Comments

Hi" I think that one of the most important factors that governs individual morality in PNG context is our traditional ethical value. The methods used nowadays in the policing system is not really helping rather provoking more troubles and conflicts. Ask a simple citizen in PNG and he/she will tell you that "I HATE THE POLICE". Instead of seeking help and safety from the police they hating them not because they are bad but the hatred is built upon fear. Moreover, the traditional ethical value that governs our society in the past was more effective than today's legalistic system that provide law and order to the society. People new back than that if they fail to comply with the law of the society they will be neglected from the community. Why are people turning their vengeance against the policing system, is it helping the people, what are the contributing factors that creates a negative impression between the community and police? These are some questions that we can think about. I think that if the policing system be integrated with some of our traditional ethical values that governed our society in the past could be a way forward towards formulating a contextual policing method to curve down the ongoing problems in our society. Papua New Guineans respond well towards what they believe in and there are possibilities to make it happen using a new contextual policing system.. By doing so we won't need foreign police officers in PNG, we can manage our own ethical principles by comprehending to what we believe in.

Thanks Heather. Really useful spotlight on the challenge that DFAT faces. I can't help but be reminded of "institutional strengthening" aid projects which often try to cherry pick areas for improvement only to find that it is really difficult to create an "island of excellence" where the ways of working are different from standard practice within the institution. I wonder whether the changes proposed are actually meaningful enough to overcome this obstacle.

There should be more accounts like this one on paperwork by Joseph Tuan Viet Cao. The moral of the story escapes him: The Nasfund bureaucrats were angling for a bribe, In such cases usually a cut from the cheque. Alternatively they wanted to pocket the money themselves if the man was discouraged enough not to turn up.

National Gold ltd was the first company to promoted and supported small scale alluvial gold mining in ESP in 1997 . We tested many rivers and introduce the gold dredging modern equipment we build in Wewak.The gold price price was k9 kina per a gram.

I agree keep this arrangement simple as is and out of too much political jugling. This is already giving answer to the high unemployment rate png govt has on hand. So keep it simple and if improvement is needed, they need to check and assess the current or present recruiting and selection criteria. Otherwise, Australia come gud liklik, PNG bikpla brother among the Pacific Islands in both landscape rich in raw marerials and population for labour if needed, as indicated in this excercise. Yes like everything else (PNG Youth), we must prove our worth, do things right. Thank you very much Australia for the PALM program - a next level program, eye opener and seriously for those of us (parents) not knowing what to expect next for our unemployed youth, this is God's blessing. God bless Australia and Papua New Guinea.

Indeed, it is all in making the branches operational. Substantial know-how, and further financing will be required. We are not there yet, but all in all it seems a step in the right direction.

So many Agricultural college graduates coming out of Agriculture Colleges every year doing nothing, no jobs, floating on the streets, feed those graduates to farms in both Australia and NZ, they are qualified and meet all the application procedures.

Due to Png currency is falling etc...we as indigenous of this country as to do something work outside ,for bitterness of our family hood and bring back more money into Png, uplift kina also into our regions,Eg $30-40/h and 1,152/day and 5,760/5d and 11,520/10d a person can have to fulfill their vision and dreams back at home after 8 months or a year etc.. Also we as indigenous we must be proud of some our great spokes man and woman with their free labour, also great minded leaders who spent effort to help this program Pacific Australia labour mobility (PALM) to attract and increase in financial goals in respective zones for the good of all citizens in our nation.

Any opportunities for Technical Trade people to go overseas earning better than being used as cheap labours back here at home?

Never too late, Never too soon, Working abroad brings a wider perspective and a more tentative experience. Mobilising an effective task force as control monitors of the hubs, would lessen hurdles faced by LMU and WRL.

Commend you for this insightful article

Upon initial reading I thought this article was a reprint from April 1st. Had it not been penned by such a reputable source I would not have believed how the system could have been designed so comprehensively to fail. Firstly, it is centralised in Waigani within the Department of Treasury. Take a moment to digest that. What has the Dept of Treasury got to do with labour recruitment? Secondly, it is handled at provincial and district level by the sitting Member. Does it really require the local MP to “support” the choice of candidates? How many people living in rural settings do you think would describe this as a fair and equitable approach? Thirdly, PNG recruitment hubs support mobilisation costs for people from their electorate through provincial or district services improvement program funds or internal revenue. Anyone reading this who has had experience seeking approval for anything from a local MP will know how this system is wide open to “non-performance.” It beggar’s belief on a mind numbing scale. If you wished to design a process good on intent but impossible to navigate, this has to be it. Apparently, while the “Big Three” (no irony here), Vanuatu (pop 320,000), Samoa (pop 220,000), Tonga (pop 107,000) have contributed 16,600, 6,700 and 6,500 respectively, PNG (pop 10,500,000) has managed 1,450 visas. These figures speak for themselves. I wonder how the average Australian would feel if subjected to this process. Article 23 of the Declaration of Human Rights states that people have a right to desirable work, a right of freedom from interference (Article 12) and movement in and out of their country (Article 13). In this instance, what was intended as an opportunity to access a regional labour market has turned into a dystopian bureaucratic nightmare. The government of PNG no more owns its people than any other and elected representatives cannot and do not represent interests of such a large population. We are not talking about a few villages here – at least half the population of Australia. And like the average Australian, PNG people are perfectly capable of navigating the necessary processes with assistance from a reputable migration agent and an intended employer. The nanny state over-kill exemplified by the current system treats applicants like children. It smacks of paternalism, implies some are more equal than others and will fail. As it stands it represents the worst excesses of bureaucratic overreach and does Australia’s reputation no favours. Apart from the issuance of passports keep government well away from it. Let the market and those with the desire to participate navigate this scheme in the usual manner.