ABG continues to focus on overhauling public service

Islands

The Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) 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 was to continue the process of enhancing public service capacity and accountability while 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,” he said.
“My focus has been on addressing these issues by creating a more holistic approach to the work that we do by building the senior management team to be more responsive and enhancing accountability.”
For the Department of President and Bougainville Executive  Council (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, vice president and BEC.
“We are making some good progress,” Nobetau said.
“The team is starting to consolidate and produce effective outcomes, evidenced through the increasing quality of submissions and analysis of whole-of-government issues. Nobetau revealed that there were key issues that the administration would be looking at which, among others, included:

  • Enhancing financial accountability;
  •  enhancing the legal clearance processes particularly where they give rise to financial obligations for the ABG;
  •  enhancing the ABG’s revenue base;
  • improving law and order in Bougainville;
  •  enhancing aid coordination;
  • enhancing engagement with the National Government;
  • the second joint review of autonomy;
  • referendum planning; and,
  • Reinvigorating the mining sector.

Nobetau said the past six months were challenging.
He said there was a need to change the culture of the Autonomous Bougainville Government public service.