Comments

Thanks Peter, I don't have any data regarding donations to overseas NGOs unfortunately. I'm not using tax data. But overseas organisations don't have to report to the ACNC (the source of my data) nor to ACFID, the other data-source I use at times. Like you, I've donated to overseas NGOs in instances. My guess though is that such donations are not a large share of overall aid NGO donations from Australians. I have two reasons for believing this. 1. People like you and me, with a direct knowledge of development issues, and beliefs that lead us to donate directly to overseas NGOs at times, are a very small slice of the Australian population. The bulk of donations come in response to NGOs reaching out to the public. In Australia almost all of this reach is from Australia-based aid NGOs. 2. Donations in Australia are dominated by a few large organisations. I'm not aware of any non-Australia-based organisations that would be analogous in terms of size. All the really big INGOs have Australia branches/chapters/affiliates. Having said that, it's easy to imagine that in a globalised world, with easy internet access, direct international donations will be on the rise. It would be a fascinating topic for further study. Terence

If the government can spend millions of kina on THIS COVID-19 pandemic swiftly, then they can spend even more on killer diseases like TB, Aids, MALARIA, etc. Wow so frightening.....

I wonder how PNG could manage to gather all of these 25,262 people entered the country since January 7 for testing. What if 100 plus of them are with positive result, then we may think that thousands of people in PNG may have been infected already. It will be very hard to control off. This is an incurable disease and spread widely very quickly so please the government must do something to prevent further spreading. I am so glad with the government for quickly taking up appropriate approach in declaring a state of emergency (SOE) and lockdown of PNG for 14 days.

A very large percentage of the virus illness is spread by people who do not yet display symptoms or have it unknowingly and have very minor effects. Our only hope here is "social distancing " where everyone adopts the attitude that they may already have the virus in their body and everyone around them may be infected, and all surfaces outside the home may have the live virus on it...so you have to wash your hands or use a hand sanitizer many times a day. Trouble is that people do not do this until a lot of people are sick. Then it is too late for many who will die. Traffic between the islands is still going on, in crowded boats. We are in trouble, like most of the world, but most in the islands here do not think the virus will affect us. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT BEING SUCCESSFUL at providing awareness or restrictions.

Our government can be commended for approving SoE after 1 person confirmed hoping that all provinces are making it their business to make sure the 14 day lockdown preventive measures are adhered to. It's now every one's responsibility to avoid being infected and to stop its spread. However, it's super important to pray for God's intervention in this contagious global Pandemic.

Michael thanks so much for your blog. Sharing insights of PNG political matters, from your viewpoint, is useful for me. But one question I have. Can you write something about Bougainville? I am sure it is an agenda that will also change PNG political landscape.

Thanks Terrence. Noting that your article and the figures relate to donations to Australian NGOs in the aid field, do you have any figures about donations to overseas NGOs? These would not appear on tax returns as they are not tax deductible. For example I also donate to the Migrant Offshore Aid Station (HQ in Malta - operating among the displaced Rohingya and in Yemen), Skatestan (HQ in Berlin - teaching girls to skate board in Afghanistan, among other countries)) and the Malala Yousefzai Foundation (HQ in USA). They also provide regular updates of outcomes.

As a PS - there are references here http://genderinstitute.anu.edu.au/afghanistan-first-women%E2%80%99s-empowerment-centre-0 and here https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/latenightlive/womens-rights-in-afghanistan/2997980 Both in 2011 and not really available to the average voter.

I agree with number 5, but it shouldn't stop at a framework. Far too much debate is about money, priorities and effort leading to improved frameworks. What is and has been missing for a long time is publicising the results - where Australian aid has made a demonstrable difference to helping in the fight against hunger and poverty. Consequently, the ignorant on the far right get a free kick by saying that our aid is wasted and should be stopped until poverty is ended in Australia. There is little understanding - in the general, voting community - of what poverty is in the developing world/third world or whatever other euphemisms are employed in referring to the real people in the following World Bank excerpt: "There has been marked progress on reducing poverty over the past decades. The world attained the first Millennium Development Goal target—to cut the 1990 poverty rate in half by 2015—five years ahead of schedule, in 2010. Despite the progress made in reducing poverty, the number of people living in extreme poverty globally remains unacceptably high. And given global growth forecasts, poverty reduction may not be fast enough to reach the target of ending extreme poverty by 2030. According to the most recent estimates, in 2015, 10 percent of the world’s population lived on less than US$1.90 a day, compared to 11 percent in 2013. That’s down from nearly 36 percent in 1990. ............ In 2015, 736 million people lived on less than (US) $1.90 a day,..........." https://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/poverty/overview I have not heard Australia's Foreign Ministers speak publicly about demonstrable aid successes. All I've seen is billions of dollars cut from the aid Budget and AusAid amalgamated with DFAT. Your 5 key points are very much bureaucratic ones aimed at those who manage the aid budget. Absent seems to be any priority of reaching the Australian public with aid successes. Let me give you one - in Afghanistan. I helped fund a project that trained 40 women to be paralegals and act as defence counsel in domestic violence cases. Details here: https://actionaid.org.au/why-womens-groups-are-so-important/najiba-a-paralegal-working-with-actionaid-in-afghanistan-helping-women-access-legal-support/ Never saw one account of it in Australia. In public.

Thanks for this insightful personal account. I continue to cross my fingers for my friends in PNG. Vision City is quite different to most of Port Moresby and your post makes that clear. And as people often say, Port Moresby is very different to the rest of Papua New Guinea. I spoke to a good friend in Madang on the phone last night. She lives in Wagol sawdust settlement. She knew about the lockdown and mentioned it at the start of the call, as soon as I asked ‘Yu stap orait?’. She said that she and her family members had bought plenty of food and they are staying at home. She said that they had also purchased soap and they are washing their hands before every meal. So that was reassuring. I am very worried for my dear friends in PNG. Dr Bryant Allen’s new paper increased my concerns. It is worth a read. The paper is available at http://dpa.bellschool.anu.edu.au/experts-publications/publications/7523/ib-202006-coronavirus-covid-19-papua-new-guinea Thanks again, Amanda.

The Papua New Guinea Minister for Communications & Information Technology, Hon. Timothy Masiu, told me this week that the registration deadline for mobile phone SIM cards in PNG is now May 31st, instead of March 31st. The extra two months is due to coronavirus.

I’d be surprised if the PNG govt did anything well. They suck up so much international money like a vacuum cleaner and still fail to improve their citizens lives. They’re a waste of space!