Author: Felicity Spurrett

Removing barriers to the establishment of new businesses and creating a greater entrepreneurial mindset were two of the key topics explored at a recent panel discussion focused on growing indigenous business in PNG.

The event, hosted by the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct at the PNG Institute of Public Administration, brought together indigenous business leaders from Australia and PNG to reflect on what small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in each nation can learn from each other.

The panel comprised Mr Warren Mundine, a businessman, political strategist and indigenous advocate in Australia, Sir Nagora Bogan, Chair of the PNG Indigenous Business Council, and Mr Gideon Karali, a representative from a successful PNG landowner business Trans Wonderland Limited.

The audience included a select group of senior officials of leading government departments, agencies and the private sector.

SMEs are particularly important in developing countries such as PNG because of the role they play in poverty reduction. The PNG Government has set a target of having 500,000 SMEs operating in the country by 2030.

Sir Bogan said the event provided an essential forum for discussion as PNG looks to promote huge growth in the number of SMEs in a relatively short space of time.

“It gave rise to a lot of important, exciting sharing of ideas and also intellectual discussion about this particular issue,” Sir Bogan said.

“How can we translate that into doing what we can to help our people to make the transition from being subsistence farmers to living in the villages to actually becoming entrepreneurs? That’s the biggest challenge. We have the capability to do it, but we haven’t really mobilised to get that right.”

Mr Mundine said Australia and PNG could learn from each other on several topics, including how to create an entrepreneurial mindset among communities who have traditionally had limited involvement with business.

“Twenty-five years ago when I was a young bloke, you used to sit there and say ‘business and commercial activity is a white man’s game’. Well, (in Australia) we had to change that mindset, because if we were going to lift ourselves out of poverty, if we were going to take the leadership that we needed in our communities, then it was a mind shift (to say) that ‘we can do this’.”

Mr Larry Andagali Managing Director from Trans Wonderland Limited said it was valuable to hear how indigenous communities in Australia have been working to create new business opportunities in response to the slowdown in the resources industry – something that aspiring PNG entrepreneurs should also look to address.

“When those resources are depleted we are really left with nothing, so I’d like to use that as an opportunity to reinvest other royalties and equities that we get and put them back into agriculture and more sustainable business,” Mr Andagali said. “That’s a big challenge and it was quite interesting to understand how indigenous businesses conduct themselves in Australia and what we can do in PNG.”

Mr Mundine spoke of how indigenous companies had grown off the back of the resources boom in Australia and how the Australian Government’s Indigenous Procurement Policy (3 percent of government contracts going to Aboriginal businesses by 2020) has given further support to this growth, increasing contracts by 1500 per cent in the last six months.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a joint initiative of the Governments of PNG and Australia to promote ethical leadership and strong governance within the public sector at the national, provincial and district level.

Thirty-one new economics graduates from the University of Papua New Guinea have embarked on career paths that could influence the nation’s future.

The recent graduation of UPNG’s economics class of 2015 represents a milestone for the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct – a joint initiative of the PNG and Australian Governments.

Australian National University (ANU) academic Michael Cornish taught the group in their final year under the UPNG – ANU Precinct partnership.

He said many had already managed to secure jobs with big name employers, including PwC, BSP, Oil Search and PNG’s Department of Foreign Affairs.

“It’s a wonderful feeling of pride to be able to see them graduate,” Mr Cornish said.

“Hopefully what they have learned here will set them on a good pathway to a point where some of them will be future leaders of this country.”

Newly graduated economist Hera Hoi is among those to have already secured work, winning a coveted role with BSP.

She said it was a great opportunity to apply her skills and she hoped in the future to contribute to PNG’s development by contributing to public policy development.

“In the future I’d like to do some research work and hopefully get into some policy stuff,” Ms Hoi said.

The Precinct partnership has reinvigorated the teaching of economics at UPNG, with the establishment of a new School of Business and Public Policy (SBPP).

The number of ANU staff at the SBPP has since risen to four, expanding the school’s capacity to deliver high quality courses in economics and public policy.

The SBPP will also receive a new faculty building under the Precinct partnership containing international standard teaching, research and study areas.

The school’s Dean, Professor Lekshmi Pillai, said the relationship with ANU was key to the school’s strategy to promote academic excellence.

“Given the human resources constraints we have, the access to ANU faculty will be critical,” he said.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct aims to forge a new generation of PNG leaders giving them the ethical, intellectual and practical framework to usher in a new era of development.

Understanding the difference between managing and leading staff is crucial to effective leadership, a lesson that PNG public servants took from  a recent short course held at the the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct.

The short course, Leading with Strategic Intelligence – Shared Values and Leading Coalitions in PNG, was attended by 16 public servants from national and provincial governments and was delivered by the Australian Centre for Public Management.

The three-day course included a coaching session envisaged to help participants as leaders to self-reflect and develop an awareness of their leadership style and the impact on team dynamics.

“This course has helped me resharpen my tools to lead my organisation,” said Annemarie Kona, Acting First Assistant Secretary at the Department of Education.

“It has challenged me to know myself as a person, and to have a greater awareness of myself before I approach others. I think that’s important if I’m going to be a positive influence on the staff that I work with.”

Grace Yap and Linus Kuravi, both managers from Nonga Hospital in East New Britain, said the course provided a rare opportunity for provincial staff to receive high quality training.

“We’ve learnt a lot, especially about management and leadership skills. When we go back to our province we are planning to disseminate some of the information that we have learnt here to our colleagues who are in managerial positions, and also to the provincial administration.”

“I am a leader who should focus more on ethics in my public sector field and contribute meaningfully to service delivery. We need to make sure the public service machinery is free of corruption. A patient walking out of my hospital is this measure of success,” said Sister Theonila Watt who is the Director of Nursing Services at  Nonga Hospital in the East New Britain province.

Sister Watt is one of 22 participants from across 5 provinces, 9 government agencies and for the first time – the health sector, who attended the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct short course from 21-23 March on Ethical Decision Making in Leadership.

The three day course by Australia’s The Ethics Centre highlighted the important relationship between ethical leadership at all levels of government and delivering services to the people.

The training included simulations, hypotheticals and practical tools to implement the PNG Government’s 2013 National Public Service Ethics and Values-Based Leadership and Management Capability Framework. The framework centers on key values such as respect, integrity, honesty, accountability, wisdom and responsibility.

Key components of the course were leader’s decision making skills, conflicts of interest, role of leaders in modelling ethical behaviour and how to influence organisational change.

Sister Watt believes the course has been an opportunity to collaborate across sectors, “In order to be in an ethical system, we need to learn from each other.”

The PNG-Australian Government’s Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct works towards strengthening senior executive leadership and supporting improvements to transparency and accountability in service delivery.

February 22, 2016

A group of PNG public servants studying for a Graduate Certificate in Governance and Public Policy say the course is helping them improve policy and governance in their departments, and has boosted their skills and confidence.

The participating 18 mid to senior level public servants have been drawn from a range of national agencies and government departments. This semester they will focus on the legal aspects of policy and how they relate to governance.

The course, offered as part of the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct’s Executive Leadership Program, is delivered by the University of Queensland and involves study in PNG and Australia.

The study supports emerging leaders in the PNG public service, equips them with skills to negotiate challenging policy issues and provides a network to support each other as they progress.

 

The PNG-Australian Government’s Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct has signed a three year agreement with the University of Queensland to deliver the country’s premier training for senior public servants – the Executive Leadership Program.

The program will develop a cadre of ethical and accountable public officials with the capability to lead and deliver equitable government services to Papua New Guineans.

 

The Executive Leadership Program will:

·         Provide an avenue to embed the PNG Ethics and Values-Based Leadership Framework in the PNG Public Sector

·         Bring together institutions and high performing senior public servants

·         Build powerful incentives among potential future PNG leaders, including leaders of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville

 

ELP will comprise of two strands:

1.       Precinct Future Leaders Program: a series of activities for a selected cadre of high performing individuals

2.       Precinct Initiative Program: training across four thematic areas including; diversity and gender in leadership, corporate skills for the public sector, private sector and economic development, decentralization and subnational governance.

 

The Executive Leadership Program will commence July 2016.

To find out further information contact info@pacificprecinct.org

 

With the support of the Australian Government, a total of 328 public servants graduated with certificate and diploma qualifications last week from the PNG Institute of Public Administration’s  Waigani, Kokopo and Madang campuses.

Minister for the Public Service Sir Puka Temu urged the graduates to go out and serve their country, as the nation’s founders did 40 years ago.

“I want amongst you to be the next Sir Michael Somare, leading the nation,” he said. “The nation demands your skills.”

The PNG IPA is part of the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct – a landmark partnership between PNG and Australia to develop the next generation of Pacific leaders.

A total of 96 graduates completed qualifications provided by the Australian organisation CIT Solutions, and with the support of the Australian Public Service Commission.

Department of National Planning and Monitoring Aid Coordinator, Yvonne Vavine, completed studies in governance and management.

“This achievement can really help me carry out my duties effectively, particularly working with other departments and agencies. It is a huge bonus to my career having an Australian qualification [through CIT Solutions],”she said. 

“Information is power”, explained Laura Wawun-Kiri, Practice Manager from the Office of the State Solicitor. “Knowing how you manage and use it ethically is important not just in leadership roles but across all levels. Some people use it for corrupt purposes; you can use it for better decision making, helping others, stopping corruption and encouraging accountability,” she said.

Laura is one of the 36 participants who attended the four day short course on “Information studies for law and justice” facilitated by the University of Queensland for the PNG-Australian Government’s Pacific Leadership and Governance Program. The course covers a range of topics including; principles of information within the Ethical Leadership and Management Framework, using information in investigation, traditional and modern approaches to using the media, legal considerations when reporting unethical activities.

Laura explained the different sensitivities of information she deals with on a day to day basis at the Office of the State Solicitor. “Where I work we have to design security measures to protect the information that we hold. The course has introduced other ideas and concepts such as approaches to deal with staff breaches and the interviewing technique called the PEACE model.” 

Networking with other agencies across the law and justice sector has proven beneficial to participants of the short course, as well as the exposure to meet and hear from former Ombudsman Commissioners Ila Geno and John Toguata. “The training has been more than just theory, we have heard inspiring examples from real people such as Ila Geno and the ethical decisions he had to make in his career. Seeing how both Ila Geno and John Toguata back each other shows us that people who think alike and are inspired by the same things can support each other. We can’t do this alone.”

 

The Papua New Guinea Government is bringing the skills and experiences of world-class training institutes to PNG through the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct.

Key Precinct stakeholders visited the Joondalup Learning Precinct last week, a West Australian institutional partnership comprising the Western Australian Police Academy; the West Coast Institute of Training, and the top-ranked Edith Cowan University.

The Precinct delegation, led by Department of Personnel Management Secretary John Kali, included PNG Institute of Public Administration Director Angori Wewerang and UPNG’s Executive Dean Professor Lekshmi Pillai.

Secretary Kali said the initiative would promote the growth of the new Pacific Leadership and Government Precinct by providing its institutions the opportunity to learn from the Joondalup Learning Precinct.

Secretary Kali said, “PNG’s new Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct has a vision to help usher in a new generation of ethical and effective Papua New Guinean leaders.

“The Precinct will in time become a centre of excellence in the Pacific for leadership development. This will rely on our partners learning from international success stories. The approaches taken in Joondalup have helped us develop new ideas to improve our own program. We therefore hope to continue our contact with JLP into the future,” he said.

Australian Minister Counsellor Rod Hilton said generating linkages with Australian learning precincts would support future collaborative work.

Mr Hilton said, “The Australian Government’s aid program strongly supports Papua New Guinea’s vision for the Precinct. The exchange with the Joondalup Learning Precinct will assist PNG’s Precinct in establishing quality mentoring and scenario-training programs,” she said.

Its partner institutions, UPNG and the PNG Institute of Public Administration, will hone the talents of public and private sector executives to usher in a new era of development.

The PNG Precinct partners have learnt about JLP approaches to institutional governance, their role in educating the WA public sector, best practice approaches to quality assurance in a tertiary setting, optimum corporate management systems in the tertiary education sector and methodologies for realising effective institutional collaboration.

Key meetings included those with JLP Board members, its senior management and senior officials of the West Australian public service commission – including the Commissioner, Mr Mal Wauchope.

PNG Precinct partners and their counterparts from Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will be working on a Record of Understanding for the two institutions as an outcome from the visit. The RoU will outline the expected areas of ongoing cooperation between the two institutions as the Precinct vision is realised over time.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct was formally launched on November 6, 2015, through a special ceremony marking its important role in building the region’s leaders of the future.

The Precinct launch was attended in Port Moresby by Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop, PNG’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Immigration Rimbink Pato, PNG’s Minister for the Public Service Sir Puka Temu, and PNG’s Minister for Higher Education Malakai Tabar.

More than 150 senior figures attended the event, representing government, the private sector and civil society.

Guests were given a preview of major new infrastructure works which will transform the Precinct’s partner institutions – the University of Papua New Guinea and the PNG Institute of Public Administration.

“Make no mistake: this is nation-building work,” Minister Bishop said.

“This is the sort of reform that will help build the vibrant, successful, inclusive and fair nation of Papua New Guinea, and it is every bit as important as those first few steps along the path to nation-hood taken by PNG’s founding fathers 40 years ago.”

Minister Temu said: “The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct – is something I passionately believe in.

“This is the kind of project I believe has been long needed in PNG. As demonstrated through our recent national achievements, we have shown that we can and will capitalise on this new opportunity.”

UPNG’s School of Business and Public Policy will receive a modern building to underpin its planned transformation into a revitalised and regionally recognised centre of excellence for leadership development.

PNGIPA – which is being transformed into a new School of Government – will get a new library wing, meeting rooms and an administrative building.

The Precinct’s new brand was also officially unveiled. It features a stylised Kumul (Bird of Paradise) and a Pacific-inspired weave design.

Hundreds of students have already commenced Precinct-supported courses. However, student numbers will continue to rise, supported by Australian-funded teaching staff.

Minister Tabar said PNG needed high-performing, ethical and technically proficient leaders “that can capitalise on our abundant wealth in mineral and petroleum resources, and map the course of future generations”.

“The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct institutions – the University of Papua New Guinea School of Business Administration & Public Policy and the PNG Institute of Public Administration will be among the flag bearers for our nation-building effort,” Mr Tabar said.

Work is underway to strengthen the curriculum at both institutions, with a focus on governance, public policy and ethical decision-making.

The Precinct aims to strengthen leadership capabilities in PNG and across the Pacific, through degree and diploma courses in public policy, management and economics.

The empowerment of the next generation of PNG’s women leaders will be a major point of focus for the Precinct. An executive leadership program is also providing mid-career public servants and private sector managers with the skills they need to step up into senior leadership roles.

The Precinct complements PNG’s Ethics and Values-Based Leadership Framework, and Australia’s focus on supporting governance improvements across the region.

Watch the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct video outlining the Precinct’s past, present and future.

 

 

Australia’s new Minister for International Development and the Pacific says getting more women into leadership positions will drive economic development in Papua New Guinea by boosting productivity and business confidence.

In one of his first official engagements in his new role, Minister Steven Ciobo said the under-representation of women in the formal economy, particularly in leadership roles, was preventing PNG in reaching it’s full economic potential.

He told an audience of female executives in Port Moresby today (October 9) that Australia wanted to do more to support the economic empowerment of PNG women and girls.

“As a friend and partner of Papua New Guinea, Australia recognises that women’s leadership in both the public and private sectors is vital to PNG’s prosperity and stability, and will help to forge a stronger, more inclusive and successful nation of the future,” he said.

“Research shows that of women had the same access to credit, markets and technology as men, the returns – in both the informal and formal sectors – would increase significantly.”

Mr Ciobo was addressing a masterclass for female managers offered through the Australian-funded Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct. The Women in Leadership workshop helps participants strengthen their skills as managers and influencers of workplace culture.

“The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct provides opportunities such as this course for women to foster greater collaboration between the private and public sectors in PNG, and contribute to better economic growth and the provision of public services,” he said.

“We want to see women having more of a say in running their family, their community, their workplace and their country,” he said.

The Australian Government’s support for PNG women falls into three specific areas: reducing violence against women; increasing women’s economic empowerment; and improving the ability of women to take on senior leadership roles.

In Melanesia, women occupy only a third of jobs in the formal economy, and men typically earn 20-50 per cent more than women because they work in jobs that attract higher salaries. The 2012 Economist Intelligence Unit placed PNG among the world’s bottom five nations in its Women’s Economic Opportunity Index.

“Women in PNG need access to agricultural resources and finance. They need to be empowered to become leaders in business, in politics, in education, in law and order and in the wider community,” Mr Ciobo said.

“I believe initiatives such as the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct will enhance women’s voice in leadership and decision-making, and will be the foundation for the future of this relationship.

“I applaud the Government of PNG for its commitment to building a new generation of ethical and effective public sector leaders in PNG, particularly those who are working to address barriers that restrict women’s full participation in economic activity.”

Minister Ciobo’s address was followed by a panel discussion which also featured UPNG’s Professor Betty Lovai, The Voice Executive Director Serena Sumanop, Origin Energy General Manager Lesieli Taviri, Internal Revenue Commissioner Betty Palaso and Dr Christine Nixon.

The two-day Women in Leadership Course was delivered on behalf of the Precinct by the Australian and New Zealand School of Government.

It was designed to complement the PNG Department of Personnel Management’s gender equity and social inclusion policy.

The workshop was facilitated by former Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Dr Christine Nixon.

Future public service leaders are drawing inspiration from the renewal of the PNG Institute of Public Administration, where the nation’s founders planned its first independent government.

The historic institution – formerly known as the PNG Administrative College and home to the famous Bully Beef Club – is being rejuvenated as part of a new leadership precinct.

PNGIPA Director Angori Wewerang, who is marking his 12 month anniversary in the job, said he’d seen a dramatic change in the outlook of students during that time.

“The public servants who are doing training here are seeing the difference in the programs provided. There’s a new energy here. At nights they are staying after classes to do more studies. Good things are happening. And that’s what I believe will shape them when they go back, to bring back new value to their workplaces and make a difference in their communities,” he said.

The institution, which will be known as the PNG School of Government, is receiving new Australian-funded buildings and a revamped curriculum.

The school will be part of the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct, which will also include UPNG’s School of Business and Public Policy.

The changes seek to re-affirm the national importance of the institution where, in the early 1970s, the now-Grand Chief, Sir Michael Somare talked into the night with Bully Beef Club contemporaries about how PNG would become independent.

“My vision is to transform this place, to provide leadership training and development programs for Papua New Guinea public service leaders who will be able to lead and guide this nation through the next 40 years,” Mr Wewerang said.

Mr Wewerang said there was immense goodwill towards the institution from within and outside the public service.

“Australia’s support is vital,” he said. “Of course, it is not just the infrastructure that Australia is contributing towards. It is also helping to strengthen the training programs we provide.”

The PNGIPA is partnering with the Australian Public Service Commission and other Australian institutions such as CIT Solutions, to improve the quality and focus of the courses offered.

They will undertake a week of intensive coursework at the University of Queensland before returning to continue their studies in PNG.

The course is being offered as part of the Precinct’s Executive Leadership Program.

Theresa Siaguru, a Principal Advisor in the Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council, said she was keen to build on her 40 years of experience in the public service.

“The training exposes us to thinking and perceptions which break away from our culture,” she said.

“We want to set the pace professionally and intellectually, and come back and make a difference.”

“I am excited and genuinely appreciate the support from the Precinct and the role of UQ in delivering this training.”

The course is being delivered by the University of Queensland but is tailored to the PNG context to ensure its relevance.

Students will undertake six weeks in intensive coursework in Brisbane and four weeks in PNG over the next 12 months. It will include group work, mentoring sessions and individual assessment.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a joint initiative of the PNG and Australian Governments to strengthen ethical and accountable leadership across the region.

Precinct courses bring together talented and motivated individuals, giving them the practical and ethical framework to advance in key national agencies.

The Precinct also offers higher and vocational courses through its partner institutions, the School of Business and Public Policy at the University of Papua New Guinea and the PNG Institute of Public Administration.

Some of PNG’s biggest sports stars urged Games athletes to apply their leadership skills learnt in sport to their careers in the public service and business at a Leadership4Life event held 12 July 2015. The event was hosted by the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct at the PNG Institute of Public Administration.

Australian High Commission Minister-Counsellor Rod Hilton said: “The Leadership4Life event recognises sport as an important platform for harnessing ethical leadership qualities. These are values relevant to the workplace, business, families and communities.”

PNG’s first ever Olympic medallist, paralympian Francis Kompaon spoke about his person journey to win silver in Beijing and how sport had taught him the value of self-belief. “It’s all about the mind,” he said.

“If you think that you can’t do it, that’s it – you can’t do it. And that goes back to everyday life. You have to have a strong mind. You have to think of yourself winning, and working towards your goal.” Kompaon currently works at international accounting PWC as a tax and legal consultant.

Takale Tuna, the Pacific’s premier sprinter of the late 1980s and early 1990s said sport had taught him valuable lessons that he’d applied in his 20 year career as a senior public servant.

Speakers also included former PNG netball captains Julienne Leka-Maliaki and Emily Taule, former Track gold medallist Takale Tuna, and American-Australian basketball champion Cal Bruton, aka “the Black Pearl”, who represented his country and coached four NBL teams.

Mr Hilton encouraged Pacific Games athletes to use the attributes they had developed through sport to lead and unite their communities and work places.

Australia supports the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct – a landmark partnership between the PNG and Australian Governments to prepare the next generation of Pacific leaders. The Precinct offers diploma, degree and executive short courses through its partner institutions, the University of PNG and the PNG Institute of Public Administration.

Click here to watch the Winning Edge video.