Comments

Thank you Adam, My preference would be an aid budget that funded spending for genuinely help people. This would be inline with most Australians' understandings of why Australia gives aid, and inline with most Australians' preferences for what aid should be focused on. The task of buying the loyalties of recalcitrant developing country politicians or whatever could be funded from the ever-growing military budget. Calling it soft power would be a great term (given that power is what the military is all about). The funding could be subject to genuine cost benefit analysis, and the traded off against more subs or whatever. Terence

Thanks for your reflections, and for the affirmation of Peter's contributions. I remember him as deeply interested in those around him, to help them maximise their potential, be they students in Java, staff at international institutions, or old friends who had long since retired. I was a beneficiary of this approach to life. I remember too the long-term commitment to building better institutions, to enable the building of a better world, where all could reach their potential. These two areas of focus were linked - he worked at the macro and micro level, in the interests of those whom he engaged with and of a more just world. Vale and thank you, Peter. RIP.

Hi' I think that our government needs to really consider the fact that we are Melanesians, hence our way of life is totally different from any other nations in the world we should be proud of our unique qualities and values that determine how we live. The point of why I am making this statement is that our values that upholds the society is not like before. We have been subjected to the influence of others who try to redirect our focus and formulate a different identity in us. We are Melanesian therefore our government system should be the product of our ethical values which have been governing our society for thousands of years. Therefore if we capture the essence of what actually governed our society in the past than we will be able to see improvement in service delivery otherwise we will still encounter problem in our government system in relation towards service delivery. For example; We had traditional political systems We had traditional economic systems We had traditional ethics that defines individual morality We had a policing system that was very effective Hence, we need to reconsider everything in relation to how we define governance in our society. By saying all this, I am not trying to bring us back to the stone age but just to give us some clear thought to consider who we really are. WE ARE MELANESIANS...

Hi MC & Alyssia Thanks for posting an interesting update from one of the most powerful entity in our nation that mainly deals with the regulatory and monitoring systems that governs the economic sector of our nation. However, the fact of the matter is that many of our people who are affected by this major booming extractive industries are not sure about that actual realities that are happening up there. My point is that such vital information must somehow reach the people so that they can understand what is going on. Main stream media such as post courier, nationals, and other agency do provide information do have its limitations. However, do the people in the remote part of this nation understand what is going on with the outcome of their resource in a bigger scale? What are some possible solutions to educate our people about this changes?

Yes, one instrument and multiple targets (some implicit) is a recipe for not knowing what to do (or what you achieved). Yet in voter's minds "aid" is still about directly helping poor people. Do we need a new nomenclature? What is an acceptable synonym for "soft power investments"?

Hi Priya, There have been some interesting developments and we'll post an update soon.

Thanks Scott!

Thank you Terence, very well said! Strategy is about what we will prioritise as well as what will not be done. This is a ‘do everything for everyone’ policy without additional funding. DFAT is spreading itself and the aid program too thinly.

Wondering if there's any update on this.

Hi Alyssa, Thanks so much for clarifying, this is super helpful! I have heard such agreements are mostly negotiated on an ad-hoc basis behind closed doors. Thanks also for sharing the article by Mr Laveil -- I read his excellent piece "Marape’s quest to ‘take back’ PNG’s resources" earlier this year and this one is equally brilliant. Sadly, when it comes to resource and minerals exploitation it seems that not much has changed since the 1950s... https://www.jstor.org/stable/40969537

How can we stop this unethical barbaric issue that is affecting the lives of our people in this beautiful nation of ours? Hence, it a political issue or a cultural issue or is it something to do with the changing of times and the reality of post-modernism influence? Questions will be asked over and over but how can we find a solution to save the next generation from becoming victims of this fighting's and killings? I would rather suggest some principles and practices that can help us consider the right approach towards addressing this issue. PRINCIPLES OF PEACE AND GOOD ORDER: 1- Build inward relationship and try to understand people from different context. 2-Understanding the ethical value that governs each society. 3-Create a good network of communication with the people. 4-Identify ringleaders and build relationships. 5-Be part of the people and strategize transformative activities inside out. 6-A long term vision for change needs SMART objectives. 7-Suspend judgment and create space for accepting immoral behaviors when confronted in real situations. PRACTICES 1- Live a life that will demonstrate the essence of character quality. 2- Do not speak negatively about a situation but try to find the right approach to address the issue. 3- Work collaboratively with other stakeholders to address this issues. 4- Suspend taking sides but practically demonstrate the core value of formulating consensus. 5- Be part of the community in everyway as possible so that we can influence the people we live and stay together with.

Hi MC, I believe project development agreements refer to agreements between GoPNG and resource companies on how resource projects should be managed, including matters such as royalty payments, tax concessions etc. For more information you can read this article by Maholopa Laveil: https://www.eastasiaforum.org/2022/06/10/extracting-more-from-papua-new-guineas-resource-sector/