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By PATRICK O'CONNOR PAPUA NEW GUINEAN prime minister Peter O’Neill recently made his first official visit to Australia since his win in August’s national elections. O’Neill’s appearances in Canberra and Sydney demonstrated why the Australian government regards the prime minister as their man. He rejected any suggestion that Papua New Guinea was in danger of developing close strategic and military ties with China, and assured Australian investors in the mining and energy sectors that their interests would be upheld. On Monday, O’Neill participated in the PNG Mining and Petroleum Investment Conference in Sydney. The annual event was this year attended by a record 1,300 delegates, including executives from many of the major transnational giants including ExxonMobil, Rio Tinto, and Xstrata, as well as the multitude of smaller Australian, American, European, and Asian corporations now seeking to exploit PNG’s vast reserves of oil and gas, gold, copper, nickel, and other m

ECONOMIST Ross Garnaut has quit as chairman of Papua New Guinea's biggest-earning company, Ok Tedi Mining, as a result of PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's declaration in parliament two months ago that he was barred from entering the country. Professor Garnaut, who has been involved with PNG for 47 years, said in his resignation letter: "It is undesirable for development in PNG that the government's use of its immigration powers should be seen as having been effective in forcing changes in the board of a major private company. "For this reason, there was value in allowing some time for the Prime Minister to lift the ban should he be of a mind to do so." But now, he said, "it is not possible for me to fulfill my responsibilities as chairman of this large, complex mining company for an indefinite period while the government is preventing me from travelling to PNG" - which he had been doing seven or eight times a year. Mr O'Neill said in Novem

ECONOMIST Ross Garnaut has quit as chairman of Papua New Guinea's biggest-earning company, Ok Tedi Mining, as a result of PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill's declaration in parliament two months ago that he was barred from entering the country. Professor Garnaut, who has been involved with PNG for 47 years, said in his resignation letter: "It is undesirable for development in PNG that the government's use of its immigration powers should be seen as having been effective in forcing changes in the board of a major private company. "For this reason, there was value in allowing some time for the Prime Minister to lift the ban should he be of a mind to do so." But now, he said, "it is not possible for me to fulfill my responsibilities as chairman of this large, complex mining company for an indefinite period while the government is preventing me from travelling to PNG" - which he had been doing seven or eight times a year. Mr O'Neill sa

LIFESTYLE diseases such as diabetes, cancers of the digestive tract, the liver and lungs as well as the ailments of the heart are on the rise in Papua New Guinea. These diseases are robbing the country of many of its productive workers between the ages of 35 and 50. For a fledgling economy such as PNG, that cannot be good news because it means more and more of our brightest and best talents are succumbing to preventable diseases and, thus, leaving voids in experience and quality in the nation’s educated and skilled workforce. Almost every week, it seems, one will find in the obituaries column of the newspapers a death notice of a senior professional or some other middle management personnel who dies at what many in the first world would consider middle aged or younger. Deaths, attributable to lifestyle diseases, of individuals barely in their 50s in cities and rural areas are becoming so commonplace that one would assume that the country’s life expectancy has surely taken a dip since i

LIFESTYLE diseases such as diabetes, cancers of the digestive tract, the liver and lungs as well as the ailments of the heart are on the rise in Papua New Guinea. These diseases are robbing the country of many of its productive workers between the ages of 35 and 50. For a fledgling economy such as PNG, that cannot be good news because it means more and more of our brightest and best talents are succumbing to preventable diseases and, thus, leaving voids in experience and quality in the nation’s educated and skilled workforce. Almost every week, it seems, one will find in the obituaries column of the newspapers a death notice of a senior professional or some other middle management personnel who dies at what many in the first world would consider middle aged or younger. Deaths, attributable to lifestyle diseases, of individuals barely in their 50s in cities and rural areas are becoming so commonplace that one would assume that the country’s life expectancy has surely taken a dip

After another year of strong economic performance, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is brimming with confidence. The 2013 budget, announced in November and valued at PGK13bn ($6.2bn), is PNG’s largest-ever budget and one which the government is borrowing more than $1bn to fund. Centred on the development of core services, such as education, health and infrastructure, PNG’s budget is paving a path toward sustainable and inclusive growth, largely due to substantial gains in 2012. The 2013 budget is also cashing in on PNG’s improved political fortunes, following Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s election in August. This effectively closed the door on a period of intense political instability, as divided loyalties amongst the bureaucracy threatened to spill over into a military coup d’état. It is worth noting, however, that the government has extended a ban on votes of no confidence from 18 months to 30 months. The O’Neill administration has laid the groundwork for an expansion of government-led nation

After another year of strong economic performance, Papua New Guinea (PNG) is brimming with confidence. The 2013 budget, announced in November and valued at PGK13bn ($6.2bn), is PNG’s largest-ever budget and one which the government is borrowing more than $1bn to fund. Centred on the development of core services, such as education, health and infrastructure, PNG’s budget is paving a path toward sustainable and inclusive growth, largely due to substantial gains in 2012. The 2013 budget is also cashing in on PNG’s improved political fortunes, following Prime Minister Peter O’Neill’s election in August. This effectively closed the door on a period of intense political instability, as divided loyalties amongst the bureaucracy threatened to spill over into a military coup d’état. It is worth noting, however, that the government has extended a ban on votes of no confidence from 18 months to 30 months. The O’Neill administration has laid the groundwork for an expansion of government-

AT the recent Sydney Mining and Petroleum Conference, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill promised a wide-ranging review into the current mining and petroleum fiscal regime. At about the same time, he blacklisted a big-name industry personality in Dr Ross Garnaut for comments he made which the prime minister found to be offensive. The prime minister has further called for a thorough review of the precepts that govern the PNG Sustainable Development Program and placed no less than the renewal of Ok Tedi’s mining licence on the line as a condition. The prime minister’s bone with the programme, which has culminated in the move against its chairman Dr Garnaut and the decision to review the programme, is the continued control of its welfare by BHP, the Australian multinational which exited the Ok Tedi mine many years ago. There is the presumption that Ok Tedi mine is fully nationally-owned but the prime minister quite rightly sees where the control comes from and that has raised his anger. Whateve

AT the recent Sydney Mining and Petroleum Conference, Prime Minister Peter O’Neill promised a wide-ranging review into the current mining and petroleum fiscal regime. At about the same time, he blacklisted a big-name industry personality in Dr Ross Garnaut for comments he made which the prime minister found to be offensive. The prime minister has further called for a thorough review of the precepts that govern the PNG Sustainable Development Program and placed no less than the renewal of Ok Tedi’s mining licence on the line as a condition. The prime minister’s bone with the programme, which has culminated in the move against its chairman Dr Garnaut and the decision to review the programme, is the continued control of its welfare by BHP, the Australian multinational which exited the Ok Tedi mine many years ago. There is the presumption that Ok Tedi mine is fully nationally-owned but the prime minister quite rightly sees where the control comes from and that has raised his anger.

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG). “I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby. Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades. Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.   Flight From Indonesia Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into PNG from the w

Access to citizenship could prove the best hope yet for thousands of West Papuan refugees living in Papua New Guinea (PNG). “I want citizenship. I’ve been here 28 years and want to get on with my life,” said Donatus Karuri, a 57-year-old father of six, outside the shelter he shares with five other families at the Hohola refugee settlement. It is one of four settlements for West Papuan refugees in the capital Port Moresby. Like most West Papuan refugees, he is unable to work legally and has only limited access to public services. According to the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR), there are more than 9,000 West Papuan refugees in PNG today, many of whom have been in the Pacific island nation for over three decades. Others know no other home and can’t imagine living anywhere else. “I was born here. This is the only country I know,” said Dan Hanasbey, 27, another refugee wanting citizenship.   Flight From Indonesia Between 1984 and 1986, more than 11,000 West Papuans fled east into

To our family of readers and supporters out there in the blogosphere, may you be blessed this Holiday season, have a safe Merry Christmas and happy new year. PNGBLOGS

To our family of readers and supporters out there in the blogosphere, may you be blessed this Holiday season, have a safe Merry Christmas and happy new year. PNGBLOGS

By Graeme Smith To Treasury's consternation, during the course of the PNG election campaign Peter O'Neill announced he was negotiating a soft loan with China Exim Bank. It is worth in the region of K6 billion ($2.7 billion), with the potential for up to K10 billion to be drawn upon. It dwarfs the 2006 Soft Loan Facility of $375 million made to the Pacific as a whole. Pro-opposition blogs  have denounced the loan as 'sinister' and suggested that Treasury will be bypassed altogether. In the absence of any concrete details of the loan, which is currently being finalised, PNG's lively blogosphere has filled the vacuum. A  thoughtful anonymous post on Keith Jackson's blog  rightly points to the effect the loan will have on the ever appreciating exchange rate, which is set to face enormous upward pressure when Exxon Mobil's LNG project comes online. Perhaps the greatest concern is that the loan appears to be fragmenting (even before it is agreed) into a set of sma

By Graeme Smith To Treasury's consternation, during the course of the PNG election campaign Peter O'Neill announced he was negotiating a soft loan with China Exim Bank. It is worth in the region of K6 billion ($2.7 billion), with the potential for up to K10 billion to be drawn upon. It dwarfs the 2006 Soft Loan Facility of $375 million made to the Pacific as a whole. Pro-opposition blogs  have denounced the loan as 'sinister' and suggested that Treasury will be bypassed altogether. In the absence of any concrete details of the loan, which is currently being finalised, PNG's lively blogosphere has filled the vacuum. A  thoughtful anonymous post on Keith Jackson's blog  rightly points to the effect the loan will have on the ever appreciating exchange rate, which is set to face enormous upward pressure when Exxon Mobil's LNG project comes online. Perhaps the greatest concern is that the loan appears to be fragmenting (even before it is agreed) into

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)

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 Com