PNG Economy & Finance by Charlie Gilichibi

17/09/2023

Noah didn't stop building the ark to explain himself to every doubter and hater. Keep building and let the rain do the talking

17/09/2023

When will electoral reforms happen, in time before the 2027 National Elections?

16/09/2023

By Hon James Donald MP

Should be on shelves in Kiunga after 6 months. We at work. Yumi Statim Yumi Pinisim

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No ground breaking ceremonies. No project launchings. No fact finding missions.

SIMPLY:

1. Organically Grown.

2. Organically Creating Employment.

3. Organically Feeding a Nation.

4. Organically Replacing Imports.

5. Organically improving the Balance of Trade in favor of PNG.

Analysis on economic factors & finance activities that have an impact on the PNG economy

16/09/2023

Information from a Government lawyer who has been working on this Defence Cooperation Agreement (DCA).

The document leaked to the Australian media is false.

For 48 years no serious effort has been made to jump start our defence force into a strong modern force and contrary to that since year 2000 there was a deliberate push to down size and weaken our defence force.

For the record, we have always had our relationship with USA military , just like we have with Australia, NZ, France and UK but all under the an umbrella agreement called status of force agreement of 1989 (SOFA). But we have moved ahead with a specific DCA with a Australia just like we have with Indonesia, and this USA DCA is similar to what we have with Australia and Indonesia at present.

In summary;

• the USA DCA will not offend any of our country’s law;

•This type of agreement is provided for through Section 206 of our National Constitution;

•Developed within provisions of the Visiting Forces Act 1975;

•This DCA is elevated from the SOFA agreement of 1989;

•We will not be changing any laws to implement this DCA;

•Has no immunity for criminal conduct of visiting USA forces;

•Assets developed under this agreement will be owned by PNG government and for military installations our defence force;

•It is for 15 years and we can terminate it if we not happy with it;

•All operations under this agreement must be agreed upon by PNGDF;

•Our defence Capacity to be built up;

•This DCA does not stop us from working with all other nations including China; and

•Next phases of this DCA especially work matters including development of infrastructures and all other operation matters would still require legal clearances for subsidiary agreements and NEC clearance.

Our state lawyers have been over these documents with USA officials for over a year, Australia wanted us to sign their Treaty over USA, but we are going with the USA first for the first time since 1975 over Australia.

Who is your enemy one may ask? The answer: we don’t have enemies but it pays to be prepared. Look at the example of Ukraine/Russia. This is a territorial dispute.

This agreement is not about Geo Politics. It recognises that we need to build our defence capabilities because border disputes are inevitable in the future. The US has offered to do that. Just like the ship rider agreement with the US Coast guard but this goes a step further.

In the last 15 years we have seen a serious erosion of our military under all agreements we have till this day. The USA the most modern military in the world wants to come in a big way. Do we wait another 15 years of no action or advance 15 years of infrastructures development and capacity building for our national defence.

We have done the right thing by China ( example we closed down Taipei office preferring Beijing, the US objected but it was in our national interest to enforce our one China policy that we have held since 1975) This is consistent with our key foreign policy of ‘friends to all enemy to none.'

We have our individual trade and defence agreements with all of them so no one should and must show concern with us stepping up directly with the White House , Pentagon and Washington with Waigani and Murray Barracks.

21/05/2023

19/05/2023

Green hydrogen: The future is here.

https://www.oilandgasmiddleeast.com/news/green-hydrogen-the-future-is-here

Hydrogen is grouped into three categories—grey, blue and green—depending on how it is produced. Grey hydrogen is created from natural gas, or methane, using steam methane reformation but without capturing the greenhouse gases made in the process. Blue hydrogen on the other hand is grey hydrogen but with carbon capture and storage (CCS). At the end of the green scale is green hydrogen, produced using clean energy.

Energy transition is a process, not a destination. Therefore, the use of current assets should be continued while still reducing Green House Gas (GHG) emissions by retrofitting facilities with CCS. This is a way to manufacture hydrogen with fewer GHG emissions while increasing renewable energy capacity.

Blue hydrogen in particular could promote the development of a hydrogen market in the early phases of the energy transition.

Notably, industrial activities like steel manufacturing need a constant flow of hydrogen; blue hydrogen could be a starting point, while producers ramp up production and storage capacity for green hydrogen to satisfy the continuous flow demand.

Ultimately, the only type of hydrogen that is suited for an entirely sustainable energy transition is green hydrogen. Water electrolysis, powered by renewable electricity, is the most viable technological alternative for creating green hydrogen in the long term.

There are various ways to manufacture hydrogen that rely on renewable energy, but apart from gasification using biogases, all technologies have yet to reach commercial maturity. However, low-cost solar and wind energy and technology advancements are bringing down the price of producing green hydrogen. These factors have boosted interest in green hydrogen produced by water electrolysis.

Over the past two years, momentum has grown, with more than 25 nations either adopting or declaring their desire to adopt national hydrogen strategies. By 2026, industry investors anticipate having at least 25 gigawatts of green hydrogen electrolyzer capacity. To achieve aggressive climate objectives and keep the increase in average world temperatures at 1.5 degrees Celsius, much steeper growth is still required in both renewable energy sources and green hydrogen capacity.

Within a decade, the cost of the generated green hydrogen might drop to below $1-2 per kilogram, which would be competitive. These pave the way for increased manufacturing capacity, new employment opportunities, and economic expansion.

But to get there, it is necessary to choose the best business model, build markets, and optimize the supply chain so that both developed and developing countries benefit equally from switching to a clean, reliable energy system.

The GCC has emerged as an epicenter of the global green hydrogen revolution. The UAE will launch its National Hydrogen Strategy next month, establishing a framework to position the country as an exporter of clean fuel and tap into its future potential. Meanwhile, Germany’s Uniper SE has teamed up with Masdar, one of the Middle East’s biggest renewable-energy firms, to produce green hydrogen in the UAE. The two companies will build a plant that will run on almost 1.3 gigawatts of solar power and is expected to produce hydrogen from 2026. In Saudi Arabia, utility developer ACWA Power last year signed financing agreements for $8.5 billion in investment for a large-scale hydrogen project expected to be commissioned in 2026.

Green hydrogen policies should be created to enable comparison with other energy sources, ensure consistency and compatibility with emissions for other commodities, and enables understanding of the impact of this energy carrier by policymakers and end users. Such policies provide the framework for national hydrogen strategies that specify a nation’s ambition for hydrogen and the level of assistance necessary to meet that ambition. They work as a guide for private operators in the hydrogen sector, aiding in the promotion of higher levels of financing. Ultimately, well-defined steps should be taken to increase hydrogen adoption through effective national policies.

19/05/2023

US will continue to pay its bills from 1st of June. There will be no default

Senators including Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders argue in letter that Republicans are not negotiating ‘in good faith’

15/05/2023

Asset Management and Cable Tunnels, Singapore

As part of SP Group’s long-term plan to secure reliable and efficient electricity supply for Singapore, we built cross-island underground transmission cable tunnels. Completed in 2019 and spanning 40km around Singapore at a depth of 60 metres below ground (equivalent to a 20-storey building), the tunnels are built to last 120 years. Besides enabling us to better plan for future network requirements, we can install, repair and replace aging assets efficiently, without digging up the roads, which may inconvenience the public. This ensures that Singapore continues to be equipped with optimal electricity supply infrastructure and maintains its position as having one of the best-performing electricity networks in the world.

Source: https://www.spgroup.com.sg/sp-powergrid/overview

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Singapore Power (SP) Group is a 100% owned entity by the Singaporean Government-owned conglomerate, Temasek, which has assets under management of US$287 billion as of 2022. It is also thought of as another of Singapore's SWFs.

Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC) is Singapore's default SWF with assets under management of US$690 billion as of 2022.

Singapore's compulsory pension programme the Central Provident Fund (CPF) has assets under management of US$397 billion as at 2022.

From the three large fund/asset managers belonging to Singapore, it has a total of US$1.37 trillion under management.

15/05/2023

The Chocolate Journalist fb page
Saturday 13 May 2023

Whenever I travel to a country of origin and I face a cacao pod, the same question arises: who in their right mind would think of making something, not just edible but extremely delicious, out of this fruit? 😋🍈

We don’t go around trying to make gourmet food out of apple, melon or papaya seeds. That part of the fruit is simply discarded or planted for new trees. Instead, somebody around 5000 years ago must have decided that the huge and bitter seeds of the cacao fruit (spit out by all animals that prefer to suck on the juicy pulp) had potential for something special.

In a miraculous compounding effect, the following centuries saw an accumulation of ideas and improvements across countries that brought us from thick, corn-based cacao beverages for the elites, to smooth and shiny chocolate for everybody 🍫✨️

As a passionate chocolate lover, it’s disheartening to see consumers taking for granted the most complicated food of all. With all due respect for other fine foods, we aren’t just talking about fermenting grapes, roasting coffee beans or pressing olives. To end up in our mouths, cacao must be fermented, dried, roasted, cracked, winnowed, refined, conched, tempered, and molded. A single bar of chocolate was years in the making, travelled thousands of miles, went through many expensive machines, and required the coordination of hundreds of people across the world.

Yet, people get outraged if it is more expensive than 3 bananas 😒💰🍌

And the frustration continues when you think of the false myth of raw chocolate. Aside from the fact that by default cacao reaches temperatures way above what is considered raw, the word RAW implies a product pretty close to nature and achieved without much human manipulation, therefore with little effort. If anybody considers chocolate making to be “little effort”, then they’d better grab a book or two.

In a corner of my brain, I sometimes believe that chocolate was never meant to exist. It is a crazy invention of the human mind! From fruit to chocolate, the journey is humungous. No doubt it’s so hard to make it a business (without exploiting somebody in between).

Every bite of chocolate is truly a miracle 👅🍫🙏🏼

14/05/2023

HIGH POWER RATES ARE ‘CARDINAL SIN’
12th of May, 2023 - Post Courier

PRIME Minister James Marape says it is a “cardinal sin” that Papua New Guinea has very-high electricity rates.

He said the Government was addressing this by way of setting up the National Energy Authority to be the regulator of energy in the country and PNG Power Ltd as an energy service provider.

Marape said this on Wednesday when addressing a workshop on innovation in the electricity sector focusing on renewable energies, organized by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank.

He said despite the fact that PNG had an abundance of sources of clean and green energy, it was ironic that it could not provide its people with cheap electricity.

“At the moment, sadly, it (cheap electricity) is not so. We have one of the highest tariff structures in our country,” Marape said.

“It’s morally wrong, a cardinal sin, for us to maintain this high-cost structure going forward in a land that is prevalent with many clean energy sources for us to tap into”.

“This is wrong and is something that we are working to correct at the very earliest.”

“We have clearly identified impediments to arrive at lower-cost electricity, that is sourced from cleaner sources.”

Marape said PNG would transition into using gas as a cleaner and greener source of energy, and into the future, generate energy from hydro, geo-thermal, solar and various other natural resources.

“Today, for the first time, by deliberate intervention, we have established the National Energy Authority.”

“PNG Power Ltd is reduced to just a company, amongst, hopefully, many companies in the power generation space,” he said.

“Whilst they are the only State-Owned power company, we realise their inadequacies.”

“It is about time we step up the game.”

“We have a mission to deliver electricity to 70 percent of our people by 2030. PNG Power alone cannot be a regulator, and deliverer, of power to our people.”

“We have now established a regulator, at arm’s length from power companies, and PNG Power can be amongst many power companies in our country.”

14/05/2023

GLOBAL BODY TARGETS K1.7 BILLION

12th of May, 2023 - POST COURIER article by NATHAN WOTI

AN international inter-government organization is targeting US$500 million (about K1.7 billion) in the next five years through environmentally sustainable programs.

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) which has offices in 40 countries is partnering with the Government to work in collaboration in green finance.

Director-general Helena McLeod said the GGGI had approved its country planning framework (2021-20250 for Papua New Guinea in consultation with the national government, private sector and non-governmental organisations (NGOs).

“GGGI’s purpose to support members and partner governments is to transform their economy toward a green growth development model that is low in carbon, environmentally sustainable, climate resilient and socially inclusive,” she said.

“For the next two years (2023-2024), our operational budget is US$5.4 million (about K19 mil).”

“We have seen projects in PNG. Through these seven programs, we aim to US$500 million in the next five years through solar power, e-mobility, carbon market, eco-tourism, coastal management, and forest conservation.”

She said they linked to the Climate Change Development Authority (CCDA).

“We have our country office in Enga, Milne Bay, and New Ireland where they have provincial officers,” McLeod said.

She said many people still did not understand what climate change was and the concept of green financing through environmental sustainable economy.

McLeod had discussion on opportunities presented with green finance, and how to grow this important sector in PNG, to generate new investment, create green jobs, and diversify the economy.”

The GGGI is funding and involved in Climate Resilient Green Growth, Alotau Palm Oil Water to Energy Biogas Plant, and the Credit Guarantee Corporation.

14/05/2023

Queensland’s new Trade Commissioner to strengthen bilateral trade with Papua New Guinea.

With exports into the Pacific exceeding A$1 billion (K2.38 billion) in 2021/22, it’s easy to see why Queensland, often referred to as the Pacific State, is keen to nurture its economic presence across the region.

Click on the link to read more: 👇

To further Queensland’s Pacific Trade Strategy, long-term Brisbane resident of Samoan descent, Leata Alaimoana, was recently appointed Trade Commissioner to key export partners across Melanesia and Polynesia, including the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and Papua New G...

14/05/2023

The cost of bad road conditions in the country is growing at an estimated value of K750m annually.

Click on the link to read more: 👇

The cost of bad road conditions in the country is growing at an estimated value of K750 million annually.

14/05/2023

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a bad track record with Special Economic Zones (SEZ), with only a K3 million gate for the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project in Madang to show for, according to the Institute of National Affairs (INA).

Click on the link to read more: 👇

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has a bad track record with Special Economic Zones (SEZ), with only a K3 million gate for the Pacific Marine Industrial Zone (PMIZ) project in Madang to show for, according to the Institute of National Affairs (INA).

14/05/2023

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been ranked as one of the least attractive jurisdictions globally for mining investment.

Click on the link to read more: 👇

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has been ranked as one of the least attractive jurisdictions globally for mining investment.

12/05/2023

Andrew Forrest has scaled down or completely abandoned his ambitions for PNG renewable projects. We don't pay attention to what is happening around the world. USA infused its Inflation Reduction Act which provided as many incentives, including for carbon emission reductions. Australia took queue from there and provided its share of incentives. PNG is not keeping up so an interested investor that showed interest in 2022 and prior has now dropped out. We lack the agility to keep pace with an ever competitive world. Fortesque recruited a new CEO in October 2022 who streamlined hundreds of project interests around the world and prioritised a few (which excludes most or all of the PNG projects initially promoted).

‘A great first step’ says Guy Debelle of Labor’s $2 billion plan to drive down the cost of producing green hydrogen.

02/04/2023

BSP Financial Group Limited has made its first quarter provisional tax K230 million to the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC).

Click on the link to read more:

BSP Financial Group Limited has made its first quarter provisional tax K230 million to the Internal Revenue Commission (IRC).

20/02/2023

By Cornelius Yara
Tuesday 14 February 2023

By Cornelius Yara

This is my brother Valentine Weringu of Rofundogum Village, Sausso LLG, Yangoru-SAUSSIA District in East Sepik Province.

We all went to high school together as pioneer students of the new KUBALIA HIGH SCHOOL, now upgraded to Kubalia Secondary School from 2004- 2005 doing grades 9 - 10. Later continuing to complete secondary education of Grade 11-12 at Brandi Secondary School from 2006-2007. He was not selected for University or Colleges in 2008. When I went to PNG University of Technology to do my Bachelors Degree in Engineering in Electrical & Communications Engineering. He stayed back in the village without any hope for further studies.

Fast forward 10 years later, in 2018 he asked me for financial help to start cocoa farming because he sees everyone at home (in the village) doing it. With no experience or knowledge in this business, I trusted my brother and wanted to help him to provide for himself, his family and support our parents and community. I sent him K2,500.00 on the 14th of February 2018. He never failed me. He never misused the money. He spent every toea investing into building and operating a cocoa nursery, plantation and cocoa drying facility.

Today he produces more than 30 dry 60kg cocoa bags per fortnight on normal months. The cocoa production triples during months of cocoa harvesting seasons. Let’s calculate how much he makes per fortnight on average: 30 x K500/ dry bean cocoa bag = K 15,000.00 per fortnight! Wow 🤩

In 2021, I helped our community with support from my good brother Preston Karue, our East Sepik Governor Allan Bird, MP of Yangoru-Saussia & now Minister Richard Maru to access support from FOA & Streit EU Program in East Sepik Province to supply 100,000 cocoa nursery poly-bags to enable and ensure that every villager must plant 1,000 cocoa seedlings within our communities of SUASSO LLG.

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I am writing this story to encourage, motivate and promote all our young people who are educated or not; wasting your life looking for employment and other money making ways in towns and cities to get back home (to your village) now and tilt the earth, sweat and produce something for yourself, your family, your community and your province and country PNG.

11/02/2023

"Reputation is what people think we are. Integrity is what we really are." John C. Maxwell.

We influence people more through our actions than our words. People may listen to the words we speak, but they will always watch our actions to judge our true character.

11/02/2023

https://postcourier.com.pg/manau-oil-depleting-new-explorations-a-major-challenge/

The country’s Kutubu oil fields are almost depleted with the South East Gobe fields in the Southern Highlands Province being planned for decommissioning, says the Secretary for the Department of Petroleum David Manau.

03/01/2023

Noah Didn't Stop Building the ark to explain himself to every doubter and hater. Keep Building and let the rain do the talking

22/12/2022

HBO's "Becoming Warren Buffett" shows the investor chatting with a class of high school students.

20/12/2022

NEC APPROVES K30 MILLION TO BUY LAND FOR BARRACKS IN HELA

December 20, 2022. The National

THE National Executive Council has approved K30 million to buy land to build a Papua New Guinea Defence Force (PNGDF) barracks in Hela, says Prime Minister James Marape.

Marape said the funding was allocated in Budget 2023 to establish a 1,000-man barracks. “This will become a full military barracks of 1,000 officers like Taurama Barracks, Murray Barracks and Moem Barracks with outposts in Telefomin, Nipa, Kutubu, Kikori and other areas in this part of the country,” he said.

“The barracks will also have an oversight of the gas fields, Porgera mine in Enga and Ok Tedi mine in Western, the border with Indonesia, as well as Southern Highlands and Enga.”

PNGDF commander Major-General Mark Goina said land had been identified in Hawa, but they were still negotiating.

“The current Forward Operating Base (FOB) is temporary,” he said.

“We have one company based in Hela, not just in Tari but across the province.

“So in total, we have 150 men based in Hela. That includes our administration staff.

“We also have another company based in Enga, and a handful in Western Highlands.”

Goina said it would be good have to military barracks in the Highlands.

19/12/2022

“So we have saved the State a total of K27.115 billion since 2019 and and K8 billion this year. This reflects the hard work put by our team of lawyers on a daily basis," Mr Tanuvasa said.

The Office of the Solicitor General has saved the State K27.1 billion in lawsuit claims against the State since 2019.

19/12/2022

At age 17, she was rejected from college.
At age 25, her mother died from disease.
At age 26, she suffered a miscarriage.
At age 27, she got married.
Her husband abused her. Despite this, her daughter was born.
At age 28, she got divorced and was diagnosed with severe depression.
At age 29, she was a single mother living on welfare.
At age 30, she didn't want to be on this earth.
But, she directed all her passion into doing the one thing she could do better than anyone else.
And that was writing.
At age 31, she finally published her first book.
At age 35, she had released 4 books, and was named Author of the Year.
At age 42, she sold 11 million copies of her new book, on the first day of release.

This woman is J.K. Rowling. Remember how she considered su***de at age 30?
Today, Harry Potter is a global brand worth more than $15 billion dollars.

Never give up. Believe in yourself. Be passionate. Work hard. It’s never too late.

18/12/2022

For 19 years....hollywood execs told Kevin Hart that he was not good enough.

For 19 years......hollywood execs told Kevin Hart that he was not funny enough.

For 19 years........hollywood execs told Kevin Hart that he lacked the IT factor to become a star.

For 19 years.... hollywood execs told Kevin Hart to take a hike.

Kevin never sulked. He never felt sorry for himself. He never made excuses.

He worked.....and worked....and worked on improving his skills, increasing his knowledge and understanding of the industry....and perfecting his craft............for 19 YEARS.

THEN, he became an OVERNIGHT success!!

Over the course of the past 12 months, Kevin Hart surpassed Jerry Seinfield to become the HIGHEST PAID COMEDIAN IN THE WORLD....with earnings of $87.5 MILLION!!!!!

19 years............. ...how long will YOU chase YOUR dreams, and what will YOU do when the WORLD rejects you??!!

Author Unknown

17/12/2022

KEY ENERGY & CLIMATE PROVISIONS in the US' Inflation Reduction Act

* The act extends a 30% investment tax credit for renewable energy projects that begin construction before 2025 (2035 for geothermal).

* Tax credits moved from 2 years to 10 years duration.

* New investment tax credits are available for energy storage technology, biogas and microgrid controllers that are placed in service during or after 2023.

* It extends the production tax credit at a rate of 1.5 cents per kWh for renewables, including wind, biomass, landfill gas and hydropower. Construction of projects needs to begin before 2025 and the tax credit is available for electricity output over 10 years.

* The bill expands a tax credit for carbon capture and sequestration projects built before 2033. Qualified technologies include direct air capture facilities that capture more than 1,000 metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions a year, while electric generators must capture more than 18,750 metric tonnes a year.

* Previous tax credits for capturing and storing carbon dioxide emissions were in the $12 to $50 a tonne range. Under the new act, carbon capture facilities receive $85 per metric tonne of carbon dioxide emissions captured and stored from an industrial source; $60 a metric tonne captured and stored for enhanced oil and gas recovery; and $180 a tonne for carbon dioxide emissions captured and stored from a direct air capture facility ($130 a metric tonne for direct air capture used in enhanced oil and gas recovery).

* It creates a new 30% tax credit over 10 years for clean hydrogen production facilities in service during or after 2023.

* New tax incentives of up to 55% and lasting 10 years are available for investments in US manufacturing facilities that make renewable energy equipment such as solar photovoltaic cells, wind energy parts and battery cells.

* Consumers and businesses can receive up to $7,500 for new electric vehicles, including delivery vans and medium-duty trucks.

* Nearly $300 million in grants are available for sustainable aviation fuel development.

* Close to $9bn in rebates are available for home energy efficiency, including up to $1,750 for heat pump water heaters, and up to $8,000 for heat pumps for space heating and cooling.

Nuclear Fusion power research and development is also emphasised in the Act. A $280m is parked in the Act for private sector incentivisation to nudge then towards commercialisation. First time in long while the US has done this (it doesn't normally give cash to the private sector). Biden (and Democrats) want to see Nuclear Fusion power commercialised within 10 years.

There's a hive of venture capital activity around Nuclear Fusion power happening, gathering monentum over the last two years. $3.4 billion of funding in 2021, and so far in 2022 $4.8 billion for over 50 private ventures (that I can pick out around the world) working on breakthroughs and commercialisation on a myriad of technics and technologies.

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How can we attract foreign direct investment to PNG while governments around the world are literally throwing the kitchen sink buttering and greasing up their economies really well? Am not talk about the minerals and petroleum sector of economies but the growth of the non resources sector.

13/12/2022

PNG Power has been carrying "hidden costs" because it hasn't increased tarrifs since 2014

PNG Power: No tariff hike in eight years August 19, 2022 The National Main StoriesBy DALE LUMA THE PNG Power Ltd has been carrying a lot of “hidden costs” because it has not increased tariff since 2014, according to the Kumul Consolidated Holdings (KCH). KCH acting managing director Professor Da...

08/12/2022

We have endless arable land in PNG with many rivers for irrigation purposes. Yet we send PNGans to pick fruits and vegetables in Australia for a pittance. Good luck to those who can save K1,000 per month, after all the deductions for costs incurred by recruitment agencies.

The situation is depicted by the illustration (picture in this post).

The only long-lasting dividends I see are from the immersive cultural experiences and political optics and diplomatic credits, nothing financial.

How many PNGans can be sent to Australia every year? 1,000, 5,000, 10,000? What about millions more unemployed? Remember, there is a limit to the total number of fruit picking jobs. Australia also has a quota to accommodate other Pacific islanders.

How much can these guys save and send back to PNG? The media should interview a sample of these people and tell us if PNG is raking in millions from fruit picking every year.

It's better to have the data tell the story instead of feel good rhetoric.

I was in Australia for five years so I know what it is like to pick fruit or harvest vegetables. I tried it with some friends and gave up. It's not worth the demand and stress for some fruit picking jobs.

For Noting:

K1.4 billion, if managed well can create close to full employment in the rural agricultural sector. Building and sending our own Satellites into space won't achieve that. With ongoing maintenance costs and inflationary effects, it could cost over K3 billion in 15 years (typical lifespan), and pulled down from space and sunk into the depths of the ocean.

🇺🇦 Ukrainians are showing the world that they are using affordable, commercially available, better engineered satellite services (Starlink) to dish out hell for the 2nd most powerful military in the world.

We are courting Australia 🇦🇺 and the rest of the world to bring their investment dollars to PNG, while somehow we can find K1.4 billion to build and launch our own satellite 🛰 into space.