Initiative Program – Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct

Ms Rhoda Karl tested out some of her new skills learned at the training program.

A group of Papua New Guinea’s public servants have boosted their leadership skills, ensuring they have the tools to communicate effectively with peers and the public.

More than 40 public servants from throughout Papua New Guinea participated in the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct’s Public Speaking and Speech Writing course, held in Port Moresby.

The intensive course was tailored to the Papua New Guinean public sector, and focused on creating the right tone to motivate and inspire others.

Assistant Secretary Rhoda Karl, from the Department of Treasury, said her role involved the preparation of departmental and ministerial speeches.

“I have gained confidence in preparing speeches, and for public speaking and presenting myself,” Ms Karl said.

Mr Xavier Bate Winnia, from the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, wrote a speech for presentation on the final day.

“This session has given me a framework and polished some of the skills that I use every day.”

Xavier Bate Winnia, Senior Research Officer at the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission, said he now has a greater understanding of how to make an impact with his ideas.

“In my line of work, as a researcher, we are used to providing a lot of information – but it can be too much to take in,” Mr Winnia said.

“Through this training I have learned how to carefully craft my message in a way that is specific to the audience.”

The Public Speaking and Speech Writing course was led by Toby Ralph, one of Australia’s eminent communications experts and speech writers.

He said public speaking and speech writing are important skills that can be trained and improved.

“To communicate ideas crisply and carry people with you matters when you’re at the pointy end of the public service,” Mr Ralph said.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a joint initiative of the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia to support ethical and capable public sector leadership.

Precinct courses respond to demand for skills and knowledge that are pertinent to existing and emerging public sector leaders.

Papua New Guinea has taken another step on the path to adopting global best practice in open and accountable management of its extractive resources.

A three-day workshop hosted by the Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct and the Papua New Guinea Secretariat of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (PNGEITI) was held in Port Moresby last week to strengthen the way in which revenue from the industry is managed through improved transparency and ethical leadership in the sector.

The workshop involved key resources sector stakeholders from government, industry and civil society.

Papua New Guinea applied to join the EITI three years ago, recognising the benefits to citizens and investors of having improved transparency around the management of the nation’s natural wealth.

The workshop follows PNGEITI’s 2014 report, which identified opportunities for improvements to the sector’s reporting and management.

Deputy Secretary for Treasury, Manu Momo, said the Government had made significant progress towards becoming EITI accredited.

“Despite our challenges, we have achieved a lot in implementing the global EITI standards,” he said.

“The EITI initiative has the potential to deliver significant benefits through increased accountability and transparency.

This means having information available to stimulate more debate on public policy and how to best manage our resource revenue.”

PNGEITI Secretariat Head Lucas Alkan said: “This is a very exciting collaboration between the Precinct and the PNGEITI, which have joined together to improve governance and transparency in the extractive sector.”

“With strong leadership, this industry can be a platform for social and economic change.”

The acceptance of Papua New Guinea as an EITI compliant country, if achieved, will contribute to building a better business environment based on transparency and increased accountability.

The Pacific Leadership and Governance Precinct is a joint initiative of the Governments of Papua New Guinea and Australia to develop capable and ethical leaders who will drive economic growth and improve service delivery.

Australian High Commission Counsellor for Economic Governance, Jodie McAlister, said ensuring appropriate benifits from the resources industry was a challenge shared by Australia.

“The extractives sector is a vital part of the economies of both Papua New Guinea and Australia,” she said.

“The challenge that has been presented to our two countries is to ensure that the revenues from these non-renewable resources are used to build for future generations.

While these resources are finite, with strong governance and leadership the extractives sector can provide the basis for sustainable development, economic growth and diversification.”

PNGEITI is a Government-led initiative, which is supported by companies, civil society groups, investors and international organizations.

It provides a platform for these groups to review, assess, and report on what is being paid by companies and received by governments from extractive industry operations.