Australia is to build three new modern armouries for the Papua New Guinea Defence Force, or PNGDF in a bid to improve security of military weapons.
Australia's Defence Minister Robert Hill said the new armouries would be a significant improvement on existing facilities.
He said rising levels of violence in the Southern Highlands were a serious concern and increasing numbers of military-style weapons in the region illustrate why such basic infrastructure is so important.
Senator Hill said the agreement on the new armouries, worth more than a million US dollars, was reached at a meeting this week with his PNG counterpart, the Defence Minister Kappa Yarka.
The news agency, the Australian Associated Press, reports the armouries will be constructed at Igam Barracks in Lae, at Moem Barracks in Wewak, and at the patrol boat base on Manus Island.
The armouries will be similar to three constructed for the PNGDF in Port Moresby earlier this year.