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From Wilson Lawaipa on A new Porgera?
Outstanding. Structured well.
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May I suggest that cultural imperative will always trump (intentional small “t”) public service ethos. And may I suggest that with few exceptions, this applies across all of PNG and the Solomon Islands. The impact of the public service system may be envisioned as a wafer-thin layer of one world view imposed over kilometres thick strata of another. If this analogy is valid, and I believe it is, then the outcomes nearly half a century after independence should come as no surprise. And given the way things are going in relation to the creation of economic opportunity for youth and the delivery of basic services, instability is going to get worse. Having said that of course I believe there is vital role for the public service. But in addition to responding to the whims and fancies of politicians also places equal weight on, listens to and formulates policy that responds directly to the needs of people at community level. Because when you refer to politicians as bound by clientelism, in truth that might have worked from a cultural perspective had it not been for the fact that all too often a politician’s client base is essentially me, myself and I. And some public servants are the same. It has been my observation that real governance, social capital and a sense of the common good exists in spades. Not with politicians, not with public servants but in the communities, especially with women, where people are bound to each other by kin, custom and the rigours of day to child rearing and survival imposed by the environment. It is also my observation that people at community level are crying out to be heard and listened to. And it has reached the point where youth in particular are not listening to their elders, whose faith in a “system” since independence they believe has failed them. So, is it time to devolve a great deal more agency, skin in the game and responsibility for the outcomes to the level where people have lived and governed themselves quite ably for millennia? I believe it is.
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Ford, thank you for your question on the number of PNG workers currently in Australia. Unfortunately, this information has not been made public by the Australian Government. However, we have been informed that data on PALM workers will be available shortly on the Australian Government's data repository website at https://data.gov.au/.
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Dan, Many thanks for your feedback on my blog. It is important for readers to know that you are speaking from your experience as a major licensed recruiter of ni-Vanuatu seasonal workers to Australia. However, we need to note the differences between the two data sources. You are reporting from your recent knowledge of seasonal worker recruitment numbers for Vanuatu. My blog reports (1) the data on worker numbers only up to the end of February 2024 and (2) the data are for workers from all sending countries. Your estimate of the decline in worker numbers is closer to that from the survey of SWP employers who said they expected a reduced demand for seasonal workers of between 17 to 25 per cent. The decline in worker numbers is limited to horticulture where a range of conditions can disrupt harvest work. These seasonal disruptions do not apply to meat processing work, the largest and expanding employer of long-term PALM workers.
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What if this isn't a seesaw but a long-term trend driven by rural entrapment and increasing impoverishment, the post-Independence reactionary ruralism?
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Hello Sir, I'm from PNG, Central province. My question is, currently now how many PNG seasonal workers are in Australia currently?
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It is clear from various comments receive that some folks are still hoping to gain some benefit from voluntary forest carbon schemes while others are concerned about the risk of being ripped off. I have not yet seen any evidence to suggest that the risk has been reduced since we published our paper, but maybe the Climate Change and Development Authority will get its act together...
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Dr Curtin explains that that there is a little more than 10% reduction and he notes that this is a surprise given the period includes the typically large Summer intake. Feedback from Australia and internally suggest that the true downturn experienced is likely between a 20-40% decrease. Sadly that translates to 5 to 10 thousand seasonal workers who expect to return but cannot. many of those workers have loans where the guarantee is continued work and their collateral is previous remittances. Two points raised for the decrease are backpackers and the new deed rules regarding the 30 hour rule. The former is probably not a major impact because the removal of the requirement for "working holiday" people to work in industry has been removed and reports from employers show that this has created less supply from backpackers to the agriculture industry. The latter though is having a profound effect and in the context of agriculture, the demand to pay 30 hours , PLUS pay accommodation and transport if they work less than 20 is generally not sustainable over a 9 month contract. Essentially horticulture is cyclical in nature with predictable and unpredictable slowdowns in operations. NZ's RSE Scheme has a similar 30 hour arrangement but no 20 hour rule, simply because 20 hours or less is a rarity. Yet the 30 hour rule is not usually an issue and workers there very seldomly complain about hours because NZ does not have overtime rules. This means that workers typically work (and are totally happy to work) up to 65 hours a week. Workers therefore can hedge down weeks against excellent earnings. The result is that RSE workers on a 6 month contract earn more NET than their PALM counterparts. Deductions, therefore, are seldom discussed and absconding is insignificant (and basically zero for Vanuatu workers). Growers in Australia are expected now to pay casual rates for what is arguably full time positions and also cover the worker for the inevitable week or two 'downtime' weeks. For growers that can represent their season's margin based on the productivity of PALM workers. So an area for further research would be around the impact of the 30 hour week on the economic and social impact on seasonal workers. One where the 5,000 - 10,000 workers are in danger of having their land, house and overinvestments repossessed by banks and lending companies. This is becoming a major point of day-to-day discussion. This is a very serious matter that needs a remedy quickly. Personally we need to return to the days where workers were happy, no one absconded because they achieve what they want and that is to maximise remittances home. That was before we had a restriction on group piece rates, overtime and the new 30/20 hour rules. One day, the decision makers will consult the workers themselves.
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Thank you for sharing this piece on the complexities of carbon credit projects in PNG. It's quite alarming to see how the supposed benefits of these projects rarely reach the local landowners. The investigation highlights critical oversights and the urgent need for more transparency and accountability in such environmental initiatives. It's essential that local communities are genuinely involved and benefit from projects affecting their lands.
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Papua New Guinea especially up in the Highlands have huge rainforests and it's a better place for carbon deposits. I'm interested in facilitating the registration of rainforest in Highlands of Papua New Guinea.
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