Prime Minister Hon. James Marape has commended the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) and Minister for Public Service Hon. Joe Sungi for presenting the Department’s 2025 Annual Management Report to Parliament, describing it as another example of the Government’s commitment to transparency, accountability and the reform of Papua New Guinea’s public service.
Prime Minister Marape said the report demonstrated that the Government’s reform agenda was translating into tangible improvements in public sector governance, payroll management, housing, digital transformation and human resource administration.
“I commend Minister Joe Sungi, Secretary Taies Sansan and the entire Department of Personnel Management for presenting a comprehensive report that reflects the progress being made in modernising our public service,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“Our Government has insisted that every department account for its performance to Parliament and to the people of Papua New Guinea. Reports such as this strengthen transparency and ensure that government agencies remain focused on delivering results.”
The Prime Minister said one of the report’s most significant achievements was the continued reform of the Public Service Payroll Office, which is establishing a single, centralised payroll governance system for more than 150,000 public servants.
“For many years, weaknesses in payroll management have resulted in leakages, duplicate payments, poor monitoring and unnecessary expenditure,” he said.
“The reforms now underway are introducing stronger oversight, better monitoring, digital reporting systems and tighter financial controls that will protect taxpayers’ money while ensuring genuine public servants are paid accurately and on time.”
Prime Minister Marape also welcomed the Department’s progress in upgrading Papua New Guinea’s human resource systems, including the migration to modern payroll technology, digital workflow automation and the introduction of an electronic recruitment system.
“The move towards online recruitment is a major milestone,” he said.“It will improve transparency, reduce unnecessary paperwork, speed up recruitment processes and give qualified Papua New Guineans fairer access to employment opportunities across the public service.”
The Prime Minister said the rollout of e-recruitment would strengthen merit-based appointments while reducing opportunities for interference in recruitment processes.
He also praised the Department’s work in restoring human resource powers to government agencies that had successfully passed HR audits, while maintaining oversight over agencies that still required institutional improvements.
“Empowering departments and provincial administrations with properly managed HR powers is an important part of building an efficient and accountable public service,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“The audit process ensures these powers are exercised responsibly and according to law.”
Prime Minister Marape further welcomed continued progress on the Government’s public service housing programme at Bomana, which will provide affordable home ownership opportunities for lower-level public servants, including members of the Correctional Service.
“Our teachers, nurses, police officers, correctional service officers and other hardworking public servants deserve decent housing,” he said.
“This project represents an investment in the welfare of those who serve our country every day.”
The Prime Minister also highlighted the progress made towards implementing the Public Service Medical and Life Insurance Policy, saying it would significantly improve the wellbeing of public servants and their families once fully operational.
He commended the Department’s retirement programme, which saw 495public servants retire in 2025 with Government funding of K34 million, while noting that more than 3,600 officers had been retired since 2019 as part of efforts to rejuvenate the public service.
“These retirements are not simply about people leaving the workforce,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“They create opportunities for younger Papua New Guineans to enter the public service while ensuring long-serving officers receive the benefits they have earned after decades of service.”
The Prime Minister said the Government would continue investing in digital government reforms, payroll integrity, workforce planning, housing and public service capacity building as Papua New Guinea entered its next 50 years of nationhood.
“Our vision is a professional, modern, accountable and performance-driven public service that delivers quality services to every citizen,” Prime Minister Marape said.
“I congratulate Minister Joe Sungi and the Department of Personnel Management for the significant progress reflected in this report and encourage them to continue driving reforms that strengthen our institutions and improve service delivery throughout Papua New Guinea.”