Dissenting report by Coalition Senators
1.1
Australia has a complex, wide-ranging and cooperative relationship with
Papua New Guinea (PNG), including through the Australian aid program. The
committee's inquiry into the delivery and effectiveness of the Australian aid
program has been a valuable opportunity for those affected to raise issues
during a period of significant reform.
1.2
Unfortunately, Coalition Senators cannot agree with all the
recommendations made in the majority report. In particular, Recommendations 1
and 2 which relate to the funding levels and priorities of the aid program. The
difficult decisions made by the Coalition Government to reduce the rate of growth
in spending on Australian aid have been a consequence of the deteriorating
budgetary situation caused by the previous government. Nonetheless, Australia
will provide an estimated $3.8 billion in total Official Development Assistance
(ODA) in 2016-17. This makes Australia approximately the 12th largest
donor in the OECD.
1.3
The Australian aid program in PNG – Australia's largest bilateral
country program – is designed to help PNG reduce poverty and achieve
sustainable growth.
1.4
A stable and prosperous PNG is in Australia's interests, but PNG still
faces significant development challenges. Traditional approaches to aid are no
longer good enough. Aid alone is not a panacea for reducing poverty. The most
effective and proven way to reduce poverty is to promote sustainable economic
growth.
1.5
Australia's aid program recognises that the private sector is the engine
room of economic growth and job creation and essential to promoting sustainable
poverty reduction. Thirty per cent of the PNG aid program focuses on
private-sector led growth and aid for trade, increasing effective partnerships
with the private sector, expanding support for women's empowerment, and
increasing the program's focus on Bougainville.
1.6
The Australian Government is focused on leveraging Australian expertise
to support infrastructure investments across a range of sectors including
health, education and transport. This reflects the role of infrastructure in
enabling economic growth and poverty reduction. Infrastructure can enable
greater connectivity between businesses, improving economic integration and
growth. Improved infrastructure also ensures that households, including women
and girls, can access the services they need to improve their lives. This
commitment also recognises Australia's considerable experience and expertise in
PNG's infrastructure sector, particularly in relation to road rehabilitation
and maintenance.
1.7
Australia is continuing to invest in health, education and law and
justice outcomes in PNG. Recognising the sovereign responsibility of PNG to
deliver basic services for all of its citizens, Australian aid is increasingly
focused on building PNG's own capacity to deliver such services, including to
the most remote communities. Evidence presented to the Committee highlighted
that partnerships between the PNG government and NGOs which combined service
delivery with training and capacity building of PNG people and facilities
provide effective governance and outcomes. In particular, Coalition Senators
support the main committee report observations regarding the very effective
work of YWAM Medical Ships Australia.
Increasing our aid program in PNG
1.8
The continuing importance of the Australian aid program to PNG has been
recognised in the 2016-17 Budget. For PNG, bilateral aid funding will be
maintained at $477.3 million in 2016-17.
1.9
The Labor Government took $5.7 billion from the aid program over the
final 18 months of Government. During this time, their target of 0.5% of the
aid budget as a percentage of GNI was repeatedly delayed.
1.10
The total PNG aid program has been increased in the 2016-17 aid budget,
from $554.5 million to $558.3 million. PNG continues to be Australia's largest
bilateral aid program.[1]
1.11
The Australian Government's aid program in PNG was reviewed in 2014 and
the Australian and PNG government's developed a new partnership model that
reflects the growing maturity of the relationship between these two near
neighbours. The program more closely aligns with the development objectives of
the PNG government and respects the sovereignty of PNG.
1.12
Coalition Senators note that total Australian Official Development
Assistance (ODA) to PNG has increased by over 10 per cent under the Coalition
Government.
2016-17 aid program to PNG
1.13
The 2016-17 aid program to PNG will focus on promoting effective
governance, including strengthening public sector leadership, performance and
accountability, sub-national service delivery, community engagement, electoral
reform, combatting corruption, strengthening access to justice, and assisting
the Government of PNG to build an effective public service through the Pacific
Leadership and Governance Precinct.
1.14
The aid program will continue to enable economic growth, through
promoting private sector growth, support for infrastructure, developing the
workforce, and investments that lower the costs of doing business, reducing
risk and improve productivity; assisting the Government of PNG to deliver its
road maintenance programs and improving aviation and maritime safety and
security.
1.15
Australia's aid program will enhance human development by assisting PNG
to develop its own capacity to deliver services. Health investments will target
maternal and child health and communicable disease control and support key
areas of the health system, including workforce, infrastructure and financing.
Australia will assist to redevelop the Lae ANGAU Memorial Hospital in
collaboration with the Government of PNG.
1.16
The program will support more students to enrol in and complete school,
further their education, and to enter the workforce with the skills they need.
Australia will improve access and learning outcomes for girls and boys in
primary schools by building and furnishing classrooms and teachers' houses, and
providing training on good water, sanitation and hygiene practices.
1.17
Coalition Senators note that the Australian Government continues to
promote sustainable economic growth through private sector led growth and aid
for trade initiatives.
Results of Australia's aid program
1.18
The Australian Government has designed a program that is supporting the
PNG Government promote sustainable economic growth and human development and
Australia's aid program has achieved impressive results in PNG.
1.19
In 2014-15 almost 20 per cent of Australia's development assistance to
PNG was invested in health.
1.20
In 2014-15, with Australia's support, 75 per cent of the 16 national
priority roads in PNG were maintained in good condition. Five hundred and sixty
(560) police recruits (including 83 women) were trained to an improved
curriculum and graduated from the police college in 2014, up from 229 in 2013.
1.21
Over 2014-15, 992 village court officials across PNG were provided with
improved training, enabling about 459,000 people to access better standards of
justice.
1.22
Australia's education assistance in PNG supports the delivery of the
National Education Plan 2015-20 and the National Training and Higher Education
Plan 2015-19. The completion of quality assessment processes for six
universities was a significant achievement, representing a key step in
improving the quality of PNG higher education. Australia, working with the
Department of Education, also built 80 double classrooms, 40 teacher houses and
48 ablution blocks, to help meet critical infrastructure gaps; and supported
5000 student teachers to improve English language competency. As a result of
targeted outreach and support, over half (55 per cent) of Australia Awards scholarships
were awarded to women.
1.23
In PNG, progress is slow and uneven. Australian support continues to
contribute to more midwives being trained and registered, with an increase of
128 per cent in registered midwives compared to 2012.
1.24
Australia continues to play a leading role in promoting gender equality
in the Pacific. In PNG, Australia promoted women's economic empowerment through
investments in the private sector and rural development. Cash-cropping
opportunities for women were opened up in the Eastern Highlands Province, with
over 2,000 extension workers, farmers and family members trained on gender
equity and diversity, family business management, and training and facilitation
skills.
1.25
Australia is helping survivors of violence. For example, by June 2015,
Australia had supported PNG to establish 15 Family and Sexual Violence Units
and four Family and Sexual Violence Desks in police stations across the
country. Since 2010, over 35,800 survivors of violence, mostly women, have
received support from these units. In 2014, 11,272 (mostly female) survivors of
violence received services, up 20 per cent from 2013.
1.26
Australia's aid program to PNG promotes gender equality and disability
inclusion. The aid program has played a leading role in promoting gender equality
in PNG, including by supporting around 35,800 survivors of domestic violence
and Family and Sexual Violence Units and four Family and Sexual Violence Desks
in police stations across the country.
1.27
Australia has helped to facilitate inclusive development across the
Pacific. In PNG, through the Strongim Pipol Strongim Nesen program, Australia
provides grants to lead disability organisations such as the National Orthotics
and Prosthetics Service (NOPS) and Motivation Australia who distribute
assistive devices. In 2014, key results included the distribution of 400
wheelchairs including technical fitting and training by Motivation Australia,
NOPS and PNG Assembly of Disabled Persons; and the distribution of 8,000
assistive devices.
1.28
Coalition Senators note the ongoing commitment of the aid program to
inclusive and equitable development in PNG, including disability-inclusive
development.
1.29
A more stable and prosperous PNG is in the interests of a secure
Indo-Pacific region and Australia's national interests.
Recommendations
Recommendation 1
1.30
That the Australian Government continues to recognise and support the
important role played by the churches, NGOs, and other civil society
organisations working in PNG.
Recommendation 2
1.31
That the Australian Government continues to encourage the building of
new partnerships between these organisations and the PNG Government and seeks
to build local capacity to tackle development challenges.
Recommendation 3
1.32
That the Government continues to fund cooperative efforts such as the
partnership between Youth with a Mission (YWAM) medical ships organisation, the
Australian Government and PNG Government entities in the effective delivery of
health care and medical training services in remote and isolated regions of
PNG.
1.33
There are a number of recommendations in the majority report that
Coalition Senators can support. These include:
- that
the key policy documents of the PNG aid program articulate how development
objectives align with the Sustainable Development Goals (Recommendation 4);
- the
examination of an expanded program to link institutions in Australia and PNG
for the purposes of capacity building (Recommendation 7);
- an
assessment of cross-border initiatives between Australia, PNG and Indonesia
(Recommendation 8);
- increased
support for measures to prevent the spread of tuberculosis in the Western
province and funding for new tuberculosis treatments suitable for developing
countries (Recommendation 10);
- a
new program to reduce childhood malnutrition and stunting and including this
indicator as a performance benchmark of the Australian aid program
(Recommendation 11);
- increased
support for the training of primary school educators in PNG (Recommendation
12); and
- coordination
and support for programs focused on cultural change regarding gender inequality
and gender based violence (Recommendation 13).
Senator
Chris Back Senator
David Fawcett
Deputy Chair
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