East Sepik Governor, Allan Bird has once again brought the floor of parliament back to its senses after delivering what might just be the most truthful remarks regarding a real time strategy to alleviating issues concerning Job creation and curbing the employment issues of the country. “I think it’s a big issue, we’ve spoken about it at length. But again, I regret to say we still have no firm strategy. Our population sits at around maybe 12 million, maybe 14 million. There are predictions that maybe in another 10 years the population will be around 20 million.” The Governor raised his concerns during the grievance debate in parliament. He said the debate on how many jobs that will be created will soon be more pronounced over the next 5-10 years. He said the government needs to come up with a strategy to work this out. “Now if that strategy involves diversifying the economy from the extractive sector, then we need to see that strategy. We need a team of people that are sitting down right now, constructing that particular strategy. “We need to have people vetting that strategy.” He went on to state that so far, in parliament despite many debates and discussions nothing much has happened in terms of formulating a plan to address this. Bird believes that this discussion should be one for the Ministerial Economic Committee as it cuts across a number of ministries. Governor bird mentioned that shifting blame onto previous governments will not help to resolve the issue and does not solve the problem. “Our young will remain unemployed and the long term unemployed are still unemployed. Until the jobs are actually created, the problem still remains. And we sit in this house and throw mud at each other, that doesn’t help.” “One government needs to take ownership of this particular problem.” The projected unemployment rate in Papua New Guinea remains unchanged at 2.80 percent in 2022 from 2.80 percent in 2021 and is expected to reach 2.50 percent by the end of 2023, according to Trading Economics global macro models and analyst’s expectations.

The Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary's (RPNGC) strive to strengthen professionalism, governance, accountability and transparency in the force, have launched their Drug and Alcohol Policy, which will see mandatory checks done on police personnel. Police Commissioner David Manning stated that after taking note of current situations that are being faced by the Constabulary and society, the executives of the Constabulary continue to look into areas where they can improve on. “This is not only limited to reforms because it is all about ensuring that we deliver a professional Police Force or service that is the pride of the country.” “The Drug and Alcohol Policy will go a long way in instilling confidence in our communities.” Commissioner Manning stated that this is to make sure that when the people interact with a member of the Police force, they are interacting with a member that is held to the highest professional standards and also able to demonstrate clear mind and portrays self-respect without the influence of illicit substances. He said this policy has been a long time coming and while there are existing public service regulations in relation to drug and alcohol abuse, this must be more articulated for police, considering the type of work that they are involved in and the level of public expectations. Manning went on to explain that the testing program seeks to identify those that are impaired by alcohol or prohibited substances whilst on or off duty. The Commissioner believes that this will allow the force to maintain high standards whilst on official duty.

The Internal Security Minister, Peter Tsiamalili Jnr has advised that as soon as the Domestic Terrorism Bill is enacted, the issue of possession of illegal high- powered weapons will be fully addressed. This was the response raised to queries from the Mendi-Munihu, Raphael Tonpi on how the ministry will be looking to regulate the number of illegal firearms in the Highlands region. Minister Tsiamalili stated that this is an important issue that many have noted in recent times and in addressing this the police force has taken note of this and have captured this in the Domestic Terrorism Bill. “It will go before Parliament, so that it will give us teeth in regulating and enforcing the procurement of these illegal firearms.” He stated that the Bill has already been completed and is being put through the process in Cabinet before tabling to parliament. The Minister added that it will allow police force at any one time to have access to anyone that the police deem to be a threat and that is facilitating firearms, regardless of their status. The minister alluded that many of those that have access to these illegal firearms have access to funds and can acquire them at any time. “So, this act, when it comes into action, I now put everyone on notice that it will hone down on those that have access to funds because those that have access to funds, are the only ones that can pay for such high-powered expensive firearms.”

Polling in Wewak will close today following its commencement on Tuesday and so far, things have been peaceful. The Returning Officer for the Wewak Open By-Election, James Piapia told PNG HAUSBUNG that so far everything has been running smoothly with nil incidents over the past 3 weeks. He said the only issue being faced by the team in Wewak is a shortage of fuel. This has been a major hurdle that they are looking to address as they have teams that are actively moving from the mainland to polling sites on the 4 outer islands of Muschu, Koil, Kairuru and Tarawai but otherwise all is well in Wewak. “We just sent them (Polling Teams) in, so we are waiting and expecting some more fuel.” Mr. Piapia stated that today will see the close of polling and counting will commence as soon as all ballot boxes return to the counting area at the Provincial Administration Building. He said in terms of security for the latter part of the By-Elections, there are enough security personnel on the ground in the province to cater for that. “We have enough security personnel; we have all the Police backing with commanders in 6 Local Level Governments in the District and the Defense and Correctional Services personnel as well.” He said they are all on site and is thankful for the support shown by all.

International footy is back in the country and after almost pulling a fast one on the Australian Prime Minister’s XIII, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) team will be looking to prove a point as they named their strongest side in preparations for the Pacific Championships. The Papua New Guinea Rugby League (PNGRFL) Chief Executive Officer, Mr. Stanley Hondina together with PNG LNG Kumuls Chairman, Wapu Sonk and the newly appointed Chairlady for the Santos PNG Orchids, Celestine Ove, in a statement, announced the 21-person squads for the upcoming Pacific Championships this October – November. PNG will participate with the PNG LNG Kumuls and the Santos PNG Orchids, playing matches in Port Moresby. On paper, the team looks strong, but will they be able to replicate the intensity shown in the Prime Minister’s XIII match. Head Coach Justin Holbrook of the PNG LNG Kumuls will be taking charge of a mixture of overseas and home-based players, with a number of them coming from the NRL. Returning to take up positions in the Kumuls squad sees Edwin Ipape (Leigh Leopards) alongside Wellington Albert (London Broncos). Rhyse Martin also returns to the helm as captain, along with Alex Johnston, Dan Russell, with Judah Rimbu, Junior Rop and Valentine Richard getting the nod. One shocking inclusion into the team, NRL and former New South Wales Origin player, Jack De Belin has put his hand up to represent PNG, the news sending shockwaves throughout the Rugby League Fraternity. De Belin is no stranger to coach Justin Holbrook, the latter having coached De Belin in the under 20’s prior to making it into the big league. Here is the 21-man train on squad for the Pacific Championships. 1 Alex Johnston- South Sydney Rabbitoh 2 Benji Kot- PNG Hunters 3 Dan Russell- St. George Illawarra Dragons 4 Edwin Ipape- Leigh Leopards 5 Epel Kapinias- PNG Hunters 6 Jack De Belin- St. George Illawarra Dragons 7 Jacob Alick- Gold Coast Titans 8 Judah Rimbu- PNG Hunters 9 Junior Rop- PNG Hunters 10 Justin Olam- Melbourne Storm 11 Kyle Laybutt- Townsville Blackhawks 12 Lachlan Lam- Leigh Leopards 13 Liam Horne- Castleford Tigers 14 Nene Macdonald- Leeds Rhinos 15 Nixon Putt- Castleford Tigers 16 Rhyse Martin- Leeds Rhinos 17 Robert Derby- North Queensland Cowboys 18 Rodrick Tai- PNG Hunters 19 Valentine Richard- Central QLD Capras 20 Wellington Albert- London Broncos 21 Zac Laybutt- North Queensland Cowboys

The Police Commissioner, David Manning has advised that the draft Domestic Terrorism Bill is ready and will soon be undergoing the parliamentary review process before tabling in parliament. The Commissioner stated that everything is set and ready to go, as they wait upon Internal Security Minister, Peter Tsiamalili Jnr to present it on the floor of parliament. “The final draft is all done, we’ve handed it over to the minister. It will be going through the cabinet before it comes to Parliament.” Apart from the draft Domestic-Terrorism Bill, the Royal Papua New Guinea (RPNGC) has also been working on reviewing the Police Act. Commissioner Manning told PNG HAUSBUNG that they have started drafting out the Powers and Obligations Bill, something he has faith in that will allow members of the constabulary to not only act lawfully but also to ensure that they do their jobs. “This is to ensure that they do their jobs demanded under the act. It’s part of our plan to become an effective and responsive police force.” He stated that the Powers and Obligations paper not only protects members of the Police Force, but also demands that they act professionally when out on duty. He added that it’s something that has not been done before in the Force, stating that as the country develops, police must be in a position to be able to respond. “It would be very beneficial to all stakeholders including members of the force that we have an Act that stipulates what we can and can’t do by law, and also demands that when we need to do something, our people and stakeholders have confidence in what we are expected to do.” Commissioner Manning said this is a very significant reform for the RPNGC.

Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey, after meeting with the head of the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), has stated that MCC can provide the country with hundreds of millions in grants, but pending a stringent pre-qualification process. Ling Stuckey stated that he had the pleasure of meeting the head of the MCC, Alison Allbright, during his recent visit to Washington, this led to another meeting, with members of her team including Managing Director Daniel Bĺarnes, on the details of accessing the program. “This is all part of the innovative Marape-Rosso Targeted Grants Strategy (TGS), where we are seeking to move from loans to more and more grants to support PNG’s own economic reform program.” He said the MCC pre-qualification process is a demanding one and at the moment the country is a long way from qualifying. The treasurer advised that it would take several years to improve on enough indicators to get access to the potentially large grants available. “If we do qualify for a “compact” program, there will be a PNG committee formed to administer the grants under MCC guidelines. Projects will be based on an assessment of how best to support PNG’s economic growth.” He added that any funded projects must go through a rigorous cost-benefit analysis, where competitive international procurement will be required. A process he believes to be elements of good governance. “While it may be several years away, it is important to fully understand the options and begin the journey now. Development is a long and hard process for better jobs and incomes.” Ling Stuckey added that partners such as MCC could assist, and the country also wants to move more towards grants and away from loans. “This is especially the case as we start repaying our debt from 2027 when our budget is planned to return to a budget surplus.”

The Nakanai District Authority (DA) in the West New Britain province has been working to ensure that the people are ready and aware of what might occur should the activity continue, following months of volcanic activity on the Mt. Ulawun volcano. The DA Chief Executive Officer (CEO), William Augustine when speaking to PNG HAUSBUNG stated that it has spewed light moderate ash and continues to glow, but he has cleared rumors of an eruption, saying that it is due to pressure build up in the volcano. “So those pictures circulating on social media, it’s just a glow due to the pressure of the magma built up in the volcano.” He said these are some of the signs of the volcanic activity in the volcano. He said according to Real time Seismic activity Measurements (RSM), these are showing concerning signs. The West New Britain Provincial Disaster Team has been monitoring the mountain closely for two months and reporting back to the DA, along with the Rabaul Volcano Observatory. “At this stage we are just doing awareness and preparations for communities surrounding the area.” The Volcano has been declared stage 2, pushing all stakeholders to be on high alert at this time.

Panthers superstar Nathan Cleary has produced the finest performance of his career to lead the premiers to a remarkable 26-24 triumph over the Broncos in an epic decider at Accor Stadium. Trailing by 16 points after an Ezra Mam hat-trick had put the Broncos on track for glory, Cleary took the game by the scruff of the neck to ensure the Panthers would emulate the Eels of 1981-82-83 with a three-peat. Cleary put Moses Leota over for a try with 17 minutes to play and then came up with a 40-20 before scoring the final try in the 77th minute to leave the Broncos shell-shocked and the Panthers faithful in raptures. In a frantic opening it was Broncos centre Herbie Farnworth coming up with an early error to hand the Panthers field position but a brilliant bomb defusal by Kotoni Staggs helped his team come away. Broncos hooker Billy Walters then produced a mammoth 40-20 kick out of dummy half but the opportunity was lost when the ball was spun left and Jesse Arthars slipped and went into touch. When Selwyn Cobbo dropped the ball deep in his own territory the Broncos again found themselves under the pump but their defence again stood strong until a poor play-the-ball by Staggs in the 16th minute invited the Panthers into the red zone and first points followed in bizarre fashion. A short dropout by Adam Reynolds in the 18th minute was batted back by Farnworth and rather than his Broncos teammates collecting the ball it was Panthers hooker Mitch Kenny who pounced for his first try of the season. Stephen Crichton converted to give the premiers a 6-0 lead. When Reece Walsh was caught in goal and Reynolds' dropout failed to go 10 metres, the Panthers extended their lead to 8-0 courtesy of a Cleary penalty goal. Come the 39th minute and the Broncos struck back when Thomas Flegler powered over from close range having only returned to the field three minutes after passing a head injury assessment. Reynolds converted to make the half-time score 8-6 to the Panthers. On the back of a couple of enormous charges from Flegler the Broncos made the ideal start to the second half when Ezra Mam split the Panthers open and raced 50 metres to score wide out. Reynolds converted to give the Broncos a 12-8 lead. After Panthers five-eighth Jarome Luai left the field holding his shoulder in the 52nd minute the Broncos extended their lead through a second try for Mam, who put some fancy footwork on Isaah Yeo and Cleary and raced away to make it 18-8 to Kevin Walters' men. Two minutes later Mam had a hat-trick after Reece Walsh sliced through and found the No.6 in support as the Broncos turned the game on its head with a stunning burst. Trailing by 16 points the Panthers hit back when Cleary found a hole and set up Leota for a try in the 63rd minute before the champion No.7 came up with a 40-20 to set up another opportunity but a superb last-ditch tackle by Kobe Hetherington on Leota kept Brisbane's line intact. A mistake by Pat Carrigan then opened the door for the Panthers again and Crichton made it four tries in four consecutive grand finals and the premiers were back in business, trailing 24-20. When Reynolds put a dropout out on the full in the 72nd minute the Panthers had a shot at levelling up but Cobbo plucked a Crichton kick out of the air and the danger was averted. With the crowd of 81,947 at fever pitch the Panthers remarkably hit the front 26-24 when Cleary took the line on from 10 metres out and put the ball down for the four-pointer that capped the greatest night of his career. The Panthers' comeback from 16 points down was the biggest in grand final history, eclipsing the Storm's effort to come from 14-0 down to win the 1999 decider against the Dragons.   Source: NRL.com

In collaboration with the University of Papua New Guinea’s Human Resource and Management strand, the Bank South Pacific Financial Group ltd has put forward K10, 000 towards the funding and hosting of the Strands annual Human Resource Day Celebrations. This is the second consecutive year in which BSP has come forward to assist the strand. Last year they also donated the same amount, with the students getting an opportunity to meet then BSP CEO, Robin Flemming and to ask questions. Acting Executive Dean of the UPNG School of Business & Public Policy, Dr Lawrence Sause thanked BSP for their kind donation, stating that this will go a long way and expressed great appreciation to the BSP team. “The HR division is a very vibrant division. They have the students and staff HR Day, and they hold it every year religiously.” “They are one of the very active divisions that we have and the assistance that you give will go a long way in supporting our students,” Sause said. Meantime, Head of Department for the HRM strand Mr. Raymond John stated that the annual HR Day is an extracurricular student activity organized by the HRM student chapter and staff that brings the students together to showcase what they have learnt during their lectures. These activities range from Student Debates to Q&A’s and panel Discussions which sees invited guests share experiences, thoughts and self-reflection on the different topics pertaining to the Strand. “It is a very interesting day. The theme for this year is centered around Generative Artificial Intelligence [AI] and the impact that this technology will have on HR,” Mr John stated. Mr John added that the HR Department believes that this is a HR issue, hence they have selected this to be their theme and hopefully the students will gain insight on the pros and cons of AI.

In commemoration of International day for Universal Access to Information, Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) alongside the UNDP PNG Anti-Corruption Project co-hosted a discussion on progressing the Right to Information Policy and legislation in PNG with the theme, the "Importance of the Online space for Access to Information." The roundtable enabled representatives from DICT, PNG Open Government Partnership Secretariat, Media Council of PNG, UNDP and TIPNG to discuss the status of accessing public information and also how to overcome challenges that may impact the development of the Right to Information Policy and Law. The following commitments were made during the roundtable discussion: · Department of Information and Communication Technology will commence public regional consultation on the draft National RTI Policy in October 2023 with the support of UNDP. · Once the consultation is completed and feedback is incorporated, the Department of ICT aims to finalize the policy for cabinet endorsement in Quarter 4 of 2023. · Following the development of the Policy, the Government is committed to commence drafting of RTI Legislation for Papua New Guinea in Quarter 1 of 2024. According to the discussion, the Right to Information (RTI) can be defined as the right of all persons to access information held by public bodies. It is also referred to as “the right to know “, “Freedom of Information” or “Access to Information.” Right to Information reflects the principle that all information – except some justified examples such as privacy, national security, or harm to the public interest - held by governments and other public institutions, is public information and should be available to the public. Equal and Universal Access to Information is essential to promote human rights and dignity, eradicate poverty, and build inclusive knowledge societies. The International Day for Universal Access to Information aims at spreading awareness concerning the need to expand laws related to information and their actual implementation. The expansion of these laws helps in building inclusive institutions to access the world. To date, 129 countries have access to information laws (or freedom of information laws) and over 50 constitutions worldwide recognize this as a right, along with much jurisprudence confirming it. Papua New Guineans are guaranteed “reasonable access to official documents” under Section 51 of the National Constitution, which also calls for provision to “be made by law to establish procedures by which citizens may obtain ready access to official information.” This constitutional right to Freedom of Information, is also supported by international, regional, and domestic commitments made by the Government of PNG to enact a Right to Information (RTI) Law, most notably through the Open Government Partnership (OGP) process.

The need to strengthen an economic relationship with the “World’s largest economy is the aim of the Government. This is according to Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey. He stated that the United States economy is the largest in the world, valued at $US26,854 billion in 2023 according to the latest IMF figures. This means that PNG must build good economic relations with the US to maximize the chances of trade opportunities, investment, and jobs for our people. “However, this is still only about one-fifth the size of either the US or China. These are the fundamental facts.” “The US economy is still the largest in the world and is likely to hold this lead role until the early 2030s. “This was a key theme of our government team’s visit to the US this week.” “There remains much that can be done to strengthen our economic relationship with the United States.” “PNG’s trade patterns with the United States are relatively small.” The Treasurer stated that based on the latest United Nations data, PNG’s exports to the US were only US93 million in 2022, while imports totalled US129 million. This is much smaller than the country’s exports to Australia of US4,034 million, and imports from Australia of US1,762 million, despite the Australian economy at US1,797 million being less than one-tenth of the US economy. PNG’s trade linkages are much stronger with other countries also, such as Japan and China. “These trade data highlight just one example where some hard work and strategic alignment could dramatically grow these economic linkages.” He added that better economic relations with the world’s largest economy would be good for incomes and jobs in PNG, and this is why we travel to meet US leaders to help build these relationships.