AUSTRALIA'S DEPUTY Opposition leader and shadow Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, has called for Australia to help Papua New Guinea move away from reliance on foreign aid.
“There must be a firm focus on self sufficiency rather than aid dependency,” Ms Bishop told Radio Australia.
“With the revenue from resource projects in PNG set to boost its economy, Australian aid will play a comparatively lesser role in PNG's development.”
However, Ms Bishop said that, on a recent visit to PNG, “it was apparent that the social development issues are immense” and that “delivering health and education services to some is particularly challenging.”
She said that PNG is at an important juncture in its development.
“It's on the verge of this mining and resource boom that should generate significant income with the potential to radically alter the course of its economic and social development.
“Mining and resource companies are already active participants in the development field, not only are they building new infrastructure; but also providing basic medical facilities and schools.”
Ms Bishop said that often mining companies’ networks are more efficient than government but that they reach further into the remote areas than the government does. She said churches and NGOs will also continue to play an important role.
“My point is while Australia must continue to support PNG; we should take a long term view and work to a more economic partnership model than just an aid donor, aid recipient model,” she said.
Source: Radio Australia, 3 October
http://www.radioaustralia.net.au/pacbeat/stories/201110/s3331247.htm
As a Papua New Guinean, personally I have not benefitted from any aid from Australia.
When we had no water for years growing up in Hohola - there was no AusAID, when I went to primary school at Eki Vaki and shared one desk with two other students - where was AusAID?
When we shared one text book among the 30 of us in class - where was AusAID? When we couldn't use the school toilets because it was beyond a child's ability to figure out how I was going to put my bum on all that stink - where was AusAID?
Mate, this was almost 20 years ago and even to this day it hasn't changed. And the question begs - where is AusAID?
It is paying the dumb consultants they send to this country to create models for six months and then leave for the next consultant to come back and create yet another one overriding the previous one and there just no real results.
We don't need these consultants sitting in whitewashed walls pushing paper. What we need is hands-on individuals who are out there with the poeple building wells, schools, desks, new facilities and getting the local people involved.
Practical wisdom. That's what needed.
Posted by: Mary Koisen | 30 November 2011 at 12:28 PM
I agree, but more talk on a partnership at the top but 'long tambolo' they don't seem to hear very well!
For starters on a partnership model - start by getting Papua New Guineans to manage the aid program - but hey that needs trust right? And for my tuppence worth, that's kind of still perpetually premature!
The aid program will be a better vehicle for development if it were not tied to managers coming from Australia and New Zealand under a special agreement that allowed that.
It was a battle of sorts to get that special treatment extended to PNG firms!
Ah kain toktok ya - mi les long dispela longpela debate back and forth, year after year (some of us have got bubus and grey hair and still the same old same old).
Can we see the proposed partnership model pleazz or an appropriate model that is mutually agreeable and beneficial. I don't think anyone has actually sat down to work on a model! or have I missed something?
We tried doing it through a treaty but that's probably not enough because trust with a big T is not in the vocab - serious trust that is - the doing and practicing kind! Kain olsem.
Posted by: Mari Ellingson | 10 October 2011 at 08:41 PM
I support the call made by Julie Bishop. You don't help a man by giving him fish every day for his meals, you help a man by teaching him how to catch fish.
Giving him fish everyday makes him rely on you and your fish-aid. Just food for thought-Chinese philosophy.
Posted by: Gelab Piak | 10 October 2011 at 06:50 PM