Keith Jackson & Friends: PNG ATTITUDE

Happy 41st Birth Day PNG

PETER KINJAP

PNG has grown from strength to strength
Like a child who loses baby teeth
To grow the teen teeth
To prepare for adult age
You have come a long way
Leaving behind toddler days
From teen memories
You can be strong to stand alone

I have seen you ignoring liquid food
You don't want mashed food anymore

PNG needs more effective foreign policy to strengthen global ties

PETER S KINJAP

A MORE effective foreign policy is needed to strengthen and improve Papua New Guinea’s international ties, says Frank Aisi, deputy secretary for policy, economic and international relations of the prime minister’s department.

Aisi said PNG has diplomatic relations with 56 countries and needs a policy that is strategic in outlook and capable of drawing tangible benefits that complement national development plans.

He stressed that the policy needs to be delivered by a functioning public service that is responsive, knowledge based and attuned to domestic and international issues.

Assuming cultural superiority: A dangerous temptation

PHIL FITZPATRICK

AS A well-travelled visitor to Papua New Guinea, reasonably fluent in the lingua franca and part of the old colonial push, I’m often assumed to have an understanding of the country and its people.

This is thought to be an asset given most Australians’ ignorance of or apathy towards their nearest neighbour.

The same assumption of wisdom is often made about my many years working with indigenous Australians in the outback.

Perhaps I have unwittingly corroborated this view by writing about various cultures and how they interact. I’ve never sought recognition as an expert but that seems to have happened. I’m not alone in this respect.

The truth of the matter is entirely different.

Constitutional planning & the creation of the state of PNG

RAYMOND SIGIMET's history of independence series - Part 3

IN JUNE 1972, during the term of the third House of Assembly, then chief minister Michael Somare proposed to appoint a constitutional planning committee to write a constitution for the then Territory of Papua and New Guinea.

The drafting of a constitution was a requirement before the territory could become an independent state.

Somare recommended that the House set up a select committee on constitutional development to lay out the future of PNG within a “home grown” constitution.

The setting up of the committee was in response to external pressures on the Australian government, especially from the United Nations through the Foot Report, to fast track self-government and independence for the territory.

Agriculture & tourism expected to stimulate Bougainville economy

ANTHONY KAYBING

DEVELOPING the agriculture sector to increase Bougainville’s revenue stream remains one of the foremost prerogatives of the Autonomous Bougainville Government.

South Bougainville has taken a lead by developing its primary industries with support from foreign investors who operate on an equal benefit sharing arrangement.

In areas that need more development, the ABG has always encouraged partnerships between locals and credible foreign investors who can contribute meaningfully to Bougainville’s economy.

President John Momis acknowledged initiatives taken by Bougainvillean resource owners in the agriculture sector such as the Tonolei Integrated Agriculture Initiative and the Bana District Development Initiative.

How four PNG writers came to the Brisbane Writers Festival

BOB CLELAND

THE attendance at last week’s Brisbane Writers Festival by three Papua New Guinean writers was a brilliant success.

McKinnon – Paga Hill Development Company fellows Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namarong travelled from PNG and were joined by Brisbane resident, Rashmii Amoah Bell.

As I watched the four writers so capably and eloquently express themselves during their one-hour session at the Festival, I reflected upon the story of how it had happened.

I would like to relate that history for the record …..

As I read the poetry, prose, fact and fiction in the 2014 Crocodile Prize Anthology, I realised that most of the writers represented were targeting a PNG audience.

The Foot Report & the creation of the state of PNG

RAYMOND SIGIMET’s history of independence series – Part 2

SIR HUGH Foot was a member of an influential British family and a British colonial administrator and diplomat.

He was to later preside over moves to give independence to various of the former British colonies and was the United Kingdom representative to the United Nations.

On 27 November 1961, the Trusteeship Council of the UN announced its intention to send a visiting mission to the Territory of Papua and New Guinea. It was commissioned to examine the political, social and economic development in the Trust Territory of New Guinea and was led by Sir Hugh accompanied three other members.

The Foot mission visited many places in the Territory and spoke to many people.

Sir Julius says New Ireland is ready for autonomy

PETER S KINJAP

NEW Ireland Governor and former Papua New Guinea prime minister, Sir Julius Chan, has told his Provincial Assembly that the province is ready for autonomy.

Sir Julius said it taken eight years of hard work to transform New Ireland into a self-reliant and self-governing part of PNG that is efficient, market-oriented and internationally competitive.

The only hitch, he said, was that “we have received little official action on our bid for autonomy.

“We are asking only that the spirit and letter of the PNG Constitution be upheld.

 PNG books for PNG authors for PNG readers
Many PNG authors cannot afford to buy their own books, so we are auctioning a painting by famed PNG artist Mathias Kauage (1944-2000). Proceeds from the sale of the 116cm square acrylic on canvas, Elekopta fly antap, the gift of Jo Holman, will go to a fund to purchase books by PNG authors, which will then be provided to the authors to distribute. 
More information here.

Donate directly to the Holman Book Fund: current total - $1,700
Donations via:  Keith Jackson,  BSB 082-302,  Account 50-650-1355
Donors: Chris Overland; Col Young; Lance Hill; Bob Cleland; Francis Nii; Phil Fitzpatrick, Keith Jackson; Allan Kidston; Rob Parer

Alarming rates of child abuse & violence in PNG: report

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Seventy percent of children in Papua New Guinea suffer physical abuse and 50% face family violence, a new report has found.

The study by Save the Children, UNICEF and Doctors without Borders found children in PNG face high levels of abuse, neglect and exploitation.

Save the Children's country director for PNG, Jennifer El-Sibai, said the findings were "very concerning".

"The research suggests that sexual violence against children primarily happens within the home, which is very concerning — or at least within the extended family unit," she said.

The Legislative Council & the creation of the state of PNG

RAYMOND SIGIMET’s history of independence series – Part 1

AFTER the surrender of the Japanese Imperial Army in 1945, an Australian civil administration in Papua and New Guinea took over from the military administration known as the Australia – New Guinea Administrative Unit, ANGAU.

This relevant legislation was the Papua and New Guinea Provisional Administration Act of 1945-46.

Later, the Papua and New Guinea Act of 1949 formally recognised the creation of a single administrative entity in the Territory of Papua and New Guinea under Australian civil rule.

This Act also provided for the creation of a Legislative Council and other areas of administration such as a judicial service, public service and local government.

24 expatriates granted PNG citizenship in Port Moresby ceremony

PETER KINJAP

TWENTY-FOUR people who have lived in Papua New Guinea for more than two decades have been granted citizenship of their adopted country.

Most of the new citizens are businessmen, some married to Papua New Guineans, who have lived in Port Moresby for up to 30 years and wanted themselves and their family to be inducted into the PNG community.

Over the years they had contributed in many ways to the country and had children who were born in PNG and attended schools here, making PNG their home.

The risky business of writing for PNG Attitude is well worth it

PHIL FITZPATRICK

SINCE I’ve been a contributor to PNG Attitude I’ve attracted some interesting comments on what I write.

Most of the comments are supportive, but a small proportion are critical. Some people take offence at what I write. They accuse me of being deliberately provocative, baiting, fulminating and even sensationalist.

While the supportive comments are nice it is the critical stuff that I really like reading.

While there is satisfaction in drawing commentators into my little traps, the most important part is the opportunity to engage in genuine debate.

Keep it below 1.5 – impacts of climate change on the Pacific

ROKOTAMANA VITINAQAILEVU

THE CALLS by Pacific small island developing states to curb emissions and reduce climate change impact are gradually being heard post the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The reality is that some of these islands are headed for total annihilation.

A 2014 United Nations report has locked in a 1.3 meter sea level rise over the next 2,000 years, even if we reduce emissions tomorrow.

This was a conservative estimate and other projections suggest that it may already be too late for some populations.

Melanesian artists invited to submit work to Melbourne exhibition

PAULINE VETUNA

THE curators of an art exhibition in Melbourne, Australia, are urgently looking for Papua New Guinean artists to submit work for the upcoming Sampari Art Show in December.

The submission date is 17 October 2016.

The show, curated and organised by a team of dedicated volunteers from the West Papua Women's Office, is themed 'West Papua' and will feature the art of artists across Melanesia in solidarity with the West Papuan people.

Sampari coordinators in each of the Melanesian nations are working to attract submissions inspired by West Papuans, their geography, cultures, politics, history and environment.

Call for Australian assistance as ‘half of PNG budget stolen’

Radio New Zealand International

THE Papua New Guinea activist group, Act Now, says Australia has to do more to help PNG crack down on money laundering.

This followed a decision by a Singapore court in which former PNG prime minister Sir Michael Somare was implicated.

The court jailed a couple for laundering $US3.6 million dollars intended for setting up community colleges in PNG.

The court also established that $784,000 of the money was deposited in the bank account of Sir Michael Somare, who was PNG's prime minister at the time.

Colourful political rhetoric emerges as election nears

JEFFREY MANE FEBI | Nokondi Talk

THE heat of the forthcoming 2017 national elections has caught on early.

Many supporters of intending candidates, in their desperate attempts to win favour for their candidates, have begun character assassination in earnest.

Their talk uses colourful adjectives to describe or demean other prospective candidates.

Here are some I’ve collected; you can add to the list.

With UN help, Radio Bougainville takes a big step forward

ANTHONY KAYBING

THE Autonomous Bougainville Government is making headway in developing the media in the region to allow people more access to information.

This has seen the upgrade of the NBC Bougainville facilities after the ABG committed K5 million to improve the technology and coverage of the radio station.

Opening the studio, ABG President John Momis said this included new broadcast equipment, studio renovation and a new fully digital 10 kilowatt shortwave transmitter. 

PNG writers spectacular international debut at Brisbane festival

KEITH JACKSON

AT THE Brisbane Writers Festival yesterday, before an audience of over 50 people including Papua New Guinea’s consul-general Maggie Moi-he, four of PNG’s top writers showed they were not only giants of the keyboard but splendid performers on the international stage.

As representatives of their country and interpreters of Melanesian literary expression, Francis Nii, Martyn Namorong, Rashmii Amoah Bell and Daniel Kumbon - with style, intellect and charisma - put in a superb performance at the first ever PNG presentation at an Australian literary festival.

PNG people with disabilities are discriminated against: Polye

PETER S KINJAP

PAPUA New Guinea opposition leader Don Polye has slammed National Capital District Governor Powes Parkop for denying people living with disabilities rights to access facilities in Port Moresby.

A concerned Polye came out hard on the governor following the construction of three overhead bridges in the city without wheelchair ramps.

“Our fellow citizens with disabilities cannot access them,” he said.

“The governor always claims to be a human rights lawyer but he has failed to capture provisions in the Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

The opposition leader said PNG is a party to the Convention and that it should honour this be eliminating barriers to people accessing facilities and amenities.

PNG rice quota plan baffles Australian suppliers

ANDREW MARSHALL | Fairfax Agricultural Med ia

RICE industry officials in Australia are struggling to understand what is going on in one of Australia’s best markets after just returning from an emergency mission to Papua New Guinea (PNG).

While national marketer, SunRice is revelling in the prospect of big 80,000 hectare rice planting in its southern NSW heartland this summer, much of its valuable PNG market for that crop may soon dissolve because of a contentious quota system flagged for next year.

SunRice has been told its majority-owned subsidiary, Trukai Industries, will have to share just 20% of the PNG rice market with several other supplier rivals, while a new, unknown rice trading entity takes surprise responsibility for about 80% of the market.

Positive investment & infrastructure steps in Bougainville

JOHN MOMIS | President, Autonomous Region of Bougainville

DESPITE negative trends in the Papua New Guinea national government’s attitudes towards Bougainville, there have still been positive development initiatives by the Autonomous Bougainville Government.

The commodity support facility recently launched and supported under governance implementation fund is a positive development for the farmers of Bougainville and will bring tangible development at the community and village levels,

The facility will also allow Bougainville to explore downstream processing opportunities for products such as cocoa, as evidenced by the recent chocolate festival held in Buin and Arawa.

PNG writers’ Australian diary – one of those strange days

KEITH JACKSON

AAGH, there I was in this same space yesterday looking forward to a big Brisbane riverside lunch with a bunch of people I like to be with, and others I wanted to meet.

But sometimes things don’t turn out exactly the way you design them and, Jackson’s Curse getting in the way, I was unable to leave Noosa until the beast was subdued and so missed an occasion I was much anticipating.

Driving down to Brisbane later in the day, I was called by literary mentor and good guy Ed Brumby who told me what a wonderfully relaxed and pleasant event it was – a sentiment repeated by others as eventually I caught up with the world and my colleagues Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon, Martyn Namorong and Ben Jackson.

All of whom had been at lunch. A leisurely lunch. At Shores. On the river.

Legal action looms as PNG tries to squeeze B'ville into submission

KEITH JACKSON

PRESIDENT John Momis says the Papua New Guinea national government continues to ignore its financial obligations under the Bougainville Peace Agreement and says “the picture is indeed very gloomy”.

Bougainville’s has experienced severe financial problems in 2016 as the O’Neill government persists in its repudiation of its commitment to provide timely and adequate funding to the Autonomous Bougainville Government.

Dr Momis said this continues to be a major obstacle to Bougainville’s development, a situation “further exacerbated by the current tactics the national government is employing to undermine the authority of the ABG.”

Corruption has to end before it destroys us all

PHIL FITZPATRICK

DESPITE all the early promises, the defining moment in Peter O’Neill’s government has been the withdrawal of funds from Taskforce Sweep.

By that single action O’Neill identified himself as just another politician on the make. His subsequent treatment of the Fraud Squad confirmed perceptions of his guilt.

By my calculations 97% of the politicians in the Haus Tambaran are corrupt. It is my perception that Peter O’Neill is just one of them.

Levels of corruption can be measured in degree. It can range from those who have simply accepted gifts from vested interests right up to those who have stolen, misappropriated and squandered millions of kina from the public purse.

PNG writers’ Australian diary – interviews & a chance encounter

KEITH JACKSON

IT’S amazing who a few guys from Papua New Guinea run into when wandering around the streets of a new city and minding their own business.

Yesterday, in Queen Street Mall – the very heart of Brisbane, Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namorong came upon a familiar face.

It was Tony Wellington, the Noosa mayor who they’d just met two days before, in Brisbane for a bit of council business.

As the picture shows, they responded as old friends do when they unexpectedly meet in a strange place – get their photo taken.

Even after cuts, PNG budget hole K780m bigger than thought

KEITH JACKSON

PAPUA New Guinea has already imposed “tougher expenditure cuts than undertaken by Greece”, says economist Paul Flanagan, but further budget repair – including higher taxes - is required in the medium-term.

The prominent economist, who has worked for the Australian Treasury and in PNG and has been banned from entering PNG by the O’Neill government, was writing in his PNG Economics blog.

The solution for PNG in the longer term, he says, is to diversify and improve the non-resource sectors of the economy such as agribusiness.

The grand legacy of the late Kondom Agaundo

JIMMY AWAGL

An entry in the 2016 Crocodile Prize

The pioneer hero of Simbus
Made a breakthrough in politics
To draw the unknown civilisation
Towards a great development
His heart held the Simbus together
His willpower delivered great things
He bore the unbearable for people’s good

Never taught to read or write but
Used his wisdom write in people’s hearts
He spoke for Simbu
He worked for Simbu
He dreamed for Simbu
He lived for Simbu
He died for Simbu

Adventist University's Vision City show brings out top talent

WARDLEY BARRY

LAST Saturday was a night to remember. A night where the raw beauty of untapped talent was exposed.

A night where cultural pride, national identity, individuality and innovation left everyone in the audience speechless and inspired.

The first ever Vision City talent show held at Pacific Adventist University exploded in colours way beyond expectations.

Talented painters who had never showed their works to a wide audience paraded them with pride.

(Sestina): We were never a match!

VAGI SAMUEL JNR

We were never a match (a)
She was a crusader from birth (b)
I was a realist during high school years (c)
We had different ideas and opinions (d)
From the time we started to date (e)
We both pursued dreams not the same (f)

I was white and she was just the same (f)
Black, her skin tone we could not match (a)
But December twenty-fifth was the date (e)
That our friendship gave birth (b)
I did not hate but her opinions (d)
For I cared so much for the coming years (c)

PNG writers’ Australian diary – on to Brisbane

KEITH JACKSON

LATE yesterday morning, Ben Jackson collected the three Papua New Guinean writers, Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namorong as well as Julie Kumbon, from Noosa Blue Resort and – on a rather grey and misty day – they began the two hour drive south to Brisbane.

Their encounter with Noosa had three focal points: a meeting with ordinary Australians at a buffet lunch; a more formal event for local writers, politicians and media; and a working session to plan the PNG appearance at the Brisbane Writers Festival, which starts today.

Proposed rice quota is discriminatory, unfair & anti-competitive

KEITH JACKSON

A paper by Papua New Guinea’s National Research Institute says the PNG government’s proposal to introduce a quota system to control rice imports “discriminatory, unfair and anti-competitive”.

The proposed quota system is currently in the news due to possible breaches of international trade agreements and concern about its potential impact on domestic rice development.

The NRI said that failure to subject the proposed rice policy to public scrutiny and an absence of domestic rice production data has constrained economists and other experts from meaningful research and analysis of the policy’s likely impacts.

Opposition reveals serious drug shortage in PNG public hospitals

PETER S KINJAP

A SHORTAGE of drugs and medical kits in public hospitals and clinics is life threatening, according to opposition leader Don Polye.

And Mr Polye has said that his fellow citizens must take extra care of themselves.

“Prevention is better than cure. Medical fees at private hospitals are very costly. Our common people cannot afford them,” he said.

Polye said his officers had conducted research into most of the public hospitals and clinics in PNG.

PNG writers’ Australian diary – the pace picks up

KEITH JACKSON

MONDAY morning in Noosa was the first time Francis, Daniel, Phil, Martyn and I were able to sit down together and plan the writers’ visit in gritty detail.

But first there was an interview with Kerri Worthington of Radio Australia’s popular Pacific Beat program.

Martyn explained to Kerri that, with the Crocodile Prize now for the first time firmly in the hands of Papua New Guineans, it’s time for PNG voices to be expressed to the world.

Home of the K19 billion LNG project is under siege

PETER S KINJAP

PNG'S HELA Province is under siege following an upsurge in fresh inter-tribal group fighting last week.

According to a report by PNG Loop, Tari Pori District Authority executive David Takitako said there were continuous spat of tribal fights all over the province including in the provincial capital, Tari.

He called on the national government to immediately declare a state of emergency in Hela Province.

In a meeting at the weekend, Hela leaders resolved unanimously for immediate state intervention in the face of total anarchy in this resource-rich province.

PNG’s small business policy is bold but the right direction

CORNEY K ALONE

This is a response to Win Nicholas's article "PNG's SME policy: the right aim but dubious means" which appeared in the Devpolicy Blog on 18 July 2016.

THERE are government subsidies and protectionism in all of the world’s economies. An acknowledged fact.

The United States grants subsidies and tax exemptions to most of their conglomerates in nearly every industry there is.

Australia too, especially in its agri-industry sector. It has a foreign investment control board that plays the gatekeeping role, filtering what investment to allow and what to decline, operating in lockstep with the meticulous immigration and visa policy.

UPNG decision to terminate student leaders is illegal, says lawyer

PETER S KINJAP

THE University of Papua New Guinea administration's decision to terminate eight students from continuing their studies is illegal and ultra vires (beyond its power in law) according to lawyer Peter Dumu.

As classes at the university are due to recommence today, Dumu (pictured), a former member of the students’ disciplinary committee, offered three grounds for his view.

Firstly, according to the by-laws of UPNG, a student who is alleged to be in breach, must be given seven to 14 days notice to respond to written charges by the students’ disciplinary committee.

The committee will then call a meeting to hear the response, following which it will make its ruling on whether suspend or terminate a student from studies.

The PNG writers’ Australian diary – at leisure in Noosa

KEITH JACKSON

NOOSA inhabitants never take for granted the wonderful weather that characterises this beautiful part of south-east Queensland; but we are especially delighted when the climate masalai turn things on for visitors.

And so it was yesterday, as writers Francis Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namorong emerged from a well-earned sleep at Noosa Blue Resort and looked from their balconies upon a blissful Sunday.

It was late Saturday night when they had arrived, so there was no desire for conversation – even the garishly lit Reef pub across the road failed to tempt.

But yesterday was very different.

Adapting PNG higher education to a volatile global economy

FRANCIS HUALUPMOMI

THE SLUMP in global oil prices from 2014-2016 has significantly affected the capacity of Papua New Guinea’s economy to sustain many of its activities, including funding higher education.

Since 2014 the global energy market has been volatile and as a result resource-dependent economies have been affected, sometimes dramatically.

And there are political as well as economic factors involved. Big energy players are concerned about who gains the biggest market share.

The PNG writers’ Australian diary – the first leg

KEITH JACKSON

FRANCIS Nii, Daniel Kumbon and Martyn Namorong (pictured in the departure lounge at Port Moresby airport yesterday afternoon) had assembled in the national capital on Friday morning after a hectic and nerve-wracking week.

Francis had to undertake a special medical check after an encounter with tuberculosis a few years back and both he and Martyn were also under pressure to get their Australian visas sorted.

Visas, as many Papua New Guineans know, can offer a process that is complex and fraught.

Wilson quits Manus in another blow for offshore detention

Radio New Zealand International

AN AUSTRALIAN NGO says Wilson Security's announcement that it will not renew its contract for security at detention centres at Manus in Papua New Guinea and in Nauru is yet another blow for offshore detention.

Wilson Security's decision follows the announcement by the service provider, Broadspectrum, earlier this year that it, too, would abandon the asylum seeker processing centres.

The announcement leaves the Australian government without a service provider or security firm for its controversial offshore detention regime.

Ngaiire Joseph finds her voice on path from PNG to Australian Idol

IAIN SHEDDEN | The Australian

SINGER Ngaiire is grateful for music’s therapeutic power. Without it, most likely she would not be where she is today — celebrated as one of Australia’s most promising female vocalists and enjoying rave reviews for her second album, Blastoma, released in June.

Certainly, Papua New Guinea-born Ngaiire Joseph’s prospects of performing in front of 20,000 people, as she did as a guest of producer du jour Flume at Splendour in the Grass in July, would have been remote at best had she not immersed herself in music at a young age.

It was her coping mechanism during a turbulent childhood that included her parents splitting up, and a potentially terminal illness.

Student leaders’ lawyer challenges provocative UPNG ban

PETER S KINJAP

A LAWYER representing banned students at the University of Papua New Guinea, Laken Aigilol, will challenge the UPNG Administration termination decision in court.

"I will look at seeking the Court's mercy to stay the exclusion and review this decision,” Mr Aigilol said.

Mr Aigilol himself is being sued by UPNG for contempt of court for aiding the students in a case that will be heard on 13 September.

Juffa condemns UPNG admin action in banning student leaders

PNG Today

ORO Governor Gary Juffa MP has condemned the actions of the UPNG Council to terminate student leaders for participating in the student unrest that forced the closure of the university.

Juffa said the actions taken by the University Council were not in the best interest of democracy and free speech.

“Dissent and protests were important facets of democracy and such actions were actually discouraging free speech and the approach taken to terminate student leaders was harsh and totalitarian,” he said.

‘Unserdeutsch’ – PNG’s unique German-based creole language

Deutschland.de

“DU GEHT WO, Du essen was?” Anyone who speaks German will doubtless understand this question despite its somewhat clumsy grammar.

It is in fact German, however – or more precisely Unserdeutsch (Our German), a creole language that is at risk of dying out.

Unserdeutsch is now spoken by fewer than a hundred people – most of them elderly – in Papua New Guinea, and is the world’s only German-based creole language.

A language is described as creole if it emerged from several different languages.

Spirit & legitimacy of UPNG ‘reconciliation’ are in question

FRANCIS NII

“The peace reconciliation must be between the students themselves; the different groups, the different factions, the pro-boycott and anti-boycott group and the different provinces” - UPNG acting chancellor, Dr Nicholas Mann.

“There was no internal conflict between students from different ethnic groups. There is unity between the students of the University of Papua New Guinea. Everyone is in this issue together” – UPNG student leader, Cameron Wari

THE PERMANENT ban on 60 UPNG student leaders from entering the Waigani Campus casts serious doubt on today’s planned reconciliation and peace ceremony.

Student registrations for the restitution of classes disrupted by student protests against prime minister Peter O’Neill’s alleged involvement in corruption ended yesterday. And today a reconciliation ceremony is meant to pave the way for a peaceful start of the program on Monday.

However, when student leaders including student representative council vice president Arthur Amos turned up early this week for registration, they were handed permanent termination notices by the university administration and escorted off the campus by security guards.

PNG writers' passage cleared for big Australian literary event

KEITH JACKSON

THE first appearance by Papua New Guinean writers at the Brisbane Writers Festival next week was locked into place yesterday as paraplegic author Francis Nii was medically cleared to make the trip.

Francis, Martyn Namorong and Daniel Kumbon will fly to Brisbane on Saturday to start an important visit which it is hoped will establish a continuing relationship between literary figures in Australia and Papua New Guinea.

The trip has been made possible through the provision of funding by Prof Ken McKinnon, the Paga Hill Development Company and PNG Attitude.

A reflection on five challenging years with Task Force Sweep

SAM KOIM | Edited

THE END of August marked five years of operation for Investigation Task-Force Sweep. Half of this time it was funded by government; half of this time it wasn’t.

It also marked five years for me as its chairman – three years with salary and two years without.

The last two years has been very challenging. We have tried our best to survive the onslaught of oppression and suppression.

The Aussie chalkies who educated an army for independence

TERRY EDWINSMITH

The Chalkies: Educating an Army for Independence by Darryl R Dymock, Australian Scholarly Publishing, $35.00, paperback, ISBN: 9781925333770. Available here from Avid Reader

THE shared history of our two nations – Papua New Guinea and Australia - is a wonderful thing, especially when it is positive and two cultures meet with satisfactory outcomes for both.

This wonderful event should be celebrated and embraced by everyone but unfortunately few people from either culture know the story and the benefits that were derived.

It came about during the Vietnam War period. A ballot was held on 10 March 1965 to select Australian 20 year old males as conscripts to boost Australian Forces at home and overseas.

It's time we talked seriously about PNG's toilets...

LYNNE SHORI

THINK of it - 2.5 billion people, or 36% of the global population, lack access to toilets.

And according to the United Nations, the comparable figure for Papua New Guinea in 2015 was an incredible 81%.

It’s a big deal.

Poor sanitation increases water borne disease which the World Health Organisation has identified as a key driver of PNGs consistently poor health outcomes.