Comments

Great article thanks Ashlee and Stephen. One of Philanthropy Australia’s 2016 <a href="http://www.philanthropy.org.au/images/site/misc/About_Us/AGM/2016/Philanthropy_Australia_2016_Action_Plan.pdf" rel="nofollow">Action Plan</a> is ‘to facilitate member collaboration and co-funding opportunities through our digital channels.’ This is certainly required, with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) currently registering over 37,000 charities in Australia. A great infographic that explains the profile of Australia's charities is <a href="http://australiancharities.acnc.gov.au/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/js36755_ACNC-Charity-Report_infographic_-updated-APRIL-2016.pdf" rel="nofollow">here</a>. It reports that $1 billion of Australia’s $103 billion of charity income is in the international sector.

Hey Tony, That is quite possibly the most inner north thing I have ever heard re the pulse-themed classrooms! I would say that communications and marketing is probably an area where savings/efficiencies could be easily achieved from a merger, if it was undertaken with the goal of increasing money spent on 'development' or project activities and reducing so-called administrative expenditure. Merging, but keeping separate brands that would have to be separately communicated and marketed and so on wouldn't seem to make a lot of business sense in many ways, but there are also big costs to losing a well-known brand (unless the brand is on the nose due to a scandal or some such). So it would be possible to go either way, it just seems unlikely that communications and marketing would be left duplicated if a merger were to take place. As you said, perhaps there's ways for big NGOs to be more innovative about this, but I guess it would depend on the motivations and circumstances of the mergers - the cases so far seem to be that they are forced by financial circumstance rather than strategy.

Melanesia is where the ideas of neo-liberalisms peddled by the World Bank and Asian Development Bank get hijacked by criminals. Private sector led economic growth gets hijacked by various schemes. During the Somare govt, the WB /ADB advice on export driven economic recovery was used as a cover to justify land grabbing for oil palm. Post the LNG Construction phase the excuse was fiscal expansion to create economic stability through construction projects. Many inflated contracts were issued to cronies. PNG's predatory elite and their foreign partners in crime thrive in and environment of predatory capitalism.

I think the basic issue is that in the charitable world a brand has to equal an organization. If there was a merger, there would only be one organization, and therefore one brand. Perhaps brands and organizations could be de-coupled. But when you look at tax deductibility criteria as well as criteria to access government funding they are both very much focused on assessment of the organization concerned, so I think it would be hard to get government support for a separate brand without a separate organization.

Yes. Every class in the school my kids go to (Majura Primary in Canberra) is named after a different type of pulse in recognition of the year of pulses! More seriously, I'm surprised there hasn't been more brand proliferation with large NGOs using their back-office scale to start up a number of related NGOs. Regulation may explain this or perhaps large NGOs haven't been nimble enough compared to new independent start ups. Is it really the case that in a hypothetical merger of ChildFund and Plan that one of the brands would be scrapped? Apart from regulatory issues, I don't see why this would be any different from Google and YouTube.

The competition that exists among NGOs, would be better replaced or infused with collaboration. I draw on many experiences in dealing with them in difficult situations including among others, Timor-Leste, and Burma. It is no different domestically. I once brought four youth organisations into one, as they serviced the same people but did not collaborate. It took two years. Perhaps funding agreements could include a collaboration clause? No easy answers but leadership is required.

Hi Saravan, thanks for your comment. The Lancet paper (which seems to be open-access so you should be able to read it <a href="http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/langlo/PIIS2214-109X(15)00143-6.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">here</a>) provides some more details about the training and tools provided to the community health workers as part of this study. Otherwise, if that doesn't answer your questions, you could try reaching out to the lead author by email (his email address is listed on the paper). Best, Camilla

Yes, decision has been made in as far as the laws are concern....however, PNG being part of the global community we all share the pain and suffering these stateless people have traveled million miles in difficult waters and maybe as human person...as said by great singer Dube, one people different color should be considered lot more seriously. I have suffered lot more seriously because of this very issue " ILLEGAL DETENTION CENTRE" on Manus Island in a bigger way. ASSUMING ALL WAS WELL IN TERMS OF LAW with the involvement of PNG Government and Australia, new of spin off benefit was a public gossip in all parts of Lorengau and Manus as a whole. I spare no time acquire a near one (1) million kina loan from NDB and constructed a 3 level Hotel and the pain and of suffering because of this illegal centre is a night mare to those of us tried to reap the benefit....but who can assist to fight the financial power (Government of Australia & PNG) if seeking justice... Ken Kuso

Yes, the example was off the mark. My intention was to compare Tonga to some other, more robust upper-middle income country but I unthinkingly named Estonia, a high-income country, since it had been mentioned in the previously quoted CGD technical note. In any case, my point is that weighting by income categories alone seems too blunt. My own inclination is not to weight, but if weights are used I would think migration from small and fragile UMICs should be given greater weight than migration from large and robust ones.

Hello Camilla Burkot, Thank you for an insight about the community based NCD screening. Would like to learn more the equipment / tools used by the health workers to screen the cardiovascular diseases. Thanks in advance

Thanks for elaborating Nematullah, and good to hear that Australian aid was relatively efficient in its scope and alignment.

Thank you for sharing your valuable experience Sir J. You are one of the few Senior Statesman of PNG that have set a high calibre of leadership and accountability. I am a young Papua New Guinean and I very much look forward to reading your memoir. You have captured PNG's history for the upcoming generation, and provided a valuable avenue for us to have a grasp of your experience in PNG's historical milestones and achievements. God bless!