The Crown remains an important regional link for Australia

The cost would be comparatively small – yet the long-term benefits would be considerable.

The service of His Royal Highness to the Commonwealth could also be marked by special scholarships in his name for high school, and tertiary, students from both countries.

Before I conclude I want to offer a couple of personal reflections on the unique nature of the role and personality of the Governor General in Papua New Guinea.

When I joined the late Sir Iambakey Okuk, then PNG Opposition Leader, in 1978, his Deputy was the late Sir John Guise. Sir John had been the first Governor General of the newly independent Papua New Guinea in 1975, but resigned within 18 months to return to politics at the 1977 national elections.

I had a unique opportunity to ask him about the role, and why he resigned. One of the major reasons was that he quickly discovered that the office was totally without power!

He reminded me that the removal of the Whitlam Government by Sir John Kerr in 1975 simply could not happen in PNG. The Governor General had, and has, NO reserve powers and must act on the advice of the Prime Minister and the Government of the day. While he knew he had no reserve powers when he was appointed, I sensed that in office it frustrated him.

The second reflection I recall vividly occurred when I was advising the then PNG Prime Minister, Sir Rabbie Namaliu. It offers an interesting insight into the unique relationship between Her Majesty and Her Governments.

The Deputy Prime Minister in the Namaliu Government, Ted Diro, had been forced to stand aside under the PNG Leadership Code by the Ombudsman Commission. It was my view then, and its remains so today, that the decision to force Mr Diro to stand aside was flawed and frankly unjust.

Without consulting the Prime Minister, the Governor General purported to reinstate the Deputy Prime Minister.

Despite the fact he wanted his Deputy to return, the Prime Minister had no constitutional choice but to seek Her Majesty's intervention to remove the Governor General. The Palace was contacted, and it was clear that Her Majesty would act on the advice of Her Prime Minister.

A messenger with the written request from the Prime Minister was despatched to London.

Fortunately by the time he arrived in transit in Singapore the Governor General submitted his resignation and that ended the process. But in the light of the Kerr-Whitlam experience it offered an interesting perspective on the relationship between the Queen and her realm!

At a time when we need to use every device available to counter China's aggressive and growing influence in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and the region, our links to the Crown need to be re-examined and strengthened no matter how different they may appear to be!