Human capital is essential for economic development and unlocking the full potential of PNG's young and growing population. Our investments in people and communities in PNG will support stronger outcomes in education, while promoting better health and nutrition, improved outcomes for women and people with disabilities, and increased resilience, including in the face of a changing climate. This includes more coordinated approaches under a place-based approach in some locations, such as Bougainville and Western Province, and along the Kokoda track where Australia supports access to essential services and livelihoods activities.

We will boost our overall investment in PNG's education from $75 million to over $100 million (ODA) per year over the next four years, increasing our focus on access, student retention and learning outcomes. We will expand our support for foundational education in PNG as a key pathway to employment through secondary, technical and tertiary education. We will focus on supporting girls' education while also assisting more students to progress to higher education, including through our Australia Awards Program. We will continue to invest in PNG's TVET colleges and systems, delivering on the commitments made under the ministerial-level PNG-Australia Joint Statement of Intent on TVET. We will also continue working in partnership with the ADB to improve the employment outcomes of students from TVET institutions across the country to meet domestic labour gaps and labour mobility opportunities.

In the health sector, Australia will maintain support for essential health services in PNG, to further boost human capital development. We will invest in health facilities where they are critical to provision of services, and work to strengthen health systems to enable the sustainability of our infrastructure investments. We will also continue to support water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) initiatives and childhood nutrition so that PNG's children are well-nourished and can thrive.

Our focus on gender equality will be mainstreamed through all key investments and we will prioritise opportunities to support organisations of people with disabilities, working towards long term partnerships that include core funding and capacity building.

Through the PNG Climate FIRST initiative (ODA), we will assist PNG to access international climate finance streams by developing the systems, institutional structures and mechanisms that will attract investment and deliver lasting outcomes. We will continue to work closely with the PNG Government and others to provide timely and effective humanitarian assistance when needed.

Related link

Australia-PNG Development Partnership Plan 2024-2029

Improved TVET for Employment Project

Australia is providing an AUD15 million grant to strengthen ten technical and vocational education and training (TVET) institutions in PNG over a period of six years (2023-2029). Australia's grant complements an Asian Development Bank (ADB) loan to the Government of PNG that is helping to improve the employment outcomes for students at the ten technical institutions in the priority skills sectors of construction and agriculture. Australia's funding will support the following key areas:

• enhancing the management and governance systems of the colleges;
• providing opportunities for trainers to update their expertise and gain industry currency through placements with employers; and
• developing national training packages consistent with the PNG National Qualifications Framework and PNG's 'National Standards for Programme Accreditation and Industry Needs'.

Australia's contribution is part of a USD66.4 million investment, which also includes a USD50m loan from the ADB and a USD 5.7m contribution from the PNG Government). This project is managed by PNG's Department of Higher Education, Research, and Science and Technology.

Related link

Improved Technical and Vocational Education and Training for Employment Project website

Partnerships for Improving Education (PIE)

Partnerships for Improving Education (PIE) supports the Government of Papua New Guinea to improve the delivery of access to and quality of education for children in PNG. Through PIE, Australia works with Government of PNG counterparts to develop and implement key national education policies and address key reforms for the sector. The investment draws on replicable and sustainable approaches and contributes directly to learning outcomes by supporting literacy and numeracy skills and targeting increased participation in the early grades, with a particular focus on the education of girls and children with a disability. This includes providing students with access to learning materials specifically tailored to the local cultural context, developed in conjunction with a local textbook provider. PIE also equips teachers with new knowledge and skills, including appropriate in-service teacher training to use learning materials, to improve the quality of teaching and learning in the early grades. PIE will initially focus on four provinces/regions: Central, Enga, and West Sepik provinces, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. Under PIE, Australia is investing up to $75 million (2022-27 with an extension option to 2030).

Related document

World Bank Program of Advisory Services and Analytics (PASA)

Australia has provided AUD9 million to the World Bank (WB), to support reform in PNG's National Department of Education. This includes the delivery of an education workplan around four focus areas: i) strengthening teachers' in-service upgrading and certification; ii) improving PNG's overstretched school inspection function; iii) strengthening public financial management capability; and iv) monitoring and evaluation, and improving data systems.

PNG-Australia Transition to Health (PATH)

Papua New Guinea-Australia Transition to Health (PATH), is Australia's primary bilateral health delivery mechanism, valued at $200 million over 5 years (2020 to 2025). PATH aims to strengthen the capacity of Provincial Health Authorities in six target provinces (Western, Western Highlands, West Sepik, East New Britain and Morobe provinces, and the Autonomous Region of Bougainville) to deliver better primary health care. PATH also manages health programs across all 22 provinces of PNG in tuberculosis, malaria, routine immunisations, and sexual and reproductive health, including the Accelerated Immunisation and Health Systems Strengthening Program (AIHSS). AIHSS is a partnership between the Governments of PNG, Australia and New Zealand and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, to increase routine immunisation coverage and reduce rates of mortality and morbidity in children, protecting them and their communities against vaccine preventable diseases including measles, polio, whooping cough, and tuberculosis.

Related documents

Health Services Sector Development Program (HSSDP)

The Health Services Sector Development Program ($82.4 million, 2018-2027) is a partnership with the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The program delivers essential health infrastructure and strengthens health systems through targeted professional development and training, particularly at the provincial level. HSSDP activities include the construction of 18 health facilities (3 district hospitals, 8 health centres, 1 urban clinic and 6 community health posts) across 14 provinces in PNG and the roll-out of the electronic National Health Information System to all Provincial Health Authorities across PNG.

Related link

Health Services Sector Development Program: Additional Financing Report

ANGAU Hospital Redevelopment

Australia's support for the redevelopment of ANGAU Memorial Hospital in Lae, ($250 million, 2017-2024) will see the hospital become a leading specialist healthcare provider in Morobe Province. Our commitment included funding for capital works and support for health planning, upskilling of clinical and non-clinical staff, rural health infrastructure upgrades and strengthening of the health system. With construction on the main hospital building complete, the next stage will be refurbishment of the GWARE building, which will house the pharmacy and administration. The redevelopment is the single biggest commitment that Australia has made in development assistance in infrastructure for PNG since independence.

Related links

• Joint Understanding on further bilateral cooperation on health, education and law and order
• Deputy Prime Minister's Speech at the Opening of Angau Memorial Hospital Redevelopment on 13 October 2022

World Bank Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project

The Child Nutrition and Social Protection Project (CNSP: 2021-27), is a Government of Papua New Guinea initiative, aiming to address concerning rates of malnutrition in the country. The project combines USD80 million financing from the World Bank with a AUD21 million contribution from Australia. The CNSP aims to improve nutrition in pregnant women and young children through: 1) direct community health activities to reduce stunting, 2) a monthly cash transfer; and 3) advocacy, coordination, monitoring and evaluation. The churches are key implementing partners for the project. The CNSP will operate initially in four districts in four provinces, expanding to 19 districts in eight provinces by the end of the project. This is PNG's first step into a national social protection system.

Key Partners: World Bank Group; PNG National Department of Health; PNG Department of Community Development and Religion; PNG Department of Justice and Attorney General.

Related document

Papua New Guinea Women Lead (PNGWL)

The PNG Women Lead (PNGWL) program is Australia's bilateral investment (2023 to 2028, AUD $55 million) supporting gender equality in PNG. PNGWL builds on the success of the Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development initiative (2012 to 2022) and complements the regional initiative, Pacific Women Lead.

The goal of PNGWL is that PNG women and girls, in all their diversity, are safe and equitably share in resources, opportunities, and decision-making with men and boys.

PNGWL contributes to Australia's foreign policy gender equality priorities in the Pacific by:

• Enhancing women's voice in decision-making, leadership and peace building.
• Promoting women's economic empowerment.
• Ending violence against women and girls.

PNGWL is designed to align with PNG's national gender equality policy priorities, enhance in-country ownership and leadership, and promote collaboration across the public, private, and civil society sectors to drive long-term sustainable change in gender equality.

The PNGWL program uses a gender-transformative approach to address the root causes of gender inequalities. It ensures transparency and accountability in its delivery and is based on evidence of what is effective in advancing gender equality within PNG.

The PNGWL has four end-of-program outcomes:

1. Selected partners better represent women's voice and interests in targeted areas, including women with disabilities.
2. Increased awareness and practice of respectful and safe ways of relating between men and women in target areas.
3. Women have improved access to coordinated GBV case management in target areas, including women with disabilities.
4. Selected partners expand women's financial decision-making powers and employment opportunities, including women with disabilities.

Related document

PNG Climate Finance Initiative for Resilience and a Sustainable Transition (Climate FIRST)

Climate FIRST ($20 million, 2024-28) will assist PNG to tackle climate change by addressing structural and institutional barriers to accessing global climate financing. Climate FIRST will help to boost PNG's ability to build resilience to climate change at the community level, and support PNG's transition to a low-carbon economy.

Australia has engaged the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), to work with the PNG Government to develop investment proposals, improve coordination across key agencies and departments and broker implementation partnerships.

Related document

PNG Disaster Risk Reduction Program

This program supports the Government of PNG in developing fundamental information and practices for the effective response and management of natural hazards. Given PNG's vulnerability to natural disasters this program also supports Australia's preparedness to provide effective humanitarian assistance to PNG if required by incorporating flexibility into our response systems. The Australian Defence Force is also exploring bilateral mechanisms through the program and working with likeminded partners to deepen cooperation in this area.

Related document

PNG–Aus Partnership for Disaster Risk Reduction

Since 2010, Geoscience Australia has been working with Government of PNG technical agencies to strengthen the capacity to monitor and build resilience to natural hazards through the DFAT-funded PNG Technical Disaster Risk Reduction Program

Related document

Australia-Papua New Guinea Subnational Program

The Australia-PNG Subnational Program is the implementing mechanism for four existing program components: the Bougainville Partnership; the Kokoda Initiative Partnership; the Western Province Partnership; and the Subnational Governance Implementation Plan. For each of these components, the program uses a variety of modalities – including grants, joint investments with subnational governments or other partners, direct implementation, research, and technical and advisory support – to deliver coordinated development outcomes and support improved governance and capacity building at the subnational government level. This place-based approach provides a mechanism and governance structure to better coordinate and deliver sectoral investments in specific geographical locations by contextualising local resources and knowledge to maximise impact.

Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)

The Australia Pacific Training Coalition (APTC) is our flagship initiative in the technical and vocational education and training subsector (TVET). The program lifts the quality of TVET, improves employment outcomes for graduates and encourages greater investment in training. Since APTC was established in 2007, it has provided over 3,000 Papua New Guineans with Certificate III, IV and Diploma level Australian qualifications in the automotive, manufacturing, construction, electrical, tourism, hospitality, health and community sectors.

Related link

Australian Pacific Training Coalition (APTC)

Skills for Sub-National Growth Investment (SNGI)

The Skills for Sub-National Growth Investment (SNGI) expands the Australia Pacific Training Coalition in PNG to include new partnerships with the Mount Hagen Technical College, the Highlands Agricultural College, and Bougainville Technical College. The investment targets the skills needs of key sectors in PNG, such as agriculture and construction, and the skills demanded internationally, including through the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme. SNGI aims to improve the employment outcomes of technical and vocational college graduates; increase the co-investment in skills training and; lift the quality of training provided by the three colleges. SNGI is a $45 million investment over six years (2020-2026) which aims to deliver an annual output of 400 – 600 new graduates at Certificate I to IV levels; update course designs to meet current industry standards; and upgrade the qualifications of TVET trainers.

Related documents

Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)

ANCP is a partnership between the Australian Government and accredited Australian NGOs. For over 40 years, this partnership has contributed to sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in some of the world's poorest countries. ANCP assists 27 Australian NGO projects in PNG.

Related link

Australian NGO Cooperation Program (ANCP)

Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)

ACIAR has longstanding engagement in PNG, and currently supports over 20 projects worth AUD5 million. Research led by ACIAR will support improvements in food supply, food access and rural incomes for smallholders through increased productivity and enhanced access to markets and services. 
 

Related link

ACIAR website