Australia is reprioritising over PGK47 million from existing commitments to provide a wide-ranging package of support to PNG to prepare and respond to a coronavirus outbreak. This is under the Papua New Guinea – Australia partnership to provide support to the Government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. According to a recent statement from the Australian
Treasury Department Working Hard on a COVID-19 response plan
The coronavirus is already hurting our economy through global conditions such as falling oil prices. Keeping our people safe through lockdowns will also have economic impacts. Economic mismanagement over the last seven years means the budget cupboard is bare. The Marape-Steven government is working tirelessly to develop responsive, innovative ideas on how to respond such as the actions recently announced by BPNG. There will be further announcements this week.
“On Sunday evening, I met with the PNG Vice-President of Digicel, the Secretary of the Department of Communications and Information, and my staff to discuss how the telecommunications sector can assist with the national response to COVID-19. It was a very positive discussion covering the work that Digicel is doing in supporting the National Operations Centre, the 4.4 million messages being sent out in Tok Pisin and English to mobile phones providing health messages, and the thousand calls a day being received at the call centre.
“This is just part of the constant work we have been doing this weekend to develop an innovative response to this health crisis. We are looking at business to business and business to customer options to support each other – it doesn’t only have to be government providing support. We all need to help each other.
“We have been working to answer the question ‘How does the Marape-Steven Government respond to such an economic emergency?”
“An unsophisticated and dangerous approach would be to just spend big from our budget to stimulate the economy. This was the K2 billion proposal from the Opposition. However, the economic legacy from seven years of economic mismanagement means that we already have the largest deficit in our nation’s history of K4.6 billion. There is a likely loss of K2 billion in revenues updated from our last announcement. Spending a further K2 billion, would create a massive budget deficit and all add to our debt levels which our children will have to pay for. This would be irresponsible.
“So what do we do instead? There is a smarter response. Rather than just focusing on the budget, we can use other economic tools available to government. These are monetary policy and regulatory policies including superannuation. The positive links we have now built with the international community can be leveraged. Businesses can help businesses and their customers.
“The Marape-Steven government. Pro-active, responsive, protecting our community in a balanced way using the full force of the law. Part of our resilient national response to this pandemic.
Hon. Ian Ling-Stuckey, CMG. MP
Minister for Treasury
Good early morning my fellow PNG compatriots, Corona and many challenges we face as a Nation will not kill us neither hurt our spirits but by God’s grace we will live on. In moments like this, I ask all people to appreciate each other and give each other a helping hand. Your government will by
Presenter: Hon. Bryan Kramer – Minister for Police Date: 24th March 2020 Time: 3:45am COVID-19 COUNTRY STATUS As of today, Papua New Guinea remains free of additional COVID-19 cases. The only case we had has left the country through medivac. Test that have come back from highly suspected cases the Prime Minister mentioned
Minister for Information & Communication Technology, Hon. Timothy Masiu has commended the information and communication sector in the country for its swift response in establishing the communication set up at the National Operations Centre (NOC) in Waigani to help combat the threat of COVID-19 in the country. “It’s the fourth day since the State of
Source: New Dawn FM News, 23rd March 2020 The Autonomous Bougainville Government this afternoon declared State of Emergency due to the growing concern over the Covid-19 pandemic. ABG President Grand Chief Dr John Momis made the declaration following lengthy discussion with the Bougainville Executive Council. This follows the State of Emergency declared by Prime Minister
PNG Ports Corporation donated K127,000 worth of personal protection equipment to the National Department of Health in Port Moresby. A total of 50,000 face masks worth K120,000 and 15 non-contact infrared thermometers worth K7,000 were presented to Health Minister Jelta Wong by the Managing director of PNG Ports Corporation, Fego Kiniafa at the National Operations
Controller of the COVID-19 Joint Task Force and Commissioner of Police Mr David Manning today announced the COVID-19 Media Coordination Team that will operate out of the National Operations Centre (NOC) at Waigani. “After meeting with the Prime Minister earlier today, we have decided on the make-up of the media team that will now coordinate
