Department of Lands, Physical Planning, Environment and Conservation and Climate Change
THE DEPARTMENT OF LANDS, PHYSICAL PLANNING, ENVIRONMENT AND CONSERVATION:
Headed by Secretary LYNNETTE BARATAI-POKAS under the ministerial leadership of Honorable JUNIOR TUMARE Member for Makis Constituency, ABG Minister for Lands. Its mandate is focused on:
- Customary land
- State land
- Incorporated Land Groups
- Physical planning
- Bougainville Building Board
- Water and sanitation
- Conservation
- Climate Change
News and updates:
Lands Act a priority for this year
The Department of Lands, Physical Planning and Conservation has set its target to draw down the powers and functions of a land act from the national office this year.
According to the Secretary for the Department of Lands, Physical Planning and Conservation, Lynette Pokas, the target is set for this year and the department is working around the clock to have its own Lands Act.
The Department does not have its own Lands Act at the moment and it was a priority to work towards for this year, she said.
There are other priorities set on the department’s calendar as well. Ms Pokas said that the department also needed an environment and conservation laws and while officers are preparing papers for the drawdown of the power and functions of a Lands Act, they are also preparing to conduct awareness on climate change especially on refugees of climate change and the re-settlement of the victims around the region.
The Department attends to land administration and technical services as well as environment and climate change issues.
Ms Pokas said that another important project to achieve this year was the transferring of the files containing the details of applicants for land leasing around Bougainville.
She said that the project took long to complete because the files were based in Port Moresby and that it needed a lot of checking and confirmation of the names of the tenants and their land entitlements.
She added that when the project is completed then land tenants can access their files on a server provided by the department.
The department has a lands board that attends to cases of land leasing protocols and processes but still needs a physical planning board, she said.
She said that there was a lot that needed to be done this year mainly in the areas of awareness, draw down of powers and functions and memorandum of understanding agreements to be signed between the ABG office and the national office.
Ends
Vacant Parcels of Land for Tender
The following Bougainville Gazette contains the vacant parcels of land in Bougainville that are up for tender. Tender documents can be obtained from the Department of Lands, Physical Planning, Environment and Conservation in Buka.
You can download the Gazette here.
Public Consultation on the Bougainville Land Bill Draft 2021
The Bougainville Land Policy was developed over several years by the Department of Lands, through District-level consultations with a broad cross-section of Bougainvilleans providing their thoughts. The Department of Lands have now worked with the Department of Justice & Legal Services to develop a Draft Land Bill.
The passage of the Bill will make many PNG Acts of parliament in relation to land not applicable. While the system of land regulation being proposed for Bougainville is similar to PNG in some ways, it is very different in others.
ABG now seeks Bougainvilleans feedback on the content of the draft Bill, in order to finalise it for passage through the Bougainville House of Representatives. Feedback can be provided in writing to the Department of Lands or online via this email address ABGLANDBILL@gmail.com by 28 February 2022.
You can download the ABG LAND BILL DRAFT here and the LAND BILL INFORMATION BROCHURE here.
