Aust gives K840m for transport support program

Caption:  (L) Minister Abel and Australian High Commissioner Deborah Stokes posing with the signed documents.

By MATTHEW VARI

Sunday, September 21, 2014 (Sunday Chronicle, PNG)

THE Australian Government through AusAID (Australian Aid Agency) signed documents to commence the second stage of the Transport Sector Support Program (TSSP) which will see funding been made available to develop the transport sector in the country to the tune of K840 million (AUD$400 million) over the next five years.

Signing the documents Australian High Commissioner Deborah Stokes said that the signing was in line with the country’s mission for more growth in spending on infrastructure.

“We are about to sign an arrangement between the government of Australia and the government of Papua New Guinea relating to our Transport Sector Support Program phase two,” Ms Stokes said.

“The very important part of our cooperation with Papua New Guinea’s mission for growth is to spend more on infrastructure.”

Manager for the TSSD program with AusAID James Hall explained that the entire was a 15 to 20 year program that commenced in 2007.

“It involves working with the PNG Department of Transport and Works and the Maritime and Aviation Agencies to improve the quality of PNG’s road network and to make investments in aviation and maritime,” Hall said.

“We have been working with the department of works in particular to maintain around 2,000km of roads a year in the previous phase of the program.”

“The next phase of the program to move away from the direct day to day maintenance taken on by the department of works, and Australia will make its investments jointly with PNG in more major reconstruction and rehabilitation programs.”

Signing on behalf of the PNG government, National Planning Minister Charles Abel thanked the Australian Government and people for their assistance in the important program between both nations.

“The TSSD program is part of a schedule of programs that the Australian Government is helping us with in the four main activities that they are concentrating on, which are health, education, infrastructure, and Law and Order and Governance,” Minister Abel said.

“The PNG government since coming in under the O’Neill-Dion coalition is trying to get better coordination with our department partners including the Australian Government and I am very pleased to say the Australian Government is responding, in that more of the funding is concentrated mainly on infrastructure, especially the transport sector infrastructure and we are trying to make that aid more focus, more strategic, and more particular.”

“Some of that example happening like the Ramu Madang Highway is an example and other the Enga Hospital, and the Magisterial Services, in terms of better focusing the assistance.”

He said the process had gone through with all relevant agencies, in particular Transport and the Department of Works which aligns with the medium term development plan, it is worth about AUD$80 million (K168 million) a year.