Plans to merge land commissions

THE Government is looking at merging the National Lands Commission and the Land Titles Commission under a new organisation which will be called Lands Tribunal Commission, Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Davis Steven says.
Steven presented a statement in Parliament yesterday on the National Lands Commission (NLC) and said the commission was established under the National Land Registration Act and it conducted hearing on former customary land acquired by the colonial government prior to independence to ascertain if any settlement awards could be awarded and kept a register of such national land.
“It is also important in ensuring titles are formally issued to the state as this is a very important factor when discussing economic development issues in the context of our country,” Steven said.
He said it was one such practical issue that was discussed as part of the government’s efforts to address the themes developed for the leaders’ summit this year.
“So under the current white paper on Law and Justice in Papua New Guinea, there is a proposal to merge both the NLC and the Lands Titles Commission as the Lands Tribunal Commission,” Steven said.
He said the Department of Justice and Attorney-General had initiated administrative arrangements on the merger and was finalised for the legislative framework subject to any further review of the white paper.
“I hope to bring before Parliament for consideration when it is ready,” Steven said.