Growing population demands more districts

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill says there is a need to increase the number of electorates in the country because of population increase.
He said this in response to a question from Western Governor Taboi Awi Yoto in Parliament on Friday as to when the number of districts in his province — the largest in the country by land mass — would be increased.
“Yes, there is certainly a need for us to increase the number of electorates in the country because of the population increase,” O’Neill said.
“There are certainly some districts in the country that have got more population than the others.”
O’Neill said the size of some electorates were quite large so their representation in Parliament was limited.
“The Electoral Boundaries Commission, not in the last term but the term before, did submit a report but Parliament rejected that report because it was too close to the elections,” he said.
“I certainly will announce the new boundaries’ commission members before June this year.
“The electoral commissioner is now putting names together so that announcement will be made, and a review of boundaries will take place. There are certainly electorates like Kandrian-Gloucester, Talasea and many others around the country that need to be split because there is population of more than 150,000 in those electorates.
“One MP and district administration is not capable of looking after that size of population.
“I will announce that boundaries commission before June this year.”
Yoto said Western was the biggest province in Papua New Guinea.
“It has a land mass of approximately 98,000 square kilometres, or one-fifth of the land mass of PNG,” he said.
“With a (population) scattered throughout the province – it gives Western provincial government and the administration a tough time to deliver services to the people.
“If you fly from Port Moresby to Kiunga, it takes two hours, and if you fly from Tabubil to Daru – from the mountains to the coast – it also takes two hours.
“Imagine that. Western province is too big.”