{"id":686729,"date":"2026-05-22T06:06:15","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:06:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/686729\/"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:06:15","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:06:15","slug":"png-chiefs-nrl-expansion-why-prime-minister-anthony-albanese-is-backing-tax-free-wages-for-players","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/686729\/","title":{"rendered":"PNG Chiefs NRL expansion: Why Prime Minister Anthony Albanese is backing tax-free wages for players"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The diehard South Sydney supporter and former Rabbitohs board member has seen a player from his own club \u2013 the game\u2019s all-time record try scorer, Alex Johnson<\/a> \u2013 also sign with the Chiefs for their entry to the NRL in 2028.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t feel anything other than happiness for him,\u201d Albanese said. \u201cThe truth is they\u2019re going over there, they\u2019ll live in a compound. There does need to be an incentive for that.<\/p>\n

\"AnthonyAnthony Albanese and PNG Prime Minister James Marape at Suncorp Stadium in 2022.Getty<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a decision that PNG have made because it\u2019s so important for them and when you think about aid, I can\u2019t think of any aid and assistance in our region in the Pacific \u2013 and we\u2019re part of the Pacific family \u2013 that will be more important than support for the PNG Chiefs.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watson, the Roosters utility, is the latest potential Chiefs recruit to visit PNG this week. He was shown around Port Moresby by club\u2019s chief executive Lorna McPherson last Sunday.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old is contracted to the Tricolours until the end of 2027 but has clearance from the club to explore other options and has been linked with a gap year at the Dragons next season if he chooses to join PNG, who will enter the competition in 2028.<\/p>\n

On Friday, it emerged the former State of Origin super sub had also attracted longer-term interest from the Tigers and another Sydney club, with meetings scheduled next week.<\/p>\n

\"ConnorConnor Watson visited Port Moresby on Sunday.Getty Images<\/p>\n

Watson\u2019s versatility could suit the Tigers, where he could play lock and also provide cover for hooker and co-captain Api Koroisau.<\/p>\n

While his acquisition would be another coup for PNG if he decides to take up an offer there, the action in the player market will intensify when the likes of Nathan Cleary become available to speak to other clubs including the Chiefs later this year.<\/p>\n

Speaking at the opening of St George Illawarra\u2019s new base in Wollongong, which was built with federal and state funding, Albanese said he had spoken to PNG counterpart James Marape about the Chiefs\u2019 signings to date.<\/p>\n

Related Article\"Treyvon<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAJ will be an enormous asset for them. [It\u2019s] a great way to end his career,\u201d he said. \u201cJarome Luai \u2026 I thought he spoke very well about why he\u2019s going. It\u2019s not just about money, it\u2019s about contribution and making a difference, and it will make a fantastic difference. I think it is a very positive thing and I thank all the clubs who essentially have got behind the concept.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Australian government said this month it was amending tax law to guarantee PNG tax exemptions for Chiefs players and staff and would lose $5.4 million in tax revenue over four years as a result.<\/p>\n

The government\u2019s backing of the new NRL team and rugby league development in PNG and other countries in the Pacific is aimed at deepening ties with Australia\u2019s nearest neighbour and warding off China\u2019s influence in the region.<\/p>\n

As the Chiefs continue their efforts to build a strong squad, general manager of football Michael Chammas has set off on a charm offensive in England, where six Kumuls internationals play for the London Broncos and Chiefs coach Willie Peters is based with Super League champions Hull KR.<\/p>\n

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\"ChrisChris Barrett<\/a> is a senior sports reporter for The Sydney Morning Herald. He is a former South-East Asia correspondent for the Herald and The Age.Connect via X<\/a> or email<\/a>.From our partners<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Save You have reached your maximum number of saved items. Remove items from your saved list to add…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":686730,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[568],"tags":[64,63,761,762,158,85],"class_list":["post-686729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nrl","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-national-rugby-league","tag-nationalrugbyleague","tag-nrl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=686729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/686729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/686730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=686729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=686729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=686729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}