Borderline health: complexities of the Torres Strait treaty

Self-interest and global responsibility create a public health balancing act

The treaty between Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) referred to as the “Torres Strait treaty” entered into force in February 1985.1 The treaty’s purpose is to provide certainty of the sovereignty and maritime boundaries between the two countries, including in the Torres Strait, where there are over 200 islands. The three major inhabited Australian islands of Boigu, Dauan and Saibai are situated several kilometres off the coast of the South Fly District of PNG’s Western Province (Box 1).2