Kassam Pass works improve safety of Highlands Highway

 Australian High Commission

The Department of Works is in the final stages of completing Australian funded works to improve the safety and reliability of the Highlands Highway at Kassam Pass. 

Road works on Kassam Pass.-Pictures courtesy of AUSTRALIAN HIGH COMMISSION

The project in the Eastern Highlands is supported through the Papua New Guinea – Australia transport sector partnership.

Importantly, the project is being delivered through local contractors, ensuring local communities benefit through increased employment and income generation opportunities.

An earlier landslip at Kassam Pass had made the road more hazardous. 

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The project has shifted the road further into the mountain, improved drainage, and repaired and resealed the road surface.

Secretary of the Department, David Wereh, underlines the significance of this for road users along the national road network.

“This project is critical to keeping traffic safe along the Highlands Highway.

" The road passes through some challenging and unstable terrain and these works will ensure that this essential economic lifeline remains open.

“Despite difficult geological conditions, local contractors have achieved impressive results. 

"Road users will notice a smoother road surface, improved drainage, gabion baskets, and new guard rails. 

"This is all designed to keep the travelling public moving safely and connect businesses and communities.”

Smith Yauwe, working for one of the local contractors engaged in this project is pleased to see the changes to the highway.

“This project has provided a boost to the local economy and delivers a safer road for all. 

"I am proud to be able to contribute to maintaining our country’s national priority road network with funding support from Australia.”

In 2017 the Papua New Guinea – Australia Transport Sector Support Program and Department of Works delivered road maintenance works worth K60 million through more than 70 local contractors

Daru runs dry as all attention on Apec

By HANS MESSEA of NBC in Daru

Daru town residents are continuing to be  badly hit by the ongoing water crises.
Last week,  the raw water mains on the island terminal were vandalised,  causing a disruption to the water supply to Daru .

The piping has gone rusty,  and was easily unbolted,  resulting in water shooting upwards and causing the closure of the water supply.
It is the beginning of the dry spell and most of the dugout water wells and the tanks have gone dry.
People are now resorting to paying for  water from the wells owned by a few residents for K1 or K2 per container.
Other people are fetching water
for cooking and drinking from bore water.
There are health risks again because the
bore and well water is not treated.
The Water PNG office in Daru has made a public appeal to those tampering
with the pipes to stop vandalising such vital assets that serve the community.
Currently workmen are attending to the  damages which is into the
deeper part of the sea.
Work has to be carried out when the tide is
low.
Water will be restored as soon as the job is completed. 

Two policemen arrested for armed robbery and attempted murder in Port Moresby

POLICE MEDIA

Two policemen have been arrested and charged for armed robbery, attempted murder, unlawful wounding and conspiring to commit other crimes in Port Moresby over the weekend.

  NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Perou N’Dranou said the pair were identified as Constable Gabi Gal of Minj, Jiwaka, a male adult attached with Gerehu Police Station and Constable Albert Robert, a male adult from Upper Mendi attached to Boroko Police Station.

Thet were arrested and detained by members of the Gordon Minor Crimes Unit.

N’Dranou said Gal and Robert and a third policeman who remains unidentified at this stage allegedly used an unmarked vehicle to rob, assault and injure four civilians on April 19 this year.

  He said the three policemen allegedly removed the registration number plates of their vehicle to conceal their identities before holding up a PMV truck at 9-Mile. They allegedly assaulted the driver, a female occupant and commandeered the vehicle towards the back road leading towards Morata and Gerehu where it is alleged betelnut and mobile phones belonging to the victims were stolen.

  That same day, the policemen allegedly whilst under the influence of liquor shot and wounded a man at Gerehu and later placed a firearm near another man’s ear and fired, leaving the victim, a lawyer by profession, heavily traumatised.

  The Metropolitan Commander issued instructions for their immediate supervisors to bring them in to face investigations and charges but no action were taken by concerned authorities.

This was until the matter was referred to members of the Gordon Minor Crimes Unit which kept the suspects under surveillance and arrested them at a night club within the city on Saturday night. 

Gal fought with the arresting officers and attempted to escape but was subdued, arrested, charged and locked up in the police cell.

N’Dranou said additional charges of escaping from lawful custody would be prepared and served on Gal in the course of the investigations.

  The two men were charged for conspiring to commit other crimes under Section515 of the Criminal Code, armed robbery under Sect 386 of the Criminal Code, two counts of attempted murder under Section 304 of the Criminal code and unlawful wounding under Section 322 of the Criminal Code.

The Metropolitan Commander said the arrest, detention and charging of these two policemen showed the Constabulary’s commitment in the fight against police abuses and corruption, which remains a concern to the Government and citizens of Papua New Guinea.

  He said, the corrective action taken by members of Gordon Minor Crimes unit, directly conformed to Police Commissioner Gari Baki’s intention to reduce police abuses and corruption within the constabulary.

New school facilities will promote quality teaching and learning in Bougainville

Australian High Commission

Current and future students in Bougainville’s Peit Constituency are set to benefit from new school facilities which will promote improved education opportunities for the community.

Gagan Primary School on Buka Island has received a new double classroom and teachers’ housing, which were officially opened yesterday as part of the Papua New Guinea – Australia Partnership.

The school has played a role in the education of some of Bougainville’s most prominent individuals, including Josephine Getsi, Bougainville’s Minister for Community Development and Member for Peit, and the late Dr Alexis Sarei, former Papua New Guinean High Commissioner to the United Kingdom and North Solomons Premier.

Evangelyn Ratsi and Ferdinand Rohen (pictured below) are the head students at Gagan Primary and are certain that their studies will benefit from the new classrooms.

The two students are working hard to achieve their own goals, continuing the school’s tradition of education and aspiration - Evangelyn wants to be a doctor one day and Ferdinand aims to become a pilot.

They are confident they will progress to high school and said the lighting in the new classrooms will enable students to participate in evening classes and studies as they prepare for their final exams.

Gagan Primary is one of 18 schools across Bougainville, including in remote atoll communities, which will benefit from the construction of new learning infrastructure. More than 1,200 new primary school places will be created when the works are completed.

At the ceremony, Minister Getsi commented, “I am so pleased to be here today to see my old primary school upgraded with these new facilities, we have a long history of education at this school going back to 1950s missionary school origins.”

Andrew Egan, Minister Counsellor at the Australian High Commission, said education is vital for poverty reduction, economic growth and social stability.

“Papua New Guinea and Australia have a shared commitment to education,” he said. “Access to education for all children - especially girls - is critical to the future of Papua New Guinea.”

“We are focused on reducing barriers and encouraging girls and boys to attend and stay at school. These new facilities create an environment conducive to quality teaching and learning, which will benefit staff and students, now and in to the future.”

The new facilities also include solar panels and water tanks, which improve the sustainability of the buildings for the school and the local community.

The construction of new school infrastructure is part of Australia’s commitment to quality education for children across Papua New Guinea.

Utilities reform needed for better service delivery in the Pacific — ADB

MANILA, PHILIPPINES (18 July 2017) — Investments in basic services must be complemented by policy and regulatory reforms as well as capacity development to support a shift towards more commercially viable utilities in the Pacific, says the latest issue of the Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Pacific Economic Monitor (PEM) launched today.

“It is commendable that Pacific governments are stepping up their infrastructure investments, for example, in renewable energy to help reduce electricity costs and progress towards ambitious international climate change commitments,” said ADB Director General for the Pacific Ms Carmela Locsin.

“These efforts must be complemented by critical reforms to improve the efficiency and performance of utilities responsible for providing basic services in Pacific economies, including the promotion of further private sector participation.”   

Economic prospects for the Pacific remain positive, but growth will remain slow compared to other subregions, according to the report.

For 2018, growth in the Pacific is expected to remain flat at 2.2%.

 This is partly due to the impacts of disasters including an earthquake in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Cyclone Gita in Tonga last February.

Economic recovery in PNG and rising investment in Timor-Leste are expected to push growth in the Pacific to 3.0% in 2019.

The monitor, the flagship economic publication of ADB’s Pacific Department, focuses on country issues and current policy themes.

The latest issue focuses on the developments in the utilities sector, particularly electricity.

Access to electricity is low in the Pacific, particularly in the more remote and less developed parts of the subregion.

This is due to the countries’ dependence on expensive fossil fuels for power generation, inadequate investment in infrastructure, and electricity services costs that can be beyond the means of rural households.

About 20% of PNG’s population, for instance, has access to electricity and that number falls to 13% in rural areas, according to the report.

 Without access to electricity, public services cannot be properly delivered, and business activity is constrained—resulting in unfulfilled economic growth potential.

Although PNG has enviable potential to produce power, significant investment in the sector is needed to reach the country’s goal of 70% electrification by 2030.

The Monitor looks at how diversifying energy sources can help to lower costs by reducing dependency on expensive diesel, and how improved regulation can help attract much-needed investment and expand consumer access to electricity.

The monitor includes a series of short articles on efforts to improve electricity access in the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu; initiatives to bring innovation and international best practice to Fiji’s electricity sector; renewable energy initiatives in the Cook Islands, Samoa, and Tonga; and strategies for improving energy access in Kiribati, Nauru, and Tuvalu.

 The report also includes a cautionary piece on cryptocurrencies in the North Pacific, as well as an article discussing measures for increasing competitiveness in Timor-Leste.

Topical policy briefs featured in the monitor, meanwhile, include the state of access to basic utilities and services in the Pacific; a strategy for truly sustainable energy in the Pacific based on efficient and financially viable utility operations; and the importance of institutional reform to improve waters services in Timor-Leste.

ADB is working with development partners to provide greater support to help Pacific utilities modernise their business systems and eventually become financially self-sustaining, and effect change in utility sector policies and governance arrangements.

 The report noted that long-term partnerships with utilities beyond project implementation is vital to bring about genuine, transformational change.

PEM is a bi-annual review of economic developments and policy issues in ADB’s 14 developing member countries in the Pacific and includes policy briefs on key policy issues and interests.

 In combination with the Asian Development Outlook series, ADB provides quarterly reports on economic trends and policy developments in the Pacific.

The Monitor welcomes contributions of policy briefs from external authors and institutions.

ADB, based in Manila, is dedicated to reducing poverty in Asia and the Pacific through inclusive economic growth, environmentally sustainable growth, and regional integration.

 Established in 1966, it is owned by 67 members—48 from the region.

In 2017, ADB operations totaled $32.2 billion, including $11.9 billion in cofinancing.

Indigenous Australian musician to collaborate with PNG artist

Australia High Commission

Award-winning Indigenous Australian singer-song writer, Emily Wurramara, is in Papua New Guinea as part of theNational Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee (NAIDOC) week celebrations hosted by the Australian High Commission.

Emily Wurramara performing at the Australian High Commission on Monday 16 July.

Emily Wurramara with Australian High Commission staff members after her performance.

Emily, 22, from Groote Eylandt in the Northern Territory is passionate about her rich cultural heritage, which is reflected through her music. 

She started writing music at nine years-old and continues to create songs in both English and Anindilyakwa, the language of her home.

She has taken her music around the world, with shows and festival appearances in countries such as Sweden and France. 

Emily has just released her first album in Australia, entitled ‘Milyakburra’.

Emily will be collaborating with top performing Papua New Guinea artist, Mereani Masani. 

The duo will be working together on a number of projects, including composing a song based on this year’s NAIDOC Week theme, ‘Because Of Her, We Can!’

NAIDOC week is celebrated in Australia from the first Sunday in July to honour the history, culture and achievements of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Public engage with international experts on why APEC matters

Australian High Commission

Papua New Guineans joined local and international APEC experts on Thursday for a dialogue on the importance of hosting the region’s premier economic forum.

The event – themed ‘Why APEC matters for PNG?’ – was part of the APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct and included a keynote address from Carlos Kuriyama, senior analyst at the APEC Secretariat in Singapore.

Keynote speaker Carlos Kuriyama, senior analyst, APEC Secretariat (Singapore), speaking at the second event of the APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct.

Kuriyama spoke on the benefits APEC brought to his home country Peru, where he was previously a government official at the Ministry of Foreign Trade and Tourism and served as chief negotiator of the Peru-China FTA negotiation.

The event also included a panel discussion that featured Ken Waller, executive director of the APEC Business Advisory Council, and Lady Aivu Tauvasa, deputy chair of Nambawan Super, who took questions from the audience.

The APEC Discussion Series at the Precinct was launched in May and gives Papua New Guineans unprecedented access to visiting international experts and the APEC discussions taking place throughout 2018.

Thursday’s discussion was the second in the series, which is held at the University of Papua New Guinea, and the events will continue each month until November.

The series is hosted by the PNG APEC Secretariat and the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct, supported by the PNG – Australia Partnership, and explores APEC themes and policy issues relevant to Papua New Guinea and the Pacific.

As the 2018 APEC host, Papua New Guinea will hold approximately 200 meetings with up to 15,000 delegates, including global business and government leaders, policy and technical experts and academics.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a partnership between Papua New Guinea and Australia to support the development of ethical and capable leaders.