Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has confirmed that the Government expects to table a Supplementary Budget in Parliament next week to strengthen Papua New Guinea’s response to the ongoing El Niño crisis and other national priorities.
Responding in Parliament today to a question from Opposition Leader Hon. James Nomane, Prime Minister Marape said Cabinet was in the final stages of considering the Supplementary Budget before it is presented by Treasurer Hon. Ian Ling-Stuckey.
“Cabinet is in its final leg of going through matters pertaining to the Supplementary Budget. The Treasurer is hard at work,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“As I said, instead of taking a day off tomorrow, Cabinet is convening at 1pm to go through the Supplementary Budget notes.
“If everything is approved, then next Tuesday the Treasurer should be handing down our Supplementary Budget.”
The Prime Minister acknowledged the importance of ensuring the Government had the necessary financial measures in place to respond to the impacts of El Niño while continuing to support national priorities.
On a second question concerning the Special Parliamentary Committee on the 2022 National General Election, Prime Minister Marape reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to implementing practical electoral reforms ahead of the 2027 National General Election.
He said the Government had already embraced the committee’s report and incorporated its work into the Inter-Departmental Election Committee (IDEC) responsible for election preparations.
“The Government has embraced the Special Parliamentary Committee report to be part of the process going forward,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“The Chairman of the Committee, Governor Bird, has been invited to be part of the IDEC team as the committee looks through the election preparation process.”
Prime Minister Marape said the Government was committed to implementing reforms that could be completed before the next election, while recognising that broader structural changes would require longer- term work.
“If there are recommendations that can be processed in the months ahead of us, we must do them.
“What we cannot complete before the election can be progressed by the next Parliament, because these issues are not unique to the 2022 election. They have existed over many elections.”
He said the Electoral Commission was already advancing reforms consistent with the committee’s recommendations.
“The new Electoral Commissioner is on top of the work and has recommended measures that are very much consistent with the committee’s report,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“We will address those matters that can be completed now, while others will continue as part of the ongoing work to strengthen Papua New Guinea’s electoral process.”
Prime Minister Marape said the Government remained committed to ensuring both a strong response to national challenges such as El Niño and continued improvements to the country’s democratic institutions.