Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has reminded foreign media that held perceptions against PNG about its lack of female representation in Parliament cannot be accepted as slow progress. Mr Marape responded to a question from the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that despite the election of Rufina Peter as Central Province Governor, it was still very low. He said it took Australia 40 years to elect the first female into the Australian Parliament and its federation. Australia had its federation in 1901 and the first female elected to Parliament was in 1943 when Dame Enid Lyons was elected to the House of Representatives and Dorothy Tangney was elected to the Senate. For PNG, Mr Marape said it took three years for women to be in Parliament and that is a statement that women were recognized as leaders in the matrilineal communities and in modern democracy his government will support females to enter Parliament through the normal election process. He said there will be no res