Stop the Stealing

Endemic corruption

Everyone, from the international community, national politicians and law enforcement agencies through to ordinary people, recognise that Papua New Guinea has a terrible problem with corruption.

Government departments do not follow laws and proper processes, allowing resources to be stolen and massive environmental and social problems to go unchecked, and huge amounts of public money are continuously lost - it is estimated up to half the government’s annual budget is stolen each year.

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Stop the Stealing

Costs of Corruption

Corruption drains the public purse of vitally needed funding for quality health, education and other government services, but its impacts are felt even more widely.

Corruption undermines the economy, our democracy, and the rule of law, it undermines trust in government, and erodes the effectiveness of government departments and service delivery. Corruption leads to environmental degradation, land grabbing and the exploration of natural resources; it also undermines our traditional laws, customs and our communities.

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Stop the Stealing

Policy Proposals for Open and Accountable Government

Corrupton is now so entrenched and pervasive that many people feel hopeless and overwhelmed by the scale of the problem.

In these circumstances, it is clear there can be no single silver bullet that cures all our ills; even an ICAC needs to part of a much more comprehensive and far-reaching set of reforms.

At the moment though there is no clearly artculated and comprehensive plan of what is required.

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Stop the Stealing

An Independent Commission Against Corruption

ACT NOW! has been campaigning for the establishment of a fully funded Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) since 2010.

Although an ICAC alone cannot address all the problems that PNG faces with corruption, a dedicated anti-corruption agency is essential as the existing institutions, including the Royal Constabulary and the Ombudsman Commission, have failed to control white-collar crime.

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Stop the Stealing

Finance Department Commission of Inquiry

A Commission of Inquiry into the Department of Finance was conducted from 2006 until 2009 following widespread reports of corruption and mismanagement. The Commission report was presented in Parliament on March 5, 2010.

The Commission report details how the Finance Department paid out hundreds of millions of dollars in sham compensation claims.

The Commission recommended more than 50 people including lawyers, senior bureaucrats and businessmen be referred for criminal prosecution.

Campaigns:

Stop the Stealing

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