Comments

Thankyou Amanda for pointing out the basic facts when reporting . As an academic , the use of data and its source is very vital for research and reporting. Cleaning the data and verifying before reporting is very important . In this case , as you stated , data used by Post Courier is raw and misleading . This is not the first case Post Courier has misreported news through its misguided data - it has done it several times and Papua New Guinea is already aware of it. Your article confirms the careless behavior the media company has been doing. Thankyou once again. Nelson Atip Nema ( Economics Lecturer - UPNG)

Hi Amanda, I think your article was well researched, well written and interesting. Thanks for pointing out the inaccurate and misleading conclusions made in the Post Courier. I am glad to know that PNG is not full of porn-mad people after all, although some people in PNG may be perversely proud of such a ranking by Post Courier, however inaccurate it may be. Congratulations!

Is this article got anything to do with the Parama Island case?

Very interesting, thanks.

Thank you, Georgina - I'm glad you found it interesting! All best, Camilla

Thank you for a terrific and timely piece. Very interesting. Should be posted on The Conversation from whence I acquired the link to it. Kind regards, Georgina

Your opening sentence is correct: 'Papua New Guineans face great difficulties if they wish to participate in the Seasonal Worker Program'. The Seasonal Worker Coordination Office operates with very few resources. However, DFAT does not have anything to do with the operational aspects of the seasonal worker program in PNG or in Australia. PNG does not permit agents to recruit for a fee. The PNG contact listed by the Australian Department of Employment is: David L Haro, Manager, National Employment Services, Department of Labour & industrial Relations, Phone Number: +675 325 2022, 325 0414 (switch), Direct line: +675 325 4593, Email Address: tevitaharo@gmail.com. There is a <a href="http://www.pngworkers4u.com/index.html" rel="nofollow">website</a> that can be used to lodge applications. I did a review for the ILO of PNG Department of Labour's National Employment Services Division in October last year. The Seasonal Worker Coordination Office is part of that Division. Those who want to do seasonal work apply to the Seasonal Worker Coordination Office over the counter, by email or by mail. Applications are screened and processed by four regional officers of the Department of Labour and Industrial Relations and sent to the Coordinator. If the application is complete, it is entered into the Work Ready Pool database. The selection of seasonal workers is done from the Work Ready Pool. With a request from an employer, the Office staff screen and process the applications in terms of the employers’ specifications in terms of height and weight, age and other attributes the employer may request such as a driver’s licence or relevant work experience. Recruiters are not permitted to recruit workers for employers for a fee. The The PNG Government retains the sole right to select workers for employers who have the final choice. It is the responsibility of the Office to advertise how to apply for the Work Ready Pool. This is done in the major towns, Port Moresby, Lae and Rabaul and some provincial towns such as Popondetta and Mt Hagen. This advertising is done by radio and segments on TV. One valuable form of publicity is to get the media to interview workers when they return from working in Australia and New Zealand. Applicants for the Work Ready Pool, according to the website ‘must be from rural areas ie districts and communities’. Compared with recent efforts by Fiji, PNG does little or nothing to encourage recruitment from rural areas apart from the above - this is the subject of a blog we are posting this week. Bryant, hope this helps.

Very interesting data! Tks a lot!

Thank you, Elizabeth, for your kind feedback.

Dear Qayoom. Thank you for your feedback.

Just went through your summary report. what you draw is quite similar to the situation of Afghanistan. One can say that donors travel around the world with their PFM models and impose it blindly.

Thank you for this comment Bryant. The factors you highlight show it can be more difficult for rural people than those living in urban environments to overcome barriers to participation. This can add substantial costs to the program. This can be very difficult as often employers in Australia talk about wanting to hire people from non-urban areas as the perception is they will be more productive given many have existing horticultural skills.