HAS IT BEEN A LOST DECADE FOR PNG?

Questions over Government spending on development projects during the resource boom in the last ten years have been provided with some answers.

The Promoting Effective Public Expenditure Project, funded by the National Research Institute and the Australian National University, has provided data collected from surveys which show how development projects have been implemented.

The Budget Forum was held on Thursday at the NRI Conference Centre in Port Moresby.

The question asked at the Forum was – has it been a lost decade for PNG?

Director for the National Research Institute Dr Thomas Webster made his comments based on the research data.

In an effort to better understand whether service delivery conditions have improved or worsened in the last decade, the Promoting Effective Public Expenditure Project completed extensive expenditure tracking and facility surveys across eight provinces last year.

Survey teams visited 214 schools and 147 health facilities in some of PNG’s most remote and isolated communities to complete over 1250 separate surveys.

Acting Secretary for the Department of National Planning and Monitoring, Juliana Kubak, commented on the issue, making reference to the 2013 Public Investment Programme.

Meanwhile, Minister for Treasury Don Polye, in issuing the Budget Strategy paper, spoke of the Government’s plans for development.

EMTV