Envoy praises role Australia plays in the law and order sector

By JIMMY KALEBE
THE collaboration between Papua New Guinea and Australia on the law and justice sector has been long-standing and on-going, says Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis.
Davis said the national law and order summit in Lae yesterday should give PNG the opportunity to examine its approaches to tackling law and order.
“We support each other on a range of institutional links and policy issues like in the judicial sector and other sectors in the community,” he said.
Davis said Papua New Guinea was Australia’s largest defence cooperation partner “which reflects trust, common interests and shared regional perspectives with dynamic and effective law enforcement which are vital for peace and public order”.
He said the biggest challenges facing PNG policy-makers was the high number of young people and the growing population.
Around 50 per cent of young people in PNG are under the age of 24 and they have to be provided with meaningful opportunities to contribute positively to the country’s prosperity, he said.
Davis suggested that a youth development council be set up to take care of their interests.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary Isaac Lupari told the summit that the existing law and order system should be strengthened.
He said the law and order problem was the manifestation of the rundown state of our “social, economic, political and cultural settings”.
“This summit is a golden opportunity for all stakeholders to see a way forward from what we have been going through over the years,” he said.