Dion gets petition from landowners

Business

By MARK HAIHUIE
DEPUTY Prime Minister Sir Leo Dion yesterday received a petition on behalf of Prime Minister Peter O’Neill from beneficiary groups under the umbrella benefit sharing agreement (UBSA).
The UBSA group is made up of landowner groups from the PNG LNG project impact areas.
The petition lists concerns on issues surrounding the benefits from the project which primarily focused on the additional direct equity purchase by the beneficiary groups.
This stems from “the government’s lack of genuine interest demonstrated by an absolute absence of a whole government-coordinated approach on the part of the  Government to deal with the landowners and provincial governments benefits package emanating from the PNG LNG project”.
The petition has 14 “critical demands” on the Government regarding the UBSA, Kumul Petroleum Holdings Limited and the purchase of additional direct equity in the PNG LNG project.
This was signed after a meeting between beneficiary groups on Wednesday in Port Moresby. Southern Highlands Governor William Powi attended.
The petition calls on the government to respond favourably to the demands by next Wednesday at Andaja Oval in Tari, Hela.