know what the law says is one where rights exist only on paper.
Why this site exists
Most people meet the law at the worst possible moment: after an arrest, a sacking, an accident, a death in the family, or an approach about their clan’s ground. At that point the vocabulary alone can defeat you — jurisdiction, committal, affidavit, underlying law — before you get anywhere near the substance.
Papua New Guinea has a strong Constitution, an unusual and genuinely home-grown legal system, and far fewer lawyers than people who need one. PNG Law Explained exists to close a small part of that gap: to set out, in ordinary language, what the law actually says, where it comes from, and what a person can practically do about it.
The slogan is the whole argument. Law matters — and it matters most to the people least equipped to pay for an explanation of it.
Who writes this
PNG Law Explained is written and maintained by a lawyer admitted to practise law in Papua New Guinea.
Everything here is written from the primary sources — the Constitution, the Acts and Organic Laws, the rules of court, and the reported judgments of the National and Supreme Courts. Each source is named and linked on the page where it is used, so that any statement can be checked against the source rather than taken on trust.
Where the law is unsettled, or where the courts have divided, the site says so and sets out both lines of authority instead of presenting a false clean answer.
Questions and corrections go through the contact form. Corrections that identify a source — an Act and section, or a case citation — are acted on quickly.
That the author is a practising lawyer does not make anything on this site legal advice, and reading it does not make you a client. Publishing legal information and acting for a person are different things, and only the first happens here. See the disclaimer and what this site does not do.
- Plain language first. Legal terms are used only where they are necessary, and explained when they are. Everything is collected in the glossary.
- The Act is named. Where a rule comes from a statute or a section of the Constitution, the source is identified so you can check it yourself rather than take our word for it.
- Custom is treated as law, because it is. The Underlying Law Act 2000 makes custom a primary source. Guides say where custom governs, where it does not, and where it varies by province.
- Uncertainty is stated, not hidden. Where the position varies, depends on facts, or has changed recently, the guide says so instead of giving a false clean answer.
- No invented specifics. Monetary limits, penalty amounts, filing fees and commencement dates change by amendment and by practice direction. Where a figure would date quickly or cannot be verified, the guide points you to the current source instead of printing a number that might be wrong.
- Practical steps, not just doctrine. Knowing that you have a right is only half of it. The guides say where to go, what to bring, and what the deadlines are.
What this site does not do
It does not give legal advice, take instructions, or accept requests for legal representation. It is a publisher, not a law firm. See the Disclaimer and the Contact page for the full position, and Getting legal help for where to turn when you need advice on your own matter.
How the site is organised
- Articles — the full library, filterable by subject.
- Topics — the same articles grouped into eight subject areas.
- Law Series — every article organised by subject, from first principles through to procedure.
- Cases Explained — judgments of the National and Supreme Courts in ordinary language.
- Know Your Rights — practical guidance for dealings with police, employers, landlords and government.
- Legal Updates — new Acts, amendments, commencements and significant decisions.
- FAQ and Glossary — quick answers and definitions.
- Law Firms — the 369 firms on the Papua New Guinea Law Society register, by province.
- Getting legal help — where to turn, starting with the Public Solicitor.
How to check the law yourself
You do not have to take anyone’s summary on trust, including ours. The primary materials are public.
- The Constitution. Read the section itself. The language is comparatively accessible, and section numbers are cited throughout this site precisely so you can look them up.
- Acts of Parliament. Find the consolidated version — the Act as amended to date — not the version as originally passed. PNG legislation is published by the Office of Legislative Counsel and carried by Pacific legal information services.
- Check commencement. An Act that has been passed and certified is not necessarily in force. Many commence on a date notified in the National Gazette, and individual sections can remain uncommenced for years.
- Search for amendments. Look for the Act’s name plus “Amendment”. A two-page amending Act can reverse the effect of the principal Act.
- Ask the registry. Court registry staff cannot advise you, but they can tell you the correct form, the fee, the filing requirements and the sitting dates. This is free and reliable, and consistently underused.
Material about PNG law circulating online is often outdated, is sometimes about a different country’s law entirely, and is increasingly generated automatically without checking. Always trace a statement back to the Act or the judgment. If a source will not tell you which section it relies on, treat it with suspicion — and apply that test to this site too.
Corrections
Accuracy matters more here than volume. If something on this site is wrong, out of date, or misleading — a repealed Act described as current, a section number that has moved, a procedure that has changed — we want to know.
The most useful correction names the page, quotes the passage, states the correct position, and gives the source: an Act and section, or a case citation. Corrections that identify a source are acted on quickly.
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. Its editorial content is not sponsored, and no advertiser has any say in what is written here. Descriptions of what other bodies do are our own, and may be incomplete or out of date.