Tuesday, February 05, 2013

Council sends play equipment to PNG

Sunshine Coast Daily

COAST children aren't the only ones enjoying outdoor fun at playgrounds provided by the regional council.
Youngsters in Papua New Guinea also are getting in on the fun.
In the past few years, council has repaired and refurbished equipment replaced at local public playgrounds and sent it to the Coast's sister city of Alotau.

SECOND LIFE: Children in the PNG village of Alotau enjoy playground equipment donated by Sunshine Coast Regional Council.

Community programs portfolio councillor Jenny McKay said council also had provided installation instructions, some spare parts and a safety management system to help maintain the playgrounds.
And photographs recently received by council staff showed the children of Alotau, on the northern shore of Milne Bay, were enjoying their equipment.
"We had reports of children walking considerable distances from nearby towns and villages to try out the new playground, so it's fantastic that they're enjoying it," Cr McKay said.
"Just like with our local playgrounds, safety was a top priority for council, so it was important that we provided all the information to ensure equipment was installed correctly.
"I really commend the staff in council's parks and gardens department who went above and beyond to make this happen for children in Alotau who otherwise wouldn't have had access to playground equipment like this.
"With the help of an aid group, Sunshine Coast Rotary Club and the Alotau Chamber of Commerce, council was able to ship this equipment to PNG free of charge."
Cr McKay said council had sent playground equipment to Vietnam previously and wou

PNG parliament puts its confidence in prime minister

By ABC PNG correspondent Liam Fox

Papua New Guinea's parliament has approved a constitutional change to protect the prime minister from votes of no confidence.

Papua New Guinea's parliament has approved a constitutional change to protect the prime minister from votes of no confidence.
No confidence votes have become a frequent feature of PNG politics.
But parliament has passed a constitutional amendment extending the grace period protecting a newly elected prime minister from such a vote from 18 to 30 months.
The amendment passed through parliament with the support of 90 MPs; only 14 voted against it.
The Prime Minister, Peter O'Neill, says it will improve political stability and allow the government to focus on delivering services and implementing policies rather than the constant fight for survival.
The Opposition says stability is earned, not legislated and the amendment will entrench bad governments.

First major survey of cervical cancer in PNG

February 4, 2013 at 4:06 AM by AHN

Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (IRIN) – A large-scale survey of cervical cancer will be launched later this month in Papua New Guinea (PNG), where more than 1,500 women die of the disease each year.

Young PNG women...prone to cervical cancer

“Results of the study will be available later in 2013 when, for the first time, PNG will have the necessary evidence to build a solid public health policy in this area,” Andrew Vallely, deputy director of science at the PNG Institute of Medical Research, who will be overseeing the study, told IRIN.
Cervical cancer is caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), with the two most common types (HPV16 and HPV18) resulting in 75 percent of all cancers.
While effective vaccines are available against both, authorities do not know how much or what type of HPV they are dealing with.
According to the World Health Organization, cervical cancer is the most common cancer among women aged 15-44 in PNG.
There is no data on the HPV burden in PNG’s general population, but worldwide an estimated 11.4 percent of women harbour cervical HPV.

– Provided by Integrated Regional Information Networks.

Prime minister welcomes ANZ’s strong confidence

Source: The National, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

PRIME Minister Peter O’Neill has welcomed the strong statement of confidence in Papua New Guinea’s future from ANZ Bank.
O’Neill said ANZ had a strong presence in the PNG banking and finance sector and its confidence was most welcome.
“The CEO of ANZ, Mike Smith, is optimistic about our future, and he understands and supports the steps my government is taking to secure our future – including a focus on upgrading and expanding economic infrastructure and on improving productivity,” he said.
“I also welcome his comments about the potential for Papua New Guinea to benefit from the growth of the Asian region.
“His views are in line with my own statements, and the policies my government has outlined as priorities for 2013.
“The report commissioned by the ANZ highlights the enormous potential of our resource sector.
“Our challenge is to develop it responsibly, ensuring the benefits are shared, and ensuring the revenue inflows from resource development are responsibly managed.
“Every major investor I met also stresses the need for political stability.
“That is why my government is absolutely committed to the constitutional change to ensure the prime minister chosen after the national elections cannot face a no-confidence in the first half of the five-year life of the national parliament.
“This will strengthen further the political stability we have achieved since my election in August last year.”
O’Neill said he looked forward to ANZ continuing to be a major player in the banking and finance sectors and contributing to strong economic growth in the future.

Prime minister welcomes ANZ’s strong confidence

Source: The National, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

ANZ: ‘Asian century’ to benefit PNG

Source: The National, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

THE so-called “Asian century” – the projected 21st-century dominance of Asian politics and culture – could have very significant long-term implications to Papua New Guinea, according to ANZ chief executive officer Mike Smith.
He told a Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast meeting yesterday that since the 1980s, there had been an enormous shift with the extraordinary rise of China and increasingly, other economies in Asia such as India, Indonesia and Vietnam.
“Today, emerging economies account for more than two-thirds of global growth, of which China accounts for about half,” Smith said.
“Fundamentally, like Australia, PNG’s growth is now being driven by the urbanisation and industrialisation of Asia, and the prosperity of both countries is being underpinned by a super cycle in mining and energy and increasingly in agriculture.
“While I know that much of the discussion about this opportunity in PNG has focused on individual projects and short to medium-term issues, the Asian Century also has very-significant long-term implications.”
Smith said he was optimistic because he sensed there was also an increasing focus on the major issues PNG needed to overcome to ensure it took advantage of the Asian Century.
“To help take this step further, some commentators have suggested that there may be an opportunity to explore these longer-term issues through a well thought-out and measured policy document,” he said.
“For example, Australia recently completed an Asian century white paper and perhaps there is an opportunity for a discussion about whether an equivalent in PNG is worth consideration in the coming years.
“I believe PNG business has a huge amount to offer in informing and in contributing to the nation’s response to the Asian century and in helping to maximise the nation’s future success and prosperity.”

Revenue surge from resources by 2030

Source: The National, Tuesday, February 5, 2013

By MALUM NALU

PAPUA New Guinea’s resources sector could be earning as much as US$38 billion in annual export revenues by 2030, six times current levels, according to ANZ bank chief executive Mike Smith.
Smith said these increased earnings reflected diversification of resource industry benefits beyond Ok Tedi and beyond copper and gold, which included agriculture.
He told a Port Moresby Chamber of Commerce and Industry breakfast meeting yesterday that this could be the case if modest gains could be made in market shares for key commodities.
“This research is broadly indicative of the opportunity in PNG based on some work we did in 2011 on the size of the natural resources opportunity in Australia,” Smith told business executives.
“It uses many of the same assumptions about global demand for resources, to help think about the longer-term opportunity in PNG.
“And even on more-conservative assumptions, it suggests that annual revenues from resources could reach US$25 billion by 2030 – more than four times current levels.”
Smith said the sharp increase in export investment and required investment dwarfed current levels.
“While, as I said, these estimates are only broadly indicative, even the more-conservative estimate implies capital investment in PNG of around US$130 million between now and 2030… and the creating of more than 100,000 new jobs in mining, energy and support services,” he said.
“Importantly, it implies a significant diversification of activity in projects beyond Ok Tedi, and in a range of commodities beyond copper and gold, principally as a result of significant growth in LNG,” he said.
“Of course, urbanisation and higher living standards in Asia are not just driving demand for minerals and energy – they’re driving an increase in global demand for food and I believe agriculture has the potential to be the next sector in PNG to experience significant Asia-led growth.
“Here, there is enormous upside in commodities like palm oil and coffee, upside that will also require significant investment that could in turn create a wave of additional jobs in rural communities, something I know is incredibly important in PNG.”