Comments

Thanks Stephen I had to search the Budget papers to find the dollar amounts in our aid budget, especially for any comparison with last year's. Not surprising to find no virtual increase. I was equally disappointed that the morning media made no mention of our aid - up, down, or steady. Given the formation and operation of the Australian Centre for Evaluation in Treasury, I was hoping that DFAT would currently assess its effectiveness by the achievement of its intended outcomes. Objectively through independent evaluation- not through comments by the delivering manager, nor by mixing up the data. I agree with your comments: "Until the disconnect is reduced, performance should be judged with reference to completed, not ongoing, investments." Though I would add "... with reference to the demonstrable outcomes of completed...." I noticed too that number one in your table of "Unsatisfactory Aid Investments" was "Afghanistan - Ending Violence Against Women Phase 2" and that the evaluation period was 2018 to 2023. As the source was DFAT performance data, I had hoped than ANY assessment by that Department would have stopped at 20-21. The next two years cover the Taliban's takeover of Afghanistan and their declared and explicit violence against women. It might be my simple visual conclusion, but I remain surprised that any DFAT assessment of its project(s) in Afghanistan could include the years since those dreadful scenes at Kabul Airport in August 2021. The recent Blog article "Restricted visa pathways for Afghan women" counterpoints DFAT: https://devpolicy.org/restricted-visa-pathways-for-afghan-women-20240510/ "But any hard-won progress towards equality and human rights for Afghan women, once touted as a substantive moral basis for the war, is being incrementally dismantled by the returned Taliban".

You need to be no older than 45 when the ballot opens, so you should be fine.

Thank you, Ian, for your insights on TB context in PNG. Yes, I agree that PNG has transitioned out of the 30 global high dual TB/HIV burden countries. However, more requirement is needed to control TB epidemic in PNG. In PNG, someone diagnosed with TB is a dead sentence given the weak healthcare system. Frequent drug shortage in healthcare settings, particularly in rural and remote primary healthcare settings continues to challenge the national TB prevention objectives. The shortage of health workers remains an important issue. Equally important and life threatening, the emergence of MDR TB added to the complexities of effectiveness and functionality of the healthcare system. It is crucial to identify the source of TB infection to design appropriate interventions and reduce its spread within susceptible individuals. In healthcare settings, patients with infectious TB disease remains a major source of TB infection and threatens the health of other patients and health workers. Yes, TB is preventable and yet is a complex issue and require concerted efforts, including public policy, community, institutional, interpersonal and intrapersonal level to address TB.

Hi David, Thank you for your question. In PNG, TB is a serious public health problem despite the availability of anti-TB medications over the past decades. Active TB is invasive and affects other parts of the body. It is prevalent in all parts of PNG. As such, individuals with active TB become sick and are admitted to healthcare settings for medical treatments. On the other hand, latent TB may not become visible and do not show symptoms and cannot spread. However, it can lead to active TB disease in the future. Therefore, many individuals with active TB are admitted into healthcare settings seeking treatment through the DOTS treatment strategy. Subsequently, the congregation of patients with active TB in health settings potentially increases the risk of TB infection to health workers and patients in the absence of infection prevention and control programs. Maintaining adequate infection prevention and control program is paramount to minimise TB transmission in healthcare settings and spreading to communities. The emergence of MDR TB is a serious constrain to the TB prevention efforts given the existing weak health system. Funding plays an important role as it facilitates the implementation of TB control programs both in healthcare settings and into the nearby community. As TB infection is common in the community rather than health settings, funding should be available to provide regular and ongoing community health program. However, as discussed in our blog, lack of funding remains a serious impediment to effective TB control initiatives. It will be cost effective to prevent TB in the community rather than waiting for patients with TB to seek costly healthcare in healthcare institutions.

Thank You for the informative article. TB being broadly classified into two types, active and latent. In terms of funding, which is more expensive to manage by the hospitals or are both equal? Which is more common in Momase and Highlands? Does your article include MDR TB too? Thank you so much, David (interested student)

Thank you so much, Stephen for providing this very useful information.

Hi Stephen, Thanks for sharing this vital information. I am quite interested in this program, however, I will be turning 46 this December. I understand that the post-selection period may take awhile. Do you think this will affect my eligibility to participate? Thanks again!

An informative and important blog. The WHO Global Tuberculosis Report 2023 also has some useful statistics and insights about TB in PNG. For example, Annex 3 of that report shows that PNG is one of only 30 countries worldwide, and the only country in the Pacific, classified as a "high TB burden". Annex 3 also reports that PNG is one of only 30 countries worldwide, and in the Pacific, with a high burden of multidrug resistant TB / rifampirin-resistant TB. Data on page 8 and 10 of the report suggest actual TB notifications in PNG have been increasing from around 25,000 in 2016 to around 35,000 in 2022 (actual cases may be larger). Estimates on page 36 of the report suggest possibly up to 40% of TB patients in PNG experience "catastrophic" health related expenditure (defined as equal to or greater than 20% of household income): not as high as Solomon Islands and Fiji in the Pacific but still high by global standards. On a more positive note, the report does find (page 48) that PNG has recently transitioned out of the 30 global "high TB / HIV burden countries". In short, the latest WHO report confirms TB is a particularly important - yet often preventable - public health, social and economic challenge in PNG, as well as the other 29 "high burden" countries globally.

These details reveal serious flaws in Australia's refugee acceptance and visa procession systems. "The evidentiary burden for Afghan women is impossibly high" as the following specific example demonstrates. Hana* (a pseudonym for her protection) and her 3 girls aged 4, 5, 8 and a boy 9, had lived with her mother, and adult brothers and sister since her husband abandoned them 4 years before the fall of Kabul in August 2021. Her husband had no contact with the family since that time and his whereabouts are unknown. Australia issued 449 evacuation visas to the entire family except Hana and her children on the grounds they were not dependents. Her adult sister and brothers were evacuated, including her married brother. Left alone in Afghanistan, Hana* attempted to obtain passports for her children without a male guardian. She was arrested and detained by the Taliban with her children. The Taliban published her children’s names on the grounds they would never be issued with passports as the mother was without a male guardian. They then threatened her and the children for many hours saying she should be shot or forced to marry a Taliban fighter. Hana* went into extreme hiding as the extended community in Kabul were now aware she was alone with her children. She was extremely afraid someone would recognise one of the children if she sent them out to obtain food. During this time Australia refused to commence processing of their visa application or to allow health or security checks to be completed for them. Hana and her children were not able to leave this safe house for over 2 years. She only went outside twice with a paid escort commissioned by an international network, to obtain identification documents for the children and then assistance with evacuation to Pakistan. The Australian authorities did absolutely nothing to assist them. The policy to refuse visa applications to women left without a mahram is gender biased and has exposed these women to harm for prolonged periods. Pakistan has been forcing back Afghans living there, to the country they fled. 41 of our soldiers died in Afghanistan, protecting its civilians for a better life. In their memory, our policies towards Afghan refugee women need complete reviewing. Facilitating their refugee clearance would be - at last - providing Afghan women with minimal standards of care and protection.

Thank you Stephen. Really eager to apply for the ballot in June 3.

Hallo Isabelle, My name is Sahar Naseri. I am 19 years old and I live in Kabul, Afghanistan. I lost my family 5 years before. I have one sister. She is 14 years old. I was in the 9th class when Taliban came to Afghanistan. Me and my sister we want to go to school and make our future. Do you know of some possibility how to go in some another country to make our future? It would be very nice of you how guide us how to apply a visa in a safe country to make our future. Sahar Naseri

The PEV ballot hasn't opened yet, so there is no way you could have registered yet. Make sure you weren't scammed. The PEV ballot opens June 3. You will certainly have a chance if you enter the ballot, and it won't affect your PALM application.