Domestic violence is a national crisis in PNG. The Chiefs NRL team must do more to support women

PNG is grappling with despicable rates of gender-based violence. Why isn’t a women’s team part of the Australian government’s $600m NRL deal?

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Bradley Kanaris/Getty ImagesIn 2028, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Chiefs will make their highly anticipated National Rugby League (NRL) debut after unprecedented Australian federal government investment, a flurry of big-name singings, lucrative tax breaks and seemingly infinite commercial deals.

But if we pause for a moment and look beyond the hype, deeply uncomfortable realities come into stark view. These include queries about why the new franchise won’t feature a women’s team.

If this investment is truly intended to transform PNG, women can’t remain on the sidelines. They must be central, not secondary, to its vision, opportunities and outcomes.

Bold aspirations for the new team

Rugby league is PNG’s national sport, so the launch of the Chiefs was widely celebrated on both sides of the Arafuru Sea.

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The expansion was announced in late 2024, with the Australian government tipping in $600 million. The funding is partly due to Australia’s efforts to curb China’s growing influence in the Pacific.

The funding includes:

$290 million to support the team’s operations
$60 million for the NRL’s existing franchises as a licence fee
$250 million for a Pacific rugby league partnership, which also covers Fiji, Tonga and Samoa, to encourage grassroots participation and establish a pathway for elite athletes.

PNG Prime Minister James Marape said the team was “a national unification strategy deployed under the flag of rugby league”.

These transformative aspirations were echoed by Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who stated he could not think of “any aid and assistance in our region in the Pacific […] more important than support for the PNG Chiefs”.

He added the funding would include investment in girls’ and women’s rugby league across the region.

However, Australian Rugby League Commission (ARLC) boss Peter V’landys has said the new club will not feature in the NRLW until the league is confident it can be competitive.

There are currently 17 NRL clubs, and 12 women’s teams in the NRLW.

Women are doing it tough in PNG

PNG is one of the world’s most dangerous places for women to live.

Domestic violence has been declared a national crisis, with a recent report finding more than 60% of women in the country had experienced violence from an intimate partner – more than double the global average.

Protections for women and children are often undermined by weak enforcement, lack of resources and deeply entrenched patriarchal gender norms.

Violence, often targeted at women, regularly accompanies domestic rugby league contests in PNG. The broadcast of high-stakes NRL fixtures have been linked to domestic and social violence, prompting police calls for broadcast bans.

However in recent years, the PNG government and the NRL have developed programs to address the issue.

Since 2013 the League Bilong Laif program – a sport-for-development initiative funded by the Australian and PNG governments and delivered by the NRL – has successfully created opportunities to reshape attitudes towards women and girls.

The NRL’s Voice Against Violence education program, delivered in partnership with PNG’s family and sexual violence action committee, is also helping young women and men take action against domestic violence.

In January, the PNG Rugby Football League announced a gender strategy, marking the first time a national rugby league federation worldwide has adopted such a comprehensive equality framework. It seeks to drive progress for women and girls in four areas: participation (including coaching), leadership, visibility (including media) and safe and respectful environments.

How a women’s team could help

PNG’s national women’s team, the Orchids, made their World Cup debut in 2017. It marked a watershed moment for women’s rugby league in the country and initiated significant shifts in gendered mindsets.

It prompted Marape to say: “ten years ago, it would not have been possible to see parents allowing their girls to play – that stereotype has been broken now”.

Sport won’t end gender-based violence on its own. But it shapes identities and social norms, making it a powerful platform for challenging gender stereotypes and advancing respect and equality.

A PNG NRLW team would place women at the centre of a cultural space traditionally dominated by men, both materially and symbolically. It would elevate their visibility, status and value within one of the nation’s most influential social institutions.

Former PNG men’s rugby league captain David Mead has urged prioritisation of the women’s game:

It’s a nation that’s still developing in terms of the way the role of the woman is seen. You get an NRLW team from PNG, that whole perception, the whole cultural shift occurs much faster.

This shift can include women competing in a physically demanding contact sport, challenging stereotypes that women are unsuited to strength, toughness and athletic excellence.

Despite the potential for a PNG NRLW team to amplify these benefits nationwide, no firm commitment nor timeline for a women’s team has been announced.

Time to place women and girls at the centre

As PNG gets ready to co-host the 2026 rugby league World Cup with Australia and New Zealand – a tournament featuring both men’s and women’s teams – the country’s passion for the sport will be on full display.

But in a country grappling with entrenched gender inequality and despicable rates of gender-based violence, the case for women’s rugby league extends far beyond wins and losses on the field.

Much more needs to be done to ensure the agency, leadership and opportunities of women and girls in PNG are placed at the centre of development and nation-building efforts. A team in the NRLW could play a part and must happen sooner rather than later.
The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Tags: Academic Journalism, The Conversation, The Conversation Academic News