The Opposition Leader, Joseph Lelang, has opposed the Government’s decision to amend the country’s Climate Change Act, saying that the changes are not suitable for the country. Mr. Lelang said amending sections 38 and 39 of the Act to impose a levy or tax on fuel and carbon-content products coming into the country will definitely create worse problems for the people. He said inflation will kill off the small sectors; in fact, many have now closed their doors. Lelang said the importance of Climate Change and its effects cannot be denied, citing the affected marine provinces and parts of the highlands; however, the context of the bill is not suited to Papua New Guinea (PNG) and its people. The Opposition Leader said the Amendment applies to countries under Annex 1, and under this category are countries that are the major polluters in the environment. That is why Lelang said that these amendments are not appropriate for PNG because PNG is home to the third largest rainforest in the world and produces nil green gas emissions and isn’t included in the Annex 1 group.

Nawaeb MP Theo Pelgen has been appointed the Chairman of the new Parliamentary Committee, called “Ease of Doing Business in PNG”. The National Government made the decision to create a new Parliamentary Committee in Parliament on Wednesday; a decision well received by the Nawaeb MP. In response to the Leader of Government Business Hon Renbo Paita, MP Pelgen stated that he is greatly honoured to be appointed as Parliamentary Chairman of the Ease of Doing Business in PNG Parliamentary Committee. “It would be my pleasure to oversee the proposed Parliamentary Committee on Ease of Doing Business in PNG as the Chairman.” “I am committed to leading this committee with dedication and diligence, and I look forward to working collaboratively with my fellow committee members to identify and address the challenges faced by businesses in our country.” MP Pelgen said the committee will strive to create a more conducive environment for businesses to thrive, promote economic growth and improve the livelihoods of citizens. “I appeal to the businesses and leaders in the industry that the committee will be setting up a secretariat so that they can easily liaise with them.” “Also foreign missions are requested to work closely with the committee and its secretariat so that they become a bridge to link businesses for their respective countries they are located in.” MP Pelgen applauded the Marape/Rosso Government for its wisdom and further reiterated that the private sector must be given the opportunity in this space if we are to create one million jobs by 2027 as indicated in GoPNGs MTDP 4. “Resource Sector Investment and downstream processing will take center stage in the committee’s drive to pursue in legislations to ensure the Ease of Doing Business in PNG.” Ease of Doing Business in PNG Committee members include: 1. Chairman Theo Pelgen (Nawaeb MP) 2. Deputy Chairman Francis Alua (Karamui-Nomane MP) 3. Maso Hewabi (Middle Fly Open MP) 4. David Arore (Ijivitari MP) 5. Marsh Narawec (Wau/Waria MP) 6. Simon. Sia (EHP Governor) 7. Noah Kool (Simbu Governor) “Together the committee members all bring a wealth of experience to the table to work cohesively for the people.”

Despite a short but hectic season, Goldie Warriors Under-20 Division boys managed to finish second on the ladder after the final round and will be in a face-off against the Southern Chiefs U20 Division who finished first on the ladder. As the last weekend of games winded down for the NCDRU community last weekend, some teams walked away victoriously while others humbly bowed out of the competition. Coach Boaz Kitoro said he was proud of the boys and happy for them as this is the first time since the team joined the Competition that the U20 division has made it into the Grand Final in the coming weekend. “The boys will rest on Monday and Tuesday we’ll commence training in preps for the weekend." "The boys will also go into camp on Friday." Kitoro added that the team was made up of the Goldie officer’s children and some of the officers as well that play with the team’s A Grade Division. Despite living all the way up at Goldie, they manage to make it down for games during the weekends. “Most of the boys grew up together in the barracks and most of them had been influenced by the wrong things so some of the big boys and I talked to them and managed to change some of their ways.” “The previous seasons, the A grade division was the only division that always made it to the finals but this season, we encouraged and pushed the smaller boys to work hard and do better and I’m happy that they’re finally into the finals.” He also added that they were lacking in some areas but would work on these areas as well as work on perfecting the areas in with some improvement during training this week. “We are lacking in our scrum because we have light forwards, they all go to high school or primary school." "We just need to work on holding and winning the scrums." “We have improved in our line outs, running in our pods, the boys used to always run everywhere but now they’re playing some structure in their games and our backline as well in running their set plays.” Meanwhile the boys from Goldie are looking forward to the Grand Final this coming weekend and are already look to up the standard of the game and help the NCDRU community to grow Grassroots rugby in the coming years and added a word of appreciation to the NCDRU community for helping to keep the boys busy during the season. “Thank you for running this competition and helping to keep the youths [of Goldie Barracks] out of trouble and busy during the weekends.” “We’re looking forward to the rugby season next year as we plan on developing the code in their players as well. "We see that NCDRU is running a really good grassroots competition.”

Housing is a basic human right and despite people having the financial capability to build decent homes, however, there is still not enough land available for housing development. These were the sentiments expressed by the National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop, in response to the affairs of the National Housing Corporation (NHC) that was presented by Minister Dr Kobby Bomareo on the floor of Parliament in yesterday’s sitting. Governor Parkop explained that this situation has given rise to unplanned developments, not just in the National Capital District, but other urban centers; a situation that has fast become a major national problem. He offered up a solution that can counter this problem, through granting people security of tenure of land. Governor Parkop has now tasked the National Government through NCD & the Department of Lands & Physical Planning, to unlock unused land tenures around the country. "Lack of security of tenure is contributing to lots of unplanned and poor development in our towns and cities country-wide.” Since Independence, Governor Parkop explained that the NHC has stopped investing in creating new suburbs with housing development and the current suburbs in Gerehu, Rainbow, Waigani, Hohola, Korobosea, Tokarara, and East Boroko were developed during the pre-independence era. As the population grows and the city expands, Governor Parkop said vacant state lands must be freed up to settlers, public servants, individuals, and corporate citizens with the financial capacity to develop them. He also raised the concern that idle land means a loss of revenue for PNG Power Limited, Water PNG, the Lands Department, and NCDC. “NCDC does not have powers over land matters, so it only builds new roads to free up land while increasing its monetary value.” Governor Parkop called on NHC and other housing developers to partner with NCDC and other utility service providers to invest in roads, power, water, and sewerage to make house prices affordable. “Investments must be made in apartments due to land shortage in the urban cities.” Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Minister John Rosso commended Governor Parkop and Moresby North-East MP Hon. John Kaupa for being solution-oriented leaders in the housing and lands space.

A young woman from Goroka has made a bold move to open a market gap in reselling oyster mushrooms grown in Jun’cao grass in the city to assist her local people in the Eastern Highlands Province. Mushroom growing in Papua New Guinea began in 2019 when Agricultural specialists from East China’s Fujian province arrived in Goroka to administer growing rice and mushroom with Jun’cao grass and this is why Eastern Highlands Province have a growing number of Mushroom farmers. Georgina Karani, is a 28-year old recent graduate from the Institute of Business Studies University with a Bachelor in Economics. Karani who started her business to create a larger market scale for the local mushroom farmers in Goroka by purchasing their produce for reselling, said that it has been a tough journey for her. “The market is quite tough because a majority of people in PNG don’t really know how to prepare or eat mushrooms, but I’m getting there.” “I think more citizens need to be educated about the health benefits that come with consuming mushrooms.” Karani told PNG HAUSBUNG that people were reluctant when it came to purchasing mushrooms partly because they did not know how to cook it as well as the lack or little to no knowledge about the benefits of mushroom consumption in PNG. “I’m trying to help local growers sell their produce in the city." "There are a lot of mushroom farmers in Goroka with nowhere to sell their produce and people don’t realize that you can benefit financially and healthily.” According to Google research, oyster mushrooms are a good source of fiber, protein and a variety of vitamins and minerals and it can boost Vitamin D levels, help maintain blood pressure, boosts bone mineral density and may also prevent anemia as well. [caption id="attachment_46213" align="aligncenter" width="1280"] Jun'Cao Mushrooms For Sale[/caption] She added that since she started her small business in August, she has managed to do four sales already and is currently on her fifth sale with her client base only involving her family and friends as well as patients who have recognized the health benefits of including mushrooms in their diet. Karani stated that she was working on building her network of clients especially here in the city to expand and grow her business to further support her local people. “I’m still looking for network to expand this small business to get clients from outside that’s why I started putting up flyers on social media.” Georgina further said that in June, she attended the Jun’cao project in China sponsored by the Chinese Government that focused on educating participants on the breeding and farming of mushrooms as well as knowing the health benefits that came with including mushrooms in human diets. She also said that she aims to get more customers through more advertising and awareness to expose her business despite the costly expenses. “Despite dealing with the high freight costs, I have managed to make profitable sales and I am currently working on setting up a mushroom reselling base here in Port Moresby as well.” Meanwhile Karani is selling the packed mushrooms for single purchase at K25 and K65/kilo for retailers who wish to purchase in bulk. Interested buyers can contact her on 7258 4508 to place an order and help a young woman help her people.

Wabag Town will come alive for the Second Annual Take Pii Festival and Eco-tourism Conservation Exhibition, starting tomorrow, the 11th to the 13th of October at Kopen Village, located just outside of the township. This Festival is an opportunity for the people to celebrate their unique cultures, showcase tourism products and services to show goers that will include both domestic and international tourists. This Second Cultural Festival will coincide with the Official Opening of Haus Man (Traditional Engan Men’s House) as well as a Cultural Research Center, that will be used to showcase cultural objects/artifacts and other tourism products. The Chairman of this Cultural Show, explained the significance of it. “The cultural festival has three objectives, is to facilitate access for all to culture, promote cultural diversity and foster independent thinking in young people towards culture, 18-year-olds in particular.” The Kopen Take Pii Cultural Festival boasts a uniqueness, as there will be a lot of demonstrations, alongside the displays of cultural and tourism products. I t is also expected to enhance socio-economic activities, curb escalating law & order issues, address Gender Based Violence, Inclusivity, Disabilities and other forms of Discriminations in the community. The organizers are encouraging the youth in the area, to actively participate in these activities to create an enabling and conducive environment. Enga Governor Sir Peter Ipatas, National Cultural Commission, PNG Tourism Promotion Authority and other relevant stakeholders will be in attendance to the cultural festival and eco-tourism exhibition. The hosting of the festival is to implement National Cultural Commission’s Cultural Policy 2022-2032 which aims to protect, preserve and promote indigenous cultural resources which are on the verge of phasing out due to Western influences. “On this note, I thank Enga Provincial Government, NCC, PNGTPA and other development partners and stakeholders for supporting such cultural festival,” Mr. Lale said. The 3 day show will begin with the opening of the Cultural Research Center and will feature traditional singsing, counting, sports, courtship, eco-tourism conservation and bilum exhibition, rituals, crafts, sand painting and string band performances.

Following a 6.7 magnitude earthquake in Madang on the 7th of October, the Modilon General Hospital recorded five patients that were rushed to the Accident and Emergency Department. Modilon A&E Doctor Michael Kuri reported that all five cases had incurred injuries from the earthquake that occurred and came in from different parts of Madang town. “We had received five cases come in to the A&E after the earthquake that occurred over the weekend from all across Madang Town." He stated that two of these five patients sustained broken bones in their lower limbs and had to be admitted to the hospital emergency wards to be under observation while three of these patients only suffered from soft tissue injuries that were treated with antibiotics and painkillers and sent home. According to Dr. Kuri there has not been any emergency cases reported in the last 48hours since the earthquake. He also added that Health Authorities in Madang were working on establishing the number of cases or injuries that were sustained in areas in and around the epicenter due to the remoteness of the epicenter. "Authorities were sent to the areas located in and around the epicenter and we are currently awaiting an updates on the situation in the area because some of the places are remote and establishing communication is a real struggle.” Kuri also mentioned that a few of the older infrastructural buildings of the hospital were affected by the earthquake and that the appropriate authorities were working on the completion of assessment report. Meanwhile Dr. Kuri stated that Power supply was and is still an issue especially in the Hospital. The hospital according to Dr. Kuri relied heavily on the stand-by generator and managed to use up close to an estimate of K7, 000 worth of fuel over the weekend alone. “About 60% of the power is back in Madang and we are a part of that percentage but we are still experiencing blackouts and continue to use the stand-by generator for our operations during these times.”

Gordons Secondary School today joined 76, 571 Grade 10 students nationwide to sit for the National Exams. 369 grade 10 students at Gordons Secondary sat for their Mathematics and Personal Development papers today. 139 male and 230 female grade 10’s were spanned over 18 classrooms to provide space and comfort for students and to minimize cheating during exams. The Department of Education (DOE) has carried out official checkups to all secondary school to minimize tempering of exam papers. DOE officials will be monitoring schools for maximizing proper conduct during examination. La Salle Technical School’s subject teacher Mrs. Cindy Larry was chosen among another to invigilate grade 10 students of GSS this year. Gordons Secondary School Principal Mr. George Wek Kenega stressed his concerned about space but was pleased with outcome proceeding. “Grade 9 student will work from home, while our grade 10 students use their classrooms for the one-week exams.” “With 10 grade 10 classrooms and 8 grade 9 classrooms, the exams will proceed in the 18 classrooms.” Gordons Secondary School is known for accommodating students from the Port Moresby Institute of Matriculation Studies yearly for the examinations but have been unable to assist this year due to space issues. Mr. Kenega added his belief that the new upcoming hall will strengthen the school’s ability to accommodate more student during these national exams. The one-week exam will consist of 11 exams, 6 compulsory and 4 streamed exams with morning and afternoon session. Even though Gordons Secondary School lacks proper infrastructure to teach agriculture, agriculture exam though scheduled will be excluded. The exam schedule will proceed as follows. Monday | Mathematics and Personal Development Tuesday | Social Science and Arts Students Wednesday | Sciences and Practical Skill & Home Economics Thursday | Business Studies and Computer studies (and Agriculture) Friday | English

“Lack of Good Governance is one of the main contributing factor of corruption – and why Papua New Guinea is below the satisfactory levels set by the United Nations.” This was remarked by the Minister for Climate Change, Environment and Conservation Simo Kilepa, when he is opened a 4-day awareness, testing and familiarization of the Bilum Platform, for sub-national administrations from Eastern Highlands, Simbu and Jiwaka in Goroka. The Bilum Platform initiative was built by incorporating the governance framework of the service improvement program (SIP), at the both the Provincial & District Levels (PSIP & DSIP) to ensure & maintain compliance. “I perceived that this Bilum Digital Platform will aid effective monitoring, evaluation and reporting of the SIP funds. All of this is part of good governance and to address abuse and mismanagement of development SIP funds.” The Bilum Platform will be introduced by the Department of Implementation and Rural Development (DIRD) and is said to strengthen accountability, transparency and ultimately improve service delivery for our rural majority. “The Bilum Digital Platform has the capacity to report on other development programs like Public Investment Programs, Section 119 and Section 114 reports though we have jurisdictional boundaries that guide these reports.” He said over the years, SIP had done wonders in some provinces and districts but there was no visibility of impact development and service delivery for others. He said the Government of PNG in its quest to improve good governance initiated countless legislative and structural reforms, but all these initiatives need real time data to make appropriate decisions and to assess if these reforms are working or not. “Bilum Digital Platform is leading in this space to capture the development and service delivery data across the 22 provinces and 96 districts, and I think that it will be the second biggest Integrated Information Management System to Integrated Financial Management System- IFMS in this country.” The Minister said DIRD Bilum Digital Platform promises to be the cornerstone for the future National Monitoring Authority under Medium Term Development Plan 4. Mr. Kilepa further added that the role of DIRD in overseeing, coordinating, and reporting the GoPNG’s policies and priority programs, specifically SIP, is no small feat but they’ve understood the challenges and are not acting upon these challenges through collaboration with stakeholders. The Digital Platform Reporting system is funded by the GoPNG and Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs & Trade.

Given the demand for access to clean and safe water, and proper sewerage services in Rabaul town in East New Britain province, Water PNG plans to conduct a major overhaul of the current water reticulation system. PNG Water Board Chairman Aiwa Oimi and his technical team met with the Rabaul Community and Business Council (RCBC), ENB provincial government and Rabaul District officials recently at the Rabaul Hotel and did a presentation on the state of Water PNG maintenance and improvement of services in Rabaul. He told the gathering that with Rabaul being one of the attractive tourist and investment destinations, tourists and investors may want to come but on the condition that there is a quality water and sewerage system. Mr. Oimi was pleased with the RCBC for coming forward and putting Water PNG in contact with government authorities in Rabaul to chart the way forward. “The business community is powerful, you have to guide and tell your leaders that Water PNG can assist, but we need the initial capital from your leaders while we can top up from our end, to do the job,” he said. Mr. Oimi said discussions have begun with a driller to look at various sites in Rabaul. Meantime, the Chief Operation officer Mr. Kenneth Zale, when explaining more on the upgrade plans said a second bore will be constructed to improve the water supply system in Rabaul as currently there is only one water reservoir at Red Light section in town, which is the lifeline for Rabaul. “Right now, we have a 723-kiloliter tank but looking at upgrading to 900 kiloliters to meet the demand,” Mr. Zale said. “Our technical team have been liaising with the Mineral Resources Authority (MRA) to do ground water investigation to find out where the water is before we start drilling. But before that can happen, we are aware there are couple of abandoned bores lying along Wester Street and following brief discussions with the provincial government and plan going forward is to investigate those bores first,” Mr. Zale said. He said unfortunately with the aging reticulation with old pipes also buried 10 meters underground due to volcanic ash build-up, 41 percent of water is lost. However, Mr. Zale appealed to appropriate government authorities and the business community to make available development plans for Rabaul and Kokopo so Water PNG can plan and do projection for 20 years population. The visit by the Water PNG team was a four in one trip to talk about the water supply system in Rabaul, Kokopo, Kerevat and Palmalmal.

Makasi Sounds and Entertainment has brought Solomon Island singers, Wally Pazzi, Kekene and Riikayz of the Solkisz Band to the country for their PNG COMEBACK TOUR concert which was held at the Lamana Gold Club on Saturday 7th of October. The concert held yesterday is said to build and strengthen the connection between Papua New Guinean and Solomon Island artists. Event Planners, Terence Rini and Floyd Manata of Makasi Sounds and Entertainment said that this was the third time in 2023 that they have brought Solomon Islands artists over to PNG to perform. Rini explained that they are appreciative of the newly introduced entertainment visas online which have made it easier for them to bring artists into the country. Rini further stated that the previous four shows which consists of two shows in Lae and two in Port Moresby, which featured artists from Solomon Islands like Taina Gee, Mossa, Wantox and DMP were all sold out. He explained that due to tight schedules and sponsorship constraints the artists only had one show in Port Moresby. The Managers expressed their gratitude and a huge appreciation for the support that their family, friends and Fans have shown to the company. “We want to say Thank You to the people that always support Makasi by purchasing tickets and coming to all our events.” Manata mentioned that in an effort to build a network of good connections between PNG and Solomon Island artists, the Cool Range and Stagajah band provided live band and backing vocals for the artists at the concert. “In doing this, we build a connection with artists in Solomon Islands and PNG. Makasi Sounds brings them together.” Meanwhile according to Manata, Makasi Sounds and Entertainment will also be organizing for a show in Honiara after the South Pacific Games and are planning for a very busy music events year for 2024, which features artists and bands from the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu and Fiji.

Softball fanatics have hailed the successful staging of the recent Gugu Hire Cars Softball Tournament in East New Britain province. The four- day tournament held at the original home of softball in Rabaul town- the Queen Elizabeth Park from Sept 28th to Oct 1, attracted 21 teams from around the province. In a bid to revive the code in Rabaul, the Rabaul Softball Association (RSA) decided to stage the tournament. In the Men’s grand finals, Starbase Ivarak defeated Paveks Kikila Cats 9-6 after completing the 7th inning. Starbase Ivarak team from Kokopo district bagged K2, 000 while the runner-up Paveks Kikila Cats settled with K1, 000. The Women’s grand final score saw Island Hawks defeat Manolos 14-3 on Mercy Rule on the 5th inning. The winners Island Hawks went home with K2, 000 while Manolos received K1, 000 for their efforts.Other awards for Most Disciplined Teams went to Paveks Kikila for the Men’s and Mix-mate G-man for the Women’s. The tournament was also graced with veterans in the likes of Esau Vinarang pitching for Starbase Ivarak, Mesach Topia playing for Paveks Kikila Cats, Ishmael Marnapal playing for MSC, Rosa Maira playing for Sea Bruk Cardinals, Pauline Kaputin pitching for Manolos, sisters-Baiai Tevita and Elsie Tevita laying down the pitcher-catcher combinations for the Island Hawks. Young softballers were privileged to learn a thing or two from these veterans. RSA Interim Executive Chairlady and tournament director, Bernadette Payoe said following the conclusion of the tournament, the RSA Interim Executive Committee will decide on options to commence season proper or corporate softball. The RSA were grateful for sponsorships received that enabled the tournament to be successfully staged. They are: Major sponsor Gugu Hire Car, a local hire car and construction company who earned the naming rights for the tournament- (Gold Sponsor with K10, 000). Minor sponsors include Mengen Limited, Jacom Building Construction Limited, Coastal Shipping Company, EQF Band and Tropicana Ltd.