$1.2m to aid PNG election

By Jim Baynes
April 24, 2003

AUSTRALIA will give $1.2 million to Papua New Guinea to help pay for the use of helicopters during the second attempt at elections in the Southern Highlands.

Polling is due to commence on Saturday in the province, where armed bandits and cheats destroyed the vote last June, forcing the disqualification of six of the nine Southern Highlands electorates.

Australia's new grant to PNG comes just months after AusAID's own review team admitted its $6.9 million support for the 2002 national poll was largely a waste of taxpayer funds.

Australia's High Commissioner to PNG, Michael Potts, today said Australia would contribute 3 million kina ($1.2 million) to help pay for election transport during the supplementary poll.

"The funds will be used to assist the PNG government's delivery of effective electoral administration by ensuring ballot boxes, police and electoral officials can be moved quickly and safely by helicopter around the province," the High Commissioner said in a statement.

"The Australian assistance follows close consultation with the PNG Electoral Commission and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, who identified the priority areas for assistance."

The PNG government's failure to pay helicopter companies on time contributed to last year's electoral chaos, as did poor planning and bad weather.

The High Commissioner said Australia has also provided two advisers from the Australian Electoral Commission to assist with community awareness and budgeting for the election.

Today's grant comes just months after Australia's scathing self-assessment on the value of its electoral aid to PNG.

AusAID's 62 page review, released in February, found the impact of the electoral support project "seems to be disproportionately low for a high level of investment".

The review team said the AusAID designed project lacked understanding of PNG's political system, and may even have had some negative impacts.

The shambolic state of the electoral roll in particular brought major embarrassment to the Australian Electoral Commission and AusAID.

The review team had recommended Australia rethink its approach to electoral aid in PNG.

"Perhaps the most serious factors undermining democratic elections (in PNG) are the underlying, deep-rooted ones, in which coercion, violence, bribery and corruption are becoming more widespread and are in danger of becoming an accepted part of the way elections are to be conducted," the report said.

AAP