Comments

My NID was picked up by street boys in 2025 with my purse. I don’t know how to get a new NID.

The contrast between three unfinished new buildings and classrooms without electricity is striking. It shows why maintaining existing facilities and providing reliable lighting should receive just as much attention as funding new construction.

Thanks very much Tess and Stefan for a helpful summary of the recent leaders’ meeting. Thanks also for including so many helpful hyperlinks. Amanda

The tension between broader development ambitions and a flat real aid budget is striking. Without clearer trade-offs and stronger transparency, it becomes much harder to judge whether the policy is delivering on its stated goals.

Hi Rex, I was a kiap back in the dim, dark days of bifo. I was in the Jimi for two years 1968-71, and have to take responsibility for doing most of the supervisory work on the Banz-Tabibuga road. The real hard work was of course done by the thousands of men from all over the Jimi who slaved away with pick and shovel for those two years. I understand the Secondary school in your article is at Kol - I did briefly return to Kol in 1998, the airstrip was still open but there was no high school there then. The road connecting Col to the Banz-Tabibuga road was not finished. It is very sad to hear your story. One can only hope that something approaching a rational style of government at all levels aids in bringing about better outcomes for the people of the Jimi.

Greetings Stephen. Thank you for your (typically) thorough article. Although a conversation would be more appropriate, let me make a couple of comments: First, you will be aware that, at least in theory, all PALM Workers come into the Scheme based on a decision made by their families and not simply by the 'individual'; there is a 'family choice' as to whether to send a member into the Scheme; it is a choice made with eyes more open now because of the many years of experience of families sending a member overseas. If families DO accompany the worker, there is also a negative side to this in terms of the impact on the home village and the cultural disturbance for the families. Secondly, I agree that the FLOs are not needed. What would probably be more effective for everyone is to capitalise on the 'Community Connections' element of the Scheme in such a way that the local communities provide the same experience of 'belonging' which is intended also for the workers. Many of the communities into which the families come already have significant community support networks (welfare, church, sporting, shire) which, if harnessed, would successfully embrace the families. [It's my view, based on my years of involvement in the CC Program, that this (CC) part of the Program really needs serious re-alignment so that it can actually achieve its intended outcomes more effectively. ...that's another story!] ... Blessings to you, Randall.

Yes, I totally agree. The record speaks for itself, and the results are deeply disappointing. New Ireland deserves better—an honest, capable and competent leader who will put the province and its people first come 2027

Thank you for publishing this brief note sharing some "evidence" to show the link between children education and extractive industry. In this article, I was looking forward to read some hard facts on the contribution of extractive industry towards education but did not. Not knowing the local situation regarding the accessibility of hard data for research, yet it would have been much useful to show some directions in which children's education is heading, at least. Readers would like to know change, if any, in enrolment and class attendance of children, after the educational program was launched. The article in its beginning state that parents in Porgera know the value of education of their children who are said to be investing on education. However, there is no evidence written in the paper to support this statement. Wonder whether the CTF has a research and evaluation wing to collect relevant data, analyze it and disseminate for the benefit of extractive industry stakeholders. The CTF appears to be a not the best strategy to manage investment on children education. I wonder, apart from the CTF, are there no other initiatives by the mining company to facilitate children education? The company could directly fund school programs, facility improvement and many other investments. I am the head of evaluation and impact assessment of a mega construction project in Pakistan. The project has heavily invested on children education in this remote and predominantly tribal setting. I highlight below some key-impacts resulting from investment on children education over the past ten years by this development project. * Boys school enrolment rate increased to 95% between 2015 and 2025 * Girls' school enrolment rate increased to 42% during the same period (tribal area, not traditionally supporting girls literacy/education). Thee pre-project enrolment was 10-15% * Enrolment rate is rising and positive (coefficient 5.21) compared to a 3.64 coefficient in schools not supported by the project. The difference in coefficients is statistically significant. *Class attendance trend is positive and rising in schools supported by the project (coefficient 5.36) compared to a low rate of rising in unsupported schools with a coefficient of 3.46. The difference in coefficient is statistically significant. * A growing number of private schools are emerging reflecting parents demand for schools supported by an increase in household incomes resulting from employment and other income sources, both triggered by the project. * The enrolment trend (for boys and girls) in private schools is much higher in project area compared to outside the project, latter with no additional support to education. * 90% of parents (now) support girls' education compared to about 50% who did so prior to project * Parents are convinced of the value of education who now provide the full support by way of purchasing clothes, books and other materials for their children, which they did much lesser before project. Girls seeking job opportunities is an emerging trend which is a new development in this tribal area. Women's literacy rate within the project area has increased from zero to 5% in 2025. We continue to collect and analyze data not just education but in many other sectors where a consistent surge is seen, post-project.

About 20 years ago I was given responsibility by the CDC and AusAID to attempt to register all NGOs working in Cambodia. We managed to register 742: about half were INGOs, about 25% represented religious organisations and 25% were ‘local’. There was limited cooperation and serious competition for limited funding, attention from government officials, office space, competent staff, 4-wheel drive vehicles and souls. We were never quite sure what local meant.

It helps if you start with the discourse and understand localisation as entanglement that inevitably results in some reconfiguration of reality. That's a given, but accepting it means that you can work to limit transformation to that which is genuinely and mutually accepted as positive. For instance by respecting and foregrounding "local" powers of definition, and using critical pedagogy for communities to explore the implications of change, for instance risk of commodification and forms of dispossession under the banner of progress.

Price regulation will more than likely result in a new private firm providing electricity at a loss. If new investors believe that the proposed entity will operate at a loss, the proposed investment will never occur.

Thank you for your comment. Since this research was conducted in Port Moresby, the findings may differ from those in other provinces due to various factors, including greater awareness of the issue in Port Moresby, the visibility and availability of support services, greater access to social media and online information and awareness initiatives and others.