Housing issue looked at

The National Main Stories

THE Government is working with the superfunds on a programme to provide affordable housing to citizens, it has been revealed.
Lands and Physical Planning Minister John Rosso yesterday met Nambawan Super chief executive officer Paul Sayer, Nasfund chief executive officer Ian Tarutia and Comrade Trustee Services Ltd statutory manager Sitiveni Weleilakeba to discuss the initiative before it is taken up to Cabinet.
He said 5,000 pieces of land would be given to public servants, taxpayers and superfund members as part the government programme to provide affordable housing to people.
“There is no firm commitment as yet but, we should be able to make announcements hopefully by the end of this year or early next year,” Rosso said.
He said homes could cost between K250,000 and K300,000.
“You are looking at K8,000 per allotment, (plus) between K100,000 to K200,000 for the land, roads, water, power all coming (together) to ensure we reduce the price of housing,” he said.
“Identifying proper land, water, power, sewerage, all these things need to happen.”
He said the cost of blocks of land and housing in Port Moresby ranged between K400,000 and K600,000,
“We are trying to bring it down to K250,000 to K300,000 or lower,” he said.
He said it was likely that the superfunds would manage the housing programme.
Tarutia, Weleilakeba and Sayer said while superfunds had their own schemes, they wanted to make the government initiative work.
Weleilakeba said the journey for CTSL started about three years ago.
“When you talk about affordability, we qualify at K250,000, K100,000 is the land development cost which includes utilities plus the housing which is a maximum of K150,000,” Weleilakeba said.
Tarutia said in Port Moresby, estates such as Malolo, 9-Mile and Rainbow were examples of affordable housing provided but not many had benefited.
Sayer urged government agencies and stakeholders to work together to make it happen.

10 comments

  • Very good initiative and must be supported at all levels of government. Apart from existing programs to provide affordable housing in the country, it is equally important for each and every city and town in the country to have an Urban Development Plan in place to guide the future growth and development of the town/city. This is to ensure coherence between different areas of the town/city and the functions and amenities that they provide for the urban area as a whole including housing and other competing demands.

  • State land needs to be identified include those that illegally squattwted on and make available for afforyable housing.

  • Initiative very highly acknowledged. May God continue to guide and lead this govt with His wisdom and understanding till His will is fully accomplished/established…Much blessings!!!

  • Simply remove the illegal settlements in the city and make way for such initiative to progress to ease the burden tax payers are shouldering. Those illegal settlements are not paying any tax to the government but, becoming breeding ground for criminals, sicknesses, and even contributing immensely to the lawlessness in the city.
    Feeling tired of living in this sick society.

  • Initiate an overhaul in the land ownership, reclaim those land that were fraudulently sold to foreigners and other crooks and make them available for this timely housing scheme. We don’t need to look afar for land. All the land in the major urban centres is there, except that they have been obtained under dubious means and have to be reclaimed

  • the illegal settlers are the by-products of government’s past decisions. we dont blame them, but to look into solutions to solve the problem in an amicable manner

  • ‘He said the cost of blocks of land and housing in Port Moresby ranged between K400,000 and K600,000, “We are trying to bring it down to K250,000 to K300,000 or lower!”

    Sir, the minimum wage is K3.20 for 35 hr week = K112 Over 52 weeks = K5824
    With a working life of 40 years x K5284 = K233000.
    So just affording a house would take more than your whole life’s wages. There would be nothing to buy food, power, phones, clothing, education fees nothing to pay for transport and no entertainment..

    So this scheme is only for the richest segment of PNG society. Gone is the Constitution instruction for equal development. What gives the government the right to GIFT land to anyone? Just as with traditional land tenure the land must not be given free to anyone. It must be provided only for use and rented..
    There is a fixed number of houses available for workers in Moresby and it is not enough so squatting expands out of control. The government must reform the National Housing scheme so that if you move away from Moresby (or any other town) the house remains owned by the NHC. That would mean there is a house available for your successor to move into straight away.

    Obviously as well the government must continue to build new houses to solve the squatting and cater for the continuing influx of workers employed by expanding industries or new ones.

    If you give the land free to elites and allow them to own the houses upon it you will continue to have a housing shortage and ultimately run out of land within the city boundaries on which to build new homes. The uncontrolled settlements will be pushed out into the rural areas in the customary owned lands.

  • Thanks Arthur, very well stated.

    If we can recall back one of a social science lesion about the push and pull factors – It thought all about controlling the movement of the people. Only if it can be revise back to the member of the parliament would be very good so they can understand and start implementing and controlling the population of our country.

  • Good Minister come up with good initiative. That is the only way forward to minimise the skyrocketing of rental fees for rent houses. Keep on doing good things for the people under the watchful eyes of our Lord Jesus so that Lord Himself will continue to bless your leadership with more wisdom and knowledge.

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