Lupari warns nation of drastic budget cuts

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By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
CHIEF Secretary Isaac Lupari has warned of drastic cuts in the 2017 national Budget, saying the nation will have to brace for the worst next year as it will be very tough.
Lupari urged every one in particular, public servants and their families to be prepared to make sacrifices.
“Some public offices will not be included in the 2017 national budget. The public service has grown out of proportion,” he said.
“There are a lot of duplications of public offices and we are becoming territorial. We think that one office is not performing and we create another office to perform the same job. As a result the public service has become this big. And we are not delivering services.
“Some organisations will be affected as a result. I have made recommendations to the Government not to put budget for them. Once they (Government) make the decision, my role is to rationalise their decision.”
Lupari met Health Secretary Pascoe Kase and staff at the Health headquarters in Port Moresby on Friday.
He told them he had advised the secretaries for Treasury and Finance not to cut the health budget.
“I told them to cut their own (Finance and Treasury) budgets. Money must go to health, education, infrastructures and law and order,” he said.
“I have cut my (Prime Minister and National Executive Council) department budget down. It is not going to be easy when the budget is handed down.”