Australia’s humanitarian shortfall
As reported here, the 2014 Humanitarian Assistance Report puts a disturbing spotlight on Australia’s paltry and diminishing humanitarian effort. We are ranked 19th out of 20 for humanitarian generosity and we are ranked first for the country that cut humanitarian aid the most. That’s not surprising given that we cut half a billion dollars from our aid program last year, but it’s disappointing. And Joanna Spratt shows that both Australia and New Zealand are contributing less than half of their fair share of humanitarian support to Syria.
Stephen Howes argues, on the basis of need and performance, that our humanitarian aid should be almost doubled, even if other country programs have to be cut.
Lae Case Management Centre operational
The PNG Family and Sexual Violence Case Management Centre (CMC) project that we are supporting in partnership with Oxfam Australia, and funding from the Australian aid program, is now up and running.
The centre, based in Lae, works with other service providers to help survivors of family and sexual violence access the services they need, and obtain the solutions they want. Already CMC interventions have helped a number of women and children escape dangerous situations and be reunited with their families. We’re also providing practical help to other service providers, such as a secure fence for a safe house.
Meanwhile ANU Fellow and CMC Director Dr Kamalini Lokuge testified before a parliamentary inquiry this week, speaking on the CMC model and its initial experience, based on our submission here.
Learn more at the project website, or sign up for email updates.
PNG’s infrastructure challenges
Lack of maintenance and the subsequent deterioration of infrastructure is a significant problem in Papua New Guinea, one with broad financial, economic and social impacts.
The PNG Department of Works estimates that $1 spent on routine maintenance saves $4-5 in rehabilitation costs. Despite this, the department has noted that “the accumulation of deferred maintenance over the years has resulted in 75% of our road network requiring major reconstruction/rehabilitation works.”
So why has infrastructure maintenance in PNG been such a challenge?
In a two-part series (here and here), Matthew Dornan examines the wider problems and the roles played by the Road Fund and National Road Authority (NRA). He writes that resource constraints, capacity constraints and perverse incentives underlie the maintenance backlog, and explores why issues such as a lack of funding have meant that the road fund and NRA have achieved limited results despite showing great promise.
In a third blog post, Matthew Dornan and Anthony Swan also look at the Infrastructure Development Authority and what it might achieve if it is established. While positive on its potential, they caution that it could face the same fate as NRA if it is funded through uncertain annual budget allocations.
Staff updates
This month, we welcome Carmen Voigt-Graf, who has joined the Centre as a Fellow. She is based in Port Moresby, and will lead our program of economic policy research collaboration with the National Research Institute. Carmen has a PhD from the University of Sydney and has worked at ANU and USP in Fiji. She has worked on a range of economic issues in the Pacific, most recently as Economic Adviser with the Office of the Chief Trade Adviser in Vanuatu.
Ying Yeung, former Crawford economics student and soon-to-be ODI fellow, has joined the Centre for a short-term assignment to work on an analysis of Mongolia’s cash transfers, and what lessons they hold for other resource-rich economies.
We also congratulate Research Fellow Grant Walton, who has recently been appointed Deputy Director (International Development) for the Transnational Research Institute on Corruption (TRIC) at ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences.
Voice and agency: empowering women and girls for shared prosperity
Join us on 25 September (5.30pm, Molonglo Theatre ANU) to hear an all-star panel discuss a new World Bank report titled Voice and agency: empowering women and girls for shared prosperity.
Jeni Klugman, Senior Advisor at the World Bank, will launch the report and discuss its findings. PNG’s Dame Carol Kidu, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and DFAT Deputy Secretary Ewen McDonald will discuss the wider implications.
We are co-hosting this event with the ANU Gender Institute. Register here.
Upcoming events
Voice and agency: empowering women and girls for shared prosperity
On 25 September, Jeni Klugman, Senior Advisor at the World Bank, will launch a new report on gender equality. PNG’s Dame Carol Kidu, Sex Discrimination Commissioner Elizabeth Broderick and DFAT’s Ewen McDonald will discuss the findings. Register here.
PNG’s lost decade? An assessment of service delivery progress and expenditure reforms
The next PNG budget forum has been postponed until October. Details to follow.
Careers in development
Many young people are interested in a career in international development. Join us on 15 October for a panel where students can hear from those working in the field. Register here.
2015 Australasian Aid Conference
Our annual aid conference will be held on 12-13 February 2015. We are now calling for papers and registrations are open, with early bird pricing until 21 November. For details, visit the website.
Blog highlights
Robin Davies weighs in on think tank funding.
Amanda Donigi talks Stella magazine and more.
Margaret Callan talks with Mark Nixon about what business consultancy companies can do for development.
On the blog
Antipodes continue to fall short on aid to Syria by Joanna Spratt
PNG’s exchange rate and the poor by Paul Flanagan
Promoting private sector growth – what role for global business consultancy companies in the aid program? By Margaret Callan
Some questions about NZ Aid’s renewable energy program by Matthew Dornan and Joanna Spratt
The G20 and global health – towards convergence? By Sam Byfield
Think tanks peddle influence to foreign powers: that’ll be the day by Robin Davies
Telling stories of and for Melanesian women: an interview with Amanda Donigi by Tess Newton Cain and Amanda Donigi
The Infrastructure Development Authority in PNG: recent developments by Matthew Dornan and Anthony Swan
MDGs and gender in the Pacific: have we achieved anything? By Priya Chattier
In brief
Australia’s humanitarian shortfall
Humanitarian assistance up in 2013, but still fell short: report
New World Bank report on voice and agency for women
Upcoming global health events in Melbourne and Canberra
New UNICEF report shows high levels of violence against children
Australians support aid, prefer humanitarian focus: ANU poll
This is the fortnightly newsletter of the Development Policy Centre at Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, published every second Friday.
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