Fiscal decentralisation in PNG has been a contentious topic for much of the country’s history. PNG has had several attempts at decentralising fiscal responsibilities, without much success improving governance or service delivery. This is concerning, given sub- national funding has increased in the past decade. Governance has deteriorated over time as more responsibilities and funds are channelled to lower levels of government, including through unaccountable transfers to members of parliament (MPs) to use at their discretion. Government effectiveness and service delivery have suffered as a result, leading to poor development outcomes.

This presentation focuses on the weaknesses in the decentralisation process and how these mechanisms can be strengthened. Data collected from PNG government budget reports is analysed both for insights into the decentralisation of finances to provinces since 2007 and implications for service delivery and accountable governance. Where data are publicly available, the presentation compares sub-national revenues, operational and capital spending across provinces, and provides contrasts to global experiences.

The monthly ANU-UPNG seminar series is part of the partnership between the ANU Crawford School of Public Policy and the UPNG, supported by the PNG-Aus Partnership.

The seminars are hybrid events, held in ANU, at the MBA Suite in the SBPP building at the University of PNG, and online.

The time zone for this event in Papua New Guinea is 12.30pm - 1.30pm PGT.