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Dear Stephen It may be too optimistic, but is there any scope or discussion to use blockchain technology? It is not only rich countries adopting this technology.The government of Honduras is using it. Governments adopting blockchain technology is only a matter of time. In 2015, UK Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser, proposed that the government use Blockchain technology as a secure method of managing data, collecting taxes, issuing passports and registries, etc (Uk Government Scientific Adviser, 2015)(Lyon, 2016). The key question for blockchain technology is, will governments adopt it as it will hugely increase efficiency at the expense of many government jobs (Lyon, 2016)? Blockchain technology makes many jobs redundant, in departments of transport, land administration, tax administration electoral services, passport and other identity services, and health services. The sudden loss of many jobs may not be acceptable to the electorate. However, it would solve a chunk of the revenue problems for governments, with reducing government expenditures. If governments embrace blockchain based encrypted currencies, they become transparent at every level of government. This is the ultimate tool for transparency (Smith, 2015). Blockchain technology can also assist in other area that may reduce the need for government revenue. It makes changes to public ledgers more efficiently. Too good to be true, pie in the sky? The government of Honduras is already using block chain technology to improve its land registry system. It can reduce corruption, be it in a charity or a government the department or a money launderer (Prosser, 2015). The Australian stock exchange uses it as does the NASDAQ. It could be used to set up a worldwide financial registration system as proposed by French economist Zucman (Johannesen & Zucman, 2014). The register has information regarding ownership of shares, bonds and other financial papers. The information will be automatically shared with tax authorities around the world. An organisation like the International Monetary Fund could be the holder of the system.

Thanks for this Robin. During the aid tracker (www.devpolicy.org/aidtracker) development process, I tried to find a meaningful way to bring in IATI data on Australia and usually just found myself swearing at my computer. It's something I want to come back to now, but it really showed up just how difficult this data is to use meaningfully without some kind of clear portal. D-portal is promising (and I had hoped IATI studio would be up by the time I got back to this work!). If aid organisations are really committed to transparency, they need to think of the end-user. Transparency is not just about having stuff out there, it is about making it useful and usable. Transparency and communications need to work hand-in-hand if we want people to be informed - in my view, enabling people to be informed should really be the goal of transparency, rather than some sort of institutional box-ticking exercise. One of the amazing things after the aid tracker launch was the amount of people (journalists, people in the aid sector, students and more) who were surprised/excited by the 'new' data and information - much of which was data that was already around, but incomprehensible or buried for the layperson. It really showed the power of making information palatable, accessible and usable.

Yes Judy I totally agree and I know myself and others here have been inspired by your more wholistic approach to violence so thanks for your comments. The impact of colonialisation (both past and present) on gender roles, violence in families and relations between tribes and families is rarely acknowledged in 'gender-based violence' literature about developing country contexts, unlike other places e.g. the Victorian Government which acknowledge these broader causal factors and the role of Western governments in creating the conditions we see today. An intergenerational study would be valuable to really understand more about this in the Solomons context.

Thank you Dr Ride. You make some very important points. Perhaps it would be good for us to look more closely at what is happening in Aboriginal Australia, Papua New Guniea, the Solomons, New Zealand (Maori) and so on as a comparative analysis, and see the changing face of culture in colonisation, with its contribution to violence within our societies. It is easy to point the finger at the rates of violence in our communities and blame culture. What is never discussed is the transgenerational layers of violence on Indigenous people, in the war zone experiences, the colonial interface of violence on Indigenous women, the intrusion into gender relationships, and the legitimisation of violence in its various forms, on Indigenous women by the colonial masters. The term 'gender-based violence has problems, from my perspective, unless we also look at the violence perpetrated during the war on populations whose countries were used to fight the war. We need to understand the trauma experienced in violent interactions, and how that is passed down across generations to now be named as culture.

I really appreciate what the oil search is doing. I am a nurse and has been working with Family Support Centre Angau for the last three years. I dont know if i can be of any use in helping with issues relating to gender based violence. I am very much interested in working in this organization

I just came back from Senegal and Mali, where chickens are everywhere. And I thought of Robyn, working to make sure they don't die off, as they do periodically just because that's what village chickens have always done. Enabling a robust chicken population in the developing world: what a formidable task! But with such a far reaching impact! And most importantly, such a long-term, relentless effort, unlike any project I've ever been involved with. Kudos to Robyn for the grit, the creativity and the dedication. The poor really need more people like her!

" I would also argue that domestic pressures ended the Sandline misadventure". No Bill treason by Singirok, the whole Australian & PNG media-press,radio,TV & Singirok&Co with help from his political opposition - encouragement of dissent & endlessly calling Sandline personnels murderers,heartless killers etc(emotive words) persuaded a lot of the general public to protests. I was in Port Moresby at that time and I sat in radio personality Roger Hauofa living room some of those evenings. Without Sir J intervention in Vanuatu it would be a divided country and a civil war would probably have eventuated with many loss of lives probably.If that military intervention ended in loss of PNG & civilian lives it could have ended his political career. More so with Sandline if a number of PNG soldiers & Bougainvillian civilians were killed, Sandline critics would have crucified Sir J. his political career would be over. Remember there was a general election coming up. Why would you Bill or anyone else risk doing something that you did not have to do that might end your career? Most people will not take the risk Sir J did what he thought would stop the fighting- his courage & conviction.

Another reason why the Samoa Diabetic Foot Clinic is effective and efficient is that the local staff invest a lot of time in following up with patients, encouraging them to return for regular check-ups and counselling. One-off treatments and poor compliance in taking medicine means patients were traditionally being lost to the health system, only returning later when they had developed more severe complications. The Samoa Diabetic Foot Clinic has significantly reduced that trend by vigorously following up with phone calls and text messages to encourage patients to return for regular check ups. This Clinic has a very low drop-out rate of diabetes patients which has, in turn, improved the effectiveness and efficiency of treatment.

H.E.O student-DWU I am doing a presentation on this Brief Policy Article today (Monday, 11/04/016) I would like to congratulate the author of the article, it was very useful. I would like to know more about the types of external and internal factors that is meant to either facilitate or restrain the current reform system of PNG.

Gulf province is no way near to other provinces because by comparing it, we have a mentality problem. others do have it but have common understanding of each other. so call big shots with the officers running the affairs of the province are not thinking for better Gulf tomorrow. services were not provided well for the last 40yrs....what a shame. colonial infrastructure are deteriorating and nothing is been replaced..

Dear Professor Howes, Your post analysis of 2016 Budget is a wake-up call for the Government. Our spending is so excessive, beyond the match of decreasing revenue. Part of revenue is serving the borrowing commitments, putting huge pressure on essential public programs and commitments including salaries. Your suggestion on expenditure reform and supplementary budget is urgent to get the economy back on track.

Thank you Stephen for the PNG budgetary analysis and pointing out some of the causes, why the economy is currently facing huge budget difficulties. There are also other major contributing factors that had huge impact on the budget and cash flow surplus situation in PNG as well for the last 18 months or so. Briefly, the following will give you a heads up. • Huge borrowing from external and domestic funders-estimate debts has gone up to over K25billion (over the limit of 35% under the Fiscal Management & Responsibility Act) with some due for repayment which the country is unable to repay and has gone into co-financing to repay, increasing the debts. • The projection of expected revenue annually is higher that the country’s revenue, some expected revenue has slipped off unaccounted, therefore, there is huge unfunded commitment around the country, the recent claim about the economy is being affected by external shock like the low world oil prices is an unreasonable excuse. • Lately in the last 12 months, huge spending goes into projects that have no benefit to the nation, or of little impact as far as socio-economic development is concern. • Many of the economic decision made by the government in the last 2 years or so is outside the annual budget limit, therefore the true picture of state of the economy is not declared, thus kept to few individuals who take a band aid approach creating one problem to the next. • Huge corruption in PNG, starting from the highest levels down to the customer service counters is an ignorant issue in PNG. Because of this it create opportunities for private sectors to creep in with their sweet fatty bucks. Talk to someone in PNG and its mindboggling what you can hear. • The INA and TI in PNG are critical of the country’s economy as well as other institutional issues, but something is still missing to make the heads turn, good leadership. • As you pointed out, budget cuts to churches and delay in salary payments, there are a host of other things as well, schools are currently closing early for break because TFF money is not coming in, and DSIP funds for some district have not been paid for the last 3-4 years, free health services policy existed on paper, outstanding state contribution to public servants superannuation and the list goes on.. • While the problem continuous to increase, the government seen fit to increase funding to small impact projects, million kina projects to foreign companies that have dubious records of professional experiences and even some were black listed by international system like WB. So the concern on PNG budget difficulties are not an error in budget figures but a host of other unwritten issues that underpins the difficulties as well. Thank you