Comments

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog, thanks!

This article provokes lots of questions and comments starting with the title. Surely given the history of two decades-plus of US-led occupation that included war, untrammeled impunity and “nation-building” on the basis of massive corruption that contributed to the return of the Taliban, western donors have a responsibility to acknowledge the many reasons for the current catastrophe. This includes the freezing of the Afghanistan’s external reserves – US$9 billion – as well as the policies that led to such an aid-dependent country. As poverty, hunger and humanitarian needs mount, a key part of the solution is to unblock the frozen reserves to enable the central bank, Da Afghanistan Bank, deliver on its responsibilities so that the local currency is stabilized, inflation is brought to heel, the economy is revitalized and banks can operate. There are many reasons to be appalled about Taliban policy but insisting on the immoral and illogical collective punishment of the Afghan people is not the answer. This is a perspective shared by Nobel laureate Joseph Stiglitz and some 70 other economists recently: https://www.against-inhumanity.org/2022/08/16/71-economists-write-letter-to-president-biden-calling-for-the-release-of-the-frozen-afghan-funds/

Hi Rhoda, thank you for your comment. Some ideas for PNG to grow participation in labour mobility are detailed in a report by one of the authors of this blog, Richard Curtain, which you can read here: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3255353 Some of the barriers facing PNG are in a presentation by Natasha Turia Moka which you can find here: https://devpolicy.crawford.anu.edu.au/news-events/events/19452/8000-seasonal-workers-2025-png The situation is different between Australia and New Zealand. There has been a large increase in workers coming from Papua New Guinea to Australia, albeit from a very low base (more than 700 now in Australia, when there were only around 40 at the end of last year). PNG has also sent a lot more workers on the longer-term (4 year) Pacific Labour Scheme; an option which isn't available in New Zealand. For New Zealand, there are currently 12 seasonal workers from PNG; this number has dropped from a pre-COVID peak of 135. One of the main differences is that in New Zealand, employers have to pay half the travel costs: they have to pay much more to recruit workers from places further away, which have higher costs. Some countries sending workers to New Zealand (like Kiribati and Tuvalu) have different arrangements which include longer visas and lower employer costs which take into account these countries’ remoteness. Perhaps similar arrangements for PNG could work to boost uptake. This seems to be something the new governments in both Australia and PNG are keen to work on. There definitely needs to be a greater effort by governments to both support employers to recruit from PNG, and to work together on recruitment practices that can be mutually beneficial.

If this argument "These very different results follow from the facts that all three schemes are demand-driven, and that employers have mainly decided to recruit from a subset of countries in the Pacific and Timor-Leste" holds true for SWP, PLS and RSE, why is the temporary migrants to Australia or New Zealand from PNG zero?

Hi, Appreciate the read about all the research into our RSE workers. If possible can I contact you in regards to how I can support them in any way.

Many MPs in the 11th Parliament are new and without experience. This is an advantage for Marape; as Marape could basically gather these chicklets together into a comfort where none of them, out of experience, will have the guts to flap a wing against him.

It's a very nice work and I'm interested to know more about it. And I'm always looking forward to come and work.

Thank you Kingtau. I just came back from Port Moresby and I am still slowly digesting what I've seen. I agree that the country could be in a much better state now if it had been better managed. I do hope PNG can strictly implement its well-designed regulations and not waste the coming opportunity of the next LNG boom.

Interesting piece, but in my opinion there is a bigger issue that you have completely missed. In my 27 years of being here off and on, I am a constantly amused victim of the "I need K100 and will repay you on Friday". In dozens of cases, never once has it once been repayed. I mean never! Both know its not going to happen when you hand it over. The non-repayment of loans in PNG as a matter of course, no matter what size, is a detriment to the workings of the economy. This is a flaw to the functioning of the loan and market system and produces the situations you outline. The street lenders are only acting on the realities of the credit markets of PNG and are a providing a valuable service, as you point out. So, ironically, Digicel could be teaching a transformative economic behavioural lesson in credit and money management in PNG especially because young people by the hundreds of thousands MUST get on face book every chance they get and have to deal with the realities of managing credits. Believe me, this is a much more powerful life experience forum than any Social Studies or Life Experience course in school. You can't teach that in school. I'm not extolling the virtues of Digicel, its service is lousy but better than the alternatives. It has to deal with the realities it has before it.

Oh yeah I am from PNG. I strongly believe the PALM SWP is a way out forward for PNG. PNG is yet to participate in full but for the start is very much beneficial as an opportunity for exposure especially for the rural majority. Unemployed school leavers and those pushed out of the system (education). I very much support the program going forward. Oh yeah of course issues and challenges are but manageable. Just proper guidelines be in place and proper screening and recruitment and that all required necessary boxes are ticked. I think PNG should benefit big time. And currently PNG has no Liaison Officer and I have expressed an interest through to PNG Treasury Department who through the minister Honourable Mr Ian Ling-Stucky. I am really supporting this PALM SWP Labour Mobility and PNG should benefit big time Thank you so much

Thanks Solomon, appreciate your comment. UNCDF is planning a phased expansion to other Pacific SIDS from 2023 and will include Bougainville in our stakeholder consultations

Hi am Solomon Hanets from Bougainville. Am currently the company secretary for the Autonomous Bougainville Government Business Arm. Insurance is one of the critical and urgent need of us here in Bougainville. Am really interested if a presentation can be done to our government heads of department here in Bougainville. Thank you and I hope we can continue to communicate.