Aid Achievements in Papua New Guinea

The following are examples of recent achievements of Australian aid in PNG.

Governance

Delivering the 2006 Supplementary Budget and 2007 Budget consistent with PNG's fiscal and development strategies.
Improved fiscal management and accountability through the development, approval and implementation of the Fiscal Responsibility Act 2006
Improved financial management through the provision of financial management training to 618 public servants through 67 separate courses and including nine Provinces
Peace in Bougainville including support for the drafting of a Constitution, elections and weapons disposal program
National radio partnerships established between the ABC in Australia and NBC in PNG to help revive PNG's public radio network
Successful introduction of Limited Preferential Voting system in by-elections held since 2002
Introduction of more effective planning and budgeting process at the Provincial level resulting in more transparent work plans
Increased referrals to the Leadership Tribunals by the Ombudsman Commission (3 in 2003, 4 in 2004, 6 in 2005 and 10 in 2006). 60% of referrals lead to convictions in 2006, compared to 17% in 2005
Improved measures to counter corruption with the re-establishment of the National Anti-Corruption Alliance (NACA), a taskforce made up of agencies involved in addressing corruption. In 2006 NACA launched its first investigation into the Southern Highlands Provincial Administration leading to 27 arrests to date.

Essential Services and Social Stability

The number of children attending school has doubled in a decade, from 510,000 to over 1 million in 2005.
Enrolments in Elementary and Primary schools have grown from 522,500 in 1995 to 972,000 in 2005 - a total increase of 86% (or 6.4% per year - more than double the population growth). In 2005, 55% were male and 45% were female.
Increased access to education through the establishment of 4,200 elementary schools serving 300,000 children with elementary lessons taught in more than 200 languages.
Construction of 38 Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) clinics, enabling access to prevention and treatment services in high risk provinces and districts
Better HIV/AIDS awareness realised by a doubling of testing levels and increased condom use (up by 28% from 2001 to 2003)
Ninety specialist surgeon visits to PNG across nine specialty areas with 4,723 consultations and 2,473 operations since 2002, with associated improved capacity of PNG specialists
An internationally acceptable Avian Influenza contingency plan.
Improved access to justice with a 7.5% increase in the number of village courts, which deals with the vast majority of disputes and cases in PNG. In 2006, the PNG Government paid the allowances of Village Court magistrates that had been outstanding since 1995, addressing a long-standing issue that had been impacting on the effectiveness of the village courts.
Improved court management systems and increased efficiency in reduction in case backlogs. There was a 73% reduction in the court backlog of criminal cases in the Waigani National Court in 2006, as a direct result of a Court Users Forum program supported by AusAID.
Improvement in the justice system's ability to prosecute offences and appropriately treat victims of gender based violence through training for police, prosecutors and judges on the amended Sexual Offences laws. The National Court has set aside one day per week to prioritise gender based violence cases. Family support centres and witness rooms have been established to offer a range of support services for victims of sexual or family violence.
Support to Provinces has strengthened infrastructure to enable Districts to work better with National agencies to improve service delivery.

Broad-Based Sustainable Growth

100% of all contracts for transport infrastructure awarded to companies registered in PNG
More than 2100 kilometres of national roads maintained in 14 provinces (more than 25% of PNG's national roads) and replacement or maintenance of more than 100 bridges
Travel times halved between Lae and Goroka because of Australian support for maintenance of the Highlands Highway
Ensured maintenance at 19 of PNG's 22 major national airports
Economic growth in Bougainville restored through reinvigorating the agriculture sector with 2,700 small-scale economic development activities. Post-conflict assistance has enhanced income through the rehabilitation and supply of cocoa dryers to return production to pre-conflict levels
Improved agricultural productivity and food security through support for the production of high yielding varieties of staple and cash crops and the distribution of planting material to improve food security and cash incomes
Better performance of the agricultural sector through ongoing support to the National Agricultural Research Institute.

July 2007