What criteria should be used to include or exclude particular topics within a country's science curriculum? It will be argued here that gold/gold mining is a suitable and relevant topic for inclusion in PNG's science curricula and suggestions towards achieving that end will be offered. The teaching of the mining of copper ore and the metal's extraction are already a well established feature of the science curriculum being taught at Grade 10 and Grade 11. Amongst the reasons for the inclusion of copper were that it was considered to be an appropriate introduction to chemical technology and that it had major economic importance. Other advantages are that there are a wide variety of experiments that can be carried out using copper and its compounds in school laboratories and at least some of its chemistry is relatively straightforward. In Australian chemistry curricula a little knowledge of industrial chemistry is now required of students, whilst many years ago industrial chemistry made up a considerable proportion of the curriculum. In this context a unit on gold and gold mining might well be a sensible choice at Grade 10 or 11 levels in Papua New Guinea to extend the pupils' knowledge and understanding of the interactions between science, technology and society. Practical work based on the extraction of gold or the chemistry of gold is limited mainly due to its high cost. However the possibilities of school visits to gold mines are greater because there are increasing numbers of gold mines operating. The links between gold mining, society and technology are particularly strong, so there is a good case for the inclusion of unit on the industrial chemistry of gold in PNG curricula. (Contains 2 figures.) [This article has been published as: Palmer, W. P. (1989). Gold Mining in Papua New Guinea: A Curricular Omission?, "The Journal of the Science Teacher Association of the Northern Territory," Volume 10 (1989-1990), pp. 10-18.]