1. Sir William Jack Skate was a prominent Papua New Guinea politician.
21 Facts About Bill Skate
1. 2.
Bill Skate was the son of an Australian father and a Papua New Guinean mother.
3.
Bill Skate became manager of the capital district commission in 1987.
4.
Bill Skate was elected to parliament in 1992 and served as speaker from 1992 to 1994, supporting the government of Paias Wingti.
5.
Bill Skate served as governor of the National Capital District from 1995 to 1997.
6.
Bill Skate then formed a partnership with Pangu and the People's Progress Party.
7.
Bill Skate became prime minister on 22 July 1997, defeating the coalition of former Prime Minister Michael Somare.
8.
One tape purportedly showed Bill Skate authorizing bribes in a discussion with the Internal Affairs Minister.
9.
The second tape involves Bill Skate describing his personal involvement in a murder of a man who threatened his life.
10.
Bill Skate was appointed Leader of the Opposition from 1999 to 2001.
11.
In 2002, his political party the People's National Congress Party became a coalition partner in the government of Michael Somare and Bill Skate became Speaker of the National Parliament.
12.
Bill Skate was appointed acting governor-general in November 2003, a constitutional requirement when that office falls vacant.
13.
Pato Kakeraya was scheduled to take up the office on 20 January 2004, but Bill Skate continued to act in the office because of court challenges to Kakeraya's election.
14.
On 3 March 2004, Bill Skate was suspended as acting governor-general because of allegations that he misappropriated funds during the 1990s.
15.
Bill Skate then advised the Prime Minister to appoint a cabinet minister as acting governor-general.
16.
On 28 May 2004, Bill Skate ceased to be Speaker when the parliament elected a pro-government candidate, Jeffery Nape.
17.
The office of governor-general was still vacant at that stage, so Nape automatically succeeded Bill Skate as acting governor-general.
18.
Bill Skate was knighted in January 2005 for services to parliament, becoming Sir William Skate.
19.
Bill Skate died in hospital on 3 January 2006, in Brisbane, Australia, where he had been airlifted after suffering a stroke in late December 2005.
20.
Bill Skate's body was flown back to Port Moresby, accompanied by his wife Lady Rarua, and son William Jnr Skate.
21.
Bill Skate is buried in a graveyard on Independence Hill in Port Moresby.