From Extraction to Inclusion

Changing the path to development in Papua New Guinea

A new report by ACT NOW! Jubilee Australia and Oakland Institute

Since Independence in 1975, Papua New Guinea's economic and social development outcomes have not matched people's aspirations or government promises. Indeed, despite the abundance of its riches, PNG lags behind its Pacific neighbors on many important development indicators. Most people's quality of life has not improved, and the quality of basic government services like health and education has deteriorated.

A comprehensive and objective review of the country's economic performance since Independence in 1975, has found this can, in large part, be attributed to the development path that has been followed by successive governments. Rather than a people-centered approach, which was considered and promoted in the years leading up to Independence and embedded in the nation's Constitution, large-scale resource extraction has dominated among policy makers and been sold to the people under the promise it will improve their lives. […]