News and Public Notices

The Autonomous Bougainville Government Administration continues to make headway as it focuses on overhauling the public service to create a more accountable and progressive machinery.

ABG Chief Secretary Joseph Nobetau said that his key priority during this reporting period has been to continue the process of enhancing public service capacity and accountability, whilst at the same time progressing a number of critical policy and programme related reforms. 
“I continue to encounter systemic issues that are impeding the capacity of the public service to respond. My focus has been on addressing these issues by creating a more holistic approach to the work that we do, building the senior management team to be more responsive and enhancing accountability,” Nobetau said. 

 For the Department of President and BEC, Nobetau’s focus has been on building the capacity of the Office of the Chief Secretary so that he can effectively support the work of the President, the Vice President and the BEC. 
“We are making some good progress. The team is starting to consolidate and produce effective outcomes, evidenced through the increasing quality of submissions and analysis of whole-of-government issues,” Mr Nobetau said. 

Mr Nobetau also revealed that there were key issues that the administration would be looking at:

• Enhancing Financial Accountability: More effective financial management and control systems. 
•  Enhancing Legal Clearance Process: particularly where they give rise to financial obligations for the ABG. 
•  Enhancing Revenue Base
• Improving Law and Order in Bougainville.
• Recruitment, HR and Administration
• Swearing in of new Secretaries 
• Corporate Plans to be launched.
• Strategic Development Plan to be launched
• Enhancing Aid Coordination
• Enhancing Engagement with the National Government 
• Immigration MoU 
• The Restoration and Development Grant: The President and the Prime Minister agreed that it is appropriate that the Supreme Court be asked to examine the constitutional provisions related to the calculation and formula of the RDG. 
•  Second Joint Review of Autonomy 
• Referendum Planning
• Community Government Elections 
• Reinvigorating the Mining Sector 
• Media and Communications 
• Supporting the President

Nobetau said the past six months have been a challenge and that there was a need to change the culture of the ABG public service. Action must be taken to stop public servants that seek to destabilise and defraud.

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