A deal between Australia and Papua New Guinea to protect the Kokoda track is being touted as a step towards better diplomatic relations.
Under the deal Australia will provide 15 million dollars to help provide basic services to communities on the track and to get it heritage listed.
The PNG government yesterday said it had decided not to give Australian mining company, Frontier Resources, an exploration licence for a site near the track, as it signed a deal with Australia to protect the historic site.
Foreign minister Stephen Smith has told the ABC it's a good step forward.
“It’s a significant achievement so far as Kokoda is concerned, but also it marks effectively a new page in the relationship between Australia and PNG after it had faltered in the last few years.”
Australia has committed $14.9 million to improve the livelihoods of those near the proposed mine site, and help the early stages of getting the track listed as a world heritage site.
The Kokoda Track was the backbone of the defence of Australia from Japanese invasion during World War II, carrying troops and equipment across high mountain ranges between Port Moresby and the northern coast of PNG.
Hundreds of Australians died along it while repelling the Japanese advance.
