Australia looking to boost support

PAPUA New Guinea is Australia’s most important development partner, AusAID director-general Peter Baxter said.
Baxter this week visited Prime Minister Peter O’Neill to discuss ways that Australia, through AusAID, could further assist PNG.
Baxter said they were prepared to assist with logistics in the general election.
“We also would like to work together in an effort to reduce corruption and hopefully eliminate it in various key ministries like in the health sector,’’ he said.
“We agree that we will work together to establish an independent procurement capability within the health sector and have some control measures in place to monitor donor funds.”
O’Neill reassured him that the government would work closely with AusAID to implement some of the important projects in the country.
He highlighted education as one of the government’s major priority areas and the government had invested heavily in it.