Ministers launch handicraft videos

A HANDICRAFT biosecurity awareness video and vendor guide was launched last week by Minister for Tourism, Arts and Culture Emil Tamur and Australia’s Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment Keith Pitt.
The materials, which include a biosecurity video on handicraft and a handicraft vendor guide, are designed to help educate vendors, artisans and tourists in meeting biosecurity protocols involved in the production, purchasing and handling of handicraft. “The Government is pleased to be working in partnership with the Australian Government to ensure that our people benefit from the investment made in the tourism sector,” Tamur said.
“As you know, more than 80 per cent of the population is rural-based and dependent on sectors such as tourism and agriculture for their livelihood.”
He said stakeholders would reduce the risk of exported handicrafts being rejected at border quarantine authorities through appropriate inspection and treatment.
Pitt said supporting tourism and rural development in PNG to enable economic growth, including the empowerment of women, was a key focus of the PNG-Australia partnership.
The video, which will be made available on cruise ships, offers information to tourists on what can and cannot be brought into Australia and New Zealand.