Dr Kristian Lasslett – International State Crime Initiative Although it has been in the pipeline for months, last week the O’Neill government formally announced that the National Housing Estate Limited (NHEL) would be taking over large chunks of the National Housing Corporation’s assets, and presumably its functions too. Apparently this move was motivated by a desire “to provide affordable housing for Papua New Guineans” Post-Courier (3/12/12) . If true, it deserves applause. However, we must now pause for thought following Sunday’s press statement by NHEL’s Executive Chairman, John Dege (see also ABC Radio, 4/12/12 ). Among other things, Dege’s statement catalogues a number of housing projects the NHEL is about to embark upon. To this end, he remarks: “NHEL is…a major proponent in the Paga Hill housing development project undertaken by Paga Hill Development Company (PNG) Limited”. This is a startling admission for the NHEL to make. After all, the Paga Hill Development Company (PHDC)