A full feasibility study on the bilateral trade between Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Australia will commence at the beginning of next month. A full term of reference has been agreed to between the two countries and the Centre for International Economics (CIE) will deliver the study beginning February this year. The study assesses the feasibility of a comprehensive bilateral FTA covering goods and services as well as other crosscutting issues such as investment and local content policies, competition policy, movement of people, sanitary and phytosanitary issues, and technical barriers to trade. The trade relations between PNG and Australia have been under the PNG-Australia Trade and Economic Relations Agreement signed in the 1970s and recently under the South Pacific Regional Trade and Economic Corporation Agreement. Despite Market access offered under these arrangements, for PNG, they have not served their purpose to increase PNG’s exports. Only one commodity group seems to enjoy increased market share in Australia which is gold, copper and other precious metals. Current statistics indicate that over 98.9% of PNG’s exports to Australia comes from the mining and petroleum sectors. Other commodities which are very critical for economic development, poverty alleviation and improving the living standards of ordinary Papua New Guineans see a declining market share in Australia although the demand or market in Australia seems to be increasing for these products which PNG can or is able to supply. A similar pattern is revealed for the services sector. Australia continues to enjoy significant services trade surplus in the PNG market whilst PNG experiences great difficulty to supply services connected to the temporary movement of natural persons and other services skill. Therefore, this study is very critical to assess how to make trade and investment between PNG and Australia work for the benefit of our people. The study will assess why PNG products especially from the agriculture and manufacturing sector continue to face stringent quarantine and other Non-Tariff barriers to trade making PNG products difficult to enter the Australian Market and make recommendations forward. The study will cover amongst others; ✓Assessing the prospects for the expansion of trade in goods and services across a range of sectors, particularly fisheries and agricultural products, through liberalisation of tariffs, consistent with WTO principles, and the removal of other impediments to trade. ✓Identifying options to address barriers to investment in the PNG agricultural and seafood sectors and exports of these products; and ✓Identifying the economic and strategic benefits that Australia and PNG could derive from mutual participation in a formal trade agreement or other trade instrument, including economic modelling on the potential two-way benefits and costs at the sector level that each country could derive A team from CIE will be in the country beginning February to do consultations with stakeholders and will deliver the final report by June 2023. I look forward to the outcome of the study which will be implemented soon after the report is delivered. We hope to engage with the Australians for a bilateral trade agreement, a trade agreement that addresses issues that hinders PNG exports and one that is beneficial to PNG similar to the Economic Partnership Agreement with the European Union.

Actress Annie Wersching passed away of cancer early Sunday morning, her publicist, Craig Schneider told CNN. Wersching was 45 years old. She was best known for playing FBI agent Renee Walker in the series “24.” Wersching’s husband, Stephen Full, released a statement to CNN: “There is a cavernous hole in the soul of this family today. But she left us the tools to fill it. She found wonder in the simplest moment. She didn’t require music to dance. She taught us not to wait for adventure to find you. ‘Go find it. It’s everywhere.’ And find it we shall,” he wrote. Wersching also provided the voice for Tess in “The Last of Us” video game. Neil Druckmann, the creative director of new HBO Max series “The Last of Us” based on the game, tweeted on Wesching’s passing: “Just found out my dear friend, Annie Wersching, passed away. We just lost a beautiful artist and human being. My heart is shattered. Thoughts are with her loved ones.” CNN and HBO Max are both part of the same parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery.) A GoFundMe was set up by “Handmaid’s Tale” actress Ever Carradine in support of Annie’s children and husband “so they can continue to live life in a way that they know would make Annie proud.” Wersching regularly appeared in television dramas throughout the aughts and into the 2010s. In 2007, she played Amelia Joffe on the long-running ABC soap “General Hospital.” Her breakout role came in 2008 when she portrayed FBI agent Renee Walker on the hit Fox show “24,” starring alongside Kiefer Sutherland throughout the seventh and eighth seasons. Some of Werching’s other notable TV credits include her role as the love interest of Harry Bosch (Titus Welliver) on Amazon Prime’s 2014 series “Bosch” and a recurring role as the villainous vampire Lily Salvatore on the CW’s “The Vampire Diaries.” Portraying the Borg Queen in “Star Trek Picard” in 2022, Wersching frequently shared photos of herself from set in full costume accompanied by messages of gratitude for the makeup and prosthetics artists that transformed her into the intergalactic villain. Wersching’s role in “Star Trek Picard,” which airs on Paramount+, is listed as one of the actress’s last professional credits on IMDb. Wershing’s husband concluded his statement with a touching memory on Sunday. “As I drove our boys, the true loves of her life, down the winding driveway and street, she would yell BYE! until we were out of earshot and into the world. I can still hear it ringing. Bye my Buddie. ‘I love you little family." Source: CNN News

Over the last four months, the U.S Agency for International Development (USAID), through its PNG Lukautim Graun Program, have trained 1,168 people, mostly women, in financial literacy in Eastern Highlands and Jiwaka. The aim is to increase financial literacy in rural and remote communities throughout Papua New Guinea. These participants now have a better understanding in the basics of savings and budgeting, the foundational skills for creating new enterprises and increasing household and personal financial security, particularly for women. Participants who completed the training received financial literacy certificates that can be used to meet the prerequisite for opening a savings account with commercial banks like MiBank, a nation-wide microbank. Rachael Aputi, a civil engineer with Eastern Highlands Provincial Works Division was among recent graduates to use her newly acquired knowledge and skills in financial literacy to start a small business and budget her savings to pay for her children’s school fees rather than take out a loan. “I learnt a lot through this training but what stands out for me is saving money through sacrifice and cutting down on unnecessary spending. Prior to attending this training, I was getting ready for a bank loan to pay for my children’s school fees but after attending this training, I believe I can raise K4,000 through savings – thank you USAID.” said Ms Aputi. Rachael and her husband started their poultry project in December 2022 and made their first installment payment of school fees earlier this year. Financial literacy training is part of USAID’s commitment to improve financial inclusion in Papua New Guinea so that women and men are able to fully participate in the formal economy and access financial services like banking and small-scale village savings and loan schemes. These achievements are made possible through USAID’s Lukautim Graun Program and its partnership with Centre for Excellence in Financial Inclusion (CEFI), who together, continue to empower people in rural communities to access economic opportunities that improve their livelihood prospects.

The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs would like to announce and congratulate our newly appointed Leadership Group, which includes two Game Day On-Field Captains and one Club Captain. The new leadership structure, which consists of a group of six (6) players was announced by Head Coach Cameron Ciraldo this week. Among the newly appointed leaders, Ray Faitala-Mariner has been honoured as the new Club Captain and been tasked to lead the charge on Club culture alongside teammates Josh Addo-Carr, ViliameKikau and Max King. As for the Game Day On-Field Captaincy, Ciraldo announced that the skippers post will be shared between newly appointed Co-Captains Reed Mahoney and Matt Burton. Mahoney, who played junior reps for the Bulldogs and has just returned to the Club in 2023, said he was still trying to process the news: “I’ve never really been involved in a leadership group before. Cam touched on it when I came that he wanted me to come and give my presence when I turn up, and I took that on board. It took me a while to sort of feel comfortable in that, but I just based everything around my actions and training hard. “That’s what’s got me to where I am today – working hard,” he said. Gladly accepting the honour of his new role, there’s no looking back for Reed. “I am just super excited to be a leader within this Group, and this Club – it’s so powerful. When the Club is going this strong, you don’t want to be a part of any other club. I’m really looking forward to what the Club has in store for the future,” he said. We’re all in it together. We’ve got another month or so to go before the season and there’s plenty of work to be done, but it’s been really good, and I am really excited for what’s ahead of us. It’s super exciting for me and I’m just really looking forward to it.   For Burton, his appointment comes just weeks after signing a new agreement that will see him play on in the blue and white for the long-term future (five years). While it didn’t come as a surprise to his teammates, Matt said the news had caught him off guard: “I never thought I would have got the opportunity to Captain the side and it’s obviously a really big honour,” he said. “I am really looking forward to it and it’s great that I’ll have Reed there beside me. It’s new to both of us so it’s going to be a big challenge, but we’re both really looking forward to leading the side.” While both Reed and Matt are new to the Captaincy role, they don’t need to look far for leadership guidance. With a number of alumni, including ex-Canterbury Skippers Andrew Ryan, Terry Lamb and most recently, Josh Jackson still around the Club and working closely with the team. “It’s good to have those guys around just to mentor us and you know, if you ever need anything they are always there. It’s good to have them around, I’ve been asking them a few questions here and there, but our main focus right now is getting it right in the pre-season so that when the season comes around, we’re raring to go. There’s a whole new vibe around the Club. There’s obviously a lot of new staff and a few new faces around the team but it’s been a great feel around the Club so far and I’m just looking forward to the season The Leadership Group will work directly with Andrew ‘Bobcat’ Ryan in terms of Leadership & Culture development: “The new structure of leadership came mostly from the staff but as far as the Leadership Group goes, it was all player voted as well,” he said. “These are players that all lead in their own way naturally. It was a no-brainer to have someone like Ray as the Club Captain with his experience and presence around the Club, just being the person that he is. And now these two guys, Burto [Burton] and Reed in their game day roles, they’ve just been leaders in their own way at training and are both equally in their own right, the right people for the job. It’s a time where there’s all sorts of change happening, so it’s an exciting time for the Club to have this new structure and it’s a perfect fit for our Club and for where we are now. Now to lead the charge alongside Bobcat, Ray Faitala-Mariner said he knew when Josh Jackson announced his retirement that it was time for him to step up. “When Jacko [Josh Jackson] retired and obviously being one of the older ones at the Club, I felt like a few boys needed to step up – there are big shoes to fill for Josh Jackson - so I thought I will be one of those boys to step up. “I knew we had a young crew coming through and because I really love the Club and what they’ve done for me, I thought the best way to give back is to be a leader in my own way and be true to myself.” Source:NRL.Com

Twenty-five students are spending six-weeks at Newcrest Mining Lihir’s gold operations, where they will be doing industrial training. Of the 25 students, nine are from New Ireland of which three are female. There are 11 female students in this batch. Lihir offers a wide range of training opportunities as it embarks on identifying and recruiting the right talents, including building a healthy talent pool. One such programme is the Industrial Training programme, which creates a safe space for students to learn and gain experience through exposure to real work scenarios and hands-on training. The program is part of Newcrest Mining Lihir’s Young Talent Program. “We are committed to developing our talents, as we have done since the mine commenced operations,’’ Alex Rogea, Lihir’s Human Resource Manager said when welcoming the students. “We have a number of training initiatives, one of which is the industrial training program.’’ He encouraged the students to set goals and work towards achieving them. “It’s also good to set personal goals and plans to where you want to be in life, and work according to your plan and your goals. Build relations and your networking, as this will come in very handy.” Industrial trainee Kathleen Aruma completed her studies last year and will be graduating with a bachelor’s degree in Mineral Processing Engineering from the Papua New Guinea University of Technology (PNGUoT). She is attached to the Metallurgy section under the Process Plant department. “This is my second time on the Industrial Training Program; I was here last year for a period of six weeks. I am currently four weeks into this year’s Industrial training program, and it’s been just as fun as the first time,” Kathleen said. “I was mostly excited about joining the program because I had heard about the exposure such training provides. That is; exposure to such a diverse workforce and at one of the world’s largest gold mines.” Information about the program caught Kathleen’s attention at a career roadshow, where she made a swift decision to apply straight away. “I knew I was going to learn so much not only in the metallurgical/process engineering space but in other fields as well.” The industrial training program is unique, in that, it creates a complete career pathway for the trainees from the University level to being a graduate development trainee, and on to a professional role at Newcrest Mining Lihir. Through the Newcrest Lihir Young Talent programme, the company provides the pathway for university students who aspire to develop a career in the mining industry. The company is partnering with institutions such as University of Papua New Guinea, Don Bosco Technological Institute, Pacific Adventist University and (PNGUoT) to source and maintain talent supply of quality professionals to meet future demands. A total of 75 students have been through this program since its commencement three years ago.

Police Commissioner David Manning said the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary will do its job without fear or favor in relation to the traffic accident involving Secretary for Justice & Attorney General Dr Eric Kwa. Police Commissioner Manning said, “We will not be swayed by public comments and debates but ensure that the law is applied, and justice prevails. “We have reviewed the evidence with the investigators of the case since and are satisfied with the weight of the evidence to support the charge of “Dangerous Driving Causing Death”. Furthermore, there are separate police actions to be taken on other parties involved in this matter." The Commissioner said he had a brief discussion with Dr Kwa on Friday January 27 to reassure him that due diligence will be taken in perusing the file by senior experienced traffic investigators to ensure that police have: 1. Satisfied the essential elements of the alleged offence; and 2. Ensured all other circumstances leading up to, during and after the incident have been thoroughly investigated. Commissioner Manning said Deputy Commissioner Special Operations Mr Donald Yamasombi was directed to lead a team to facilitate this. “This was done in the interest of justice for both the accused (Dr Kwa) and in the interest of Justice for the late officer. No one is hiding anything. We are just being transparent and professional with the matter. At no time was there any agreement to not pursue the matter through the courts,” Mr Manning said.

ChatGPT is smart enough to pass prestigious graduate-level exams – though not with particularly high marks. The powerful new AI chatbot tool recently passed law exams in four courses at the University of Minnesota and another exam at University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business, according to professors at the schools. To test how well ChatGPT could generate answers on exams for the four courses, professors at the University of Minnesota Law School recently graded the tests blindly. After completing 95 multiple choice questions and 12 essay questions, the bot performed on average at the level of a C+ student, achieving a low but passing grade in all four courses. ChatGPT fared better during a business management course exam at Wharton, where it earned a B to B- grade. In a paper detailing the performance, Christian Terwiesch, a Wharton business professor, said ChatGPT did “an amazing job” at answering basic operations management and process-analysis questions but struggled with more advanced prompts and made “surprising mistakes” with basic math. “These mistakes can be massive in magnitude,” he wrote. The test results come as a growing number of schools and teachers express concerns about the immediate impact of ChatGPT on students and their ability to cheat on assignments. Some educators are now moving with remarkable speed to rethink their assignments in response to ChatGPT, even as it remains unclear how widespread use is of the tool among students and how harmful it could really be to learning. Source: CNN Business

Two motor vehicles that were stolen on Friday 27th January and Saturday 28th January at two different locations in the National Capital District (NCD) were recovered thanks to the quick action by the police. The police responses in recovering stolen motor vehicles in the city have significantly improved since the establishment of the NCD Sector Patrol Units within the three electorates of NCD. According to police records, every stolen vehicle is recovered the same day, or if not, within ten days, mostly in good condition. The two vehicles reported stolen and recovered by police were seized by criminals in Gerehu and at Konedobu. NCD Metropolitan Superintendent Silva Sika, while commenting on these recoveries, said that to prevent crime the general public must be vigilant and cautious when moving around in places where they can easily become a target for criminals. He said police are doing everything they can to cover all parts of the city, and, they will always attend to crime across the city. Mr. Sika said Port Moresby is a big place bustling with life, but crime like everywhere else around the world remains a threat; therefore, people must be security conscious at all times when moving about the city. He said in many parts of the world law enforcement agencies are using advanced technology to fight crime. He said PNG is behind in terms of technology, but the Constabulary is fortunate to have hard-working men and women who are passionately dedicated to their profession. According to Constable Victor Siapari from Fox 200 Alpha, the vehicle that was stolen and recovered at Gerehu, is a Black Volo. It was stolen at around 6pm and recovered by his team at Gerehu Stage Seven at 7 pm. He said they were doing motorized patrol around the Gerehu area when they received a phone call. The caller said the vehicle was stolen at Gesu settlement and was heading to Gerehu Stage Seven. From instinct and experience, the policemen went to Gerehu Stage 7 and found the abandoned car. He said the vehicle was recovered within one hour and was taken back to the police station. The second vehicle was stolen near the Post Courier office at Konedobu by five armed suspects. According to police officers from Hohola police station, the lone driver who was stationary at Post Courier was approached by the armed men who pointed a gun at him and took the key from him. Police patrol car Sierra 310 from Hohola Police station was driving past and they picked up the stranded victim. They drove up to Ela Makana hill and found the abandoned vehicle. No suspects were arrested in these two crimes, but investigations are continuing.

The University of Technology NCD Students Association will be carrying out education awareness programs for some high and secondary schools in Port Moresby city. NCD Student Association Representative, Mr. Arthur Kondon said that the aim of the Leadership Education Awareness program is to motivate and inspire students. “Basically its to empower students with the right information and challenge them as former students of the particular schools.” “This is our way of giving back to the community and also a way of showing that if we can do it, they can do it too.” The education awareness program is one of the two programs that the students are carrying out during their break. Kondon said that they are only doing the awareness for a few schools as they are using their own resources. He said that they wanted to do awareness at primary schools as well, but they don’t have the funding. Meanwhile, the second program the students association is running is the cleanathon program of which they started the cleanathon at the start of the week from Hohola to Tokarara and then to Gerehu. Mr. Kondon said the cleanathon was a success and he thanked students from the University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG), the Divine Word University (DWU) and a few schools in the city that helped them out.

National airline, Air Niugini has come on board to support the 2023 Hiri Moale Festival, which is scheduled for March this year. The airline is providing travel for the winners and all contestants with the mix of domestic and international tickets at the total value of over K70,000. Air Niugini’s General Manager, Commercial Paul Abbot during the sponsor’s launch on Friday said Air Niugini as the National airline was proud to support the festival, highlighting the cultural significance and the impact the event would have on tourism and the country. He said “The Hiri Moale Festival is more than just a festival as it impacts positively on tourism, the country and its people, especially the younger generations. Part of the vision for the Festival is to protect and preserve the cultural heritage and we are pleased to be able to play our part in this. It’s an event that adds value and inspires the next generation, Air Niugini is pleased to support the festival“ Mr Abbot also said apart from supporting the contestants in the festival, the airline will also look at other opportunities such as future career pathways to support the young ladies after the event. Chairman of Motu Koita Assembly and Deputy Governor, NCD Dadi Toka said Air Niugini has been operating from the indigenous Motu Koita land since its inception and it was only fitting for the airline to support the festival. “This is not the first time Air Niugini has supported the Hiri Moale Festival and we are grateful to have the airline onboard again this year. This festival is not only for the Motu Koitabuans but for everyone” The annual Hiri Moale festival celebrates the culture of the Motu-Koitabu people, who forged unique connections with other tribes and people through seafaring and trade. This year’s festival is scheduled to take place from Friday 3rd to Sunday 5th March at the Sir Hubert Murray Stadium in Port Moresby.

A state of emergency has been declared for the Waitomo District with reports of flooding, slips and inundation. Waitomo district mayor John Roberston says the district has experienced widespread flooding and heavy rain. Waitomo is a rural community in the King Country region. Police say a number of roads in Te Kuiti have been closed by flooding. Residents affected by flooding are also being evacuated. Waitomo residents are being urged to stay at home and not venture out into the weather. The state of emergency is for the next seven days. MetService has issued a heavy rain warning for Wairarapa while Wellington has a strong wind watch. A third death related to the flooding around Auckland has been confirmed this afternoon. Police have confirmed that Fire and Emergency workers at a Shore Rd property that had been hit by a landslide found one person deceased earlier today. Police will now make enquiries on behalf of the Coroner. Two other deaths have been linked to the flooding - one body was found in a flooded culvert in Wairau Valley on the North Shore last night and another man was found in a nearby carpark this morning. One person is still missing after being swept away at Onewhero in the Waikato District. Source: Radio New Zealand

Transparency International PNG (TIPNG) will be releasing the results of the 2022 Corruption Perceptions Index on Tuesday 31 January 2023. The Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is a composite index that scores and ranks countries/territories based on how corrupt a country’s public sector is perceived to be by experts and business executives. The CPI is the leading global indicator of public sector corruption, providing an annual comparative snapshot of 180 countries and territories. The index for 2022 draws on 13 expert assessments and surveys and assess how countries have responded to corruption over time, reviewing progress and failures not just in the last year but over the last decade and beyond. The 2022 CPI also analyses the connection between conflict, security and corruption – taking an in-depth look at how violence and corruption impacts one another around the world.