Parliament is set to resume tomorrow, September 26, 2017 at 2pm.
The Supplementary budget will be the main agenda for discussion during the parliament session.
The Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, has expressed his confidence with the supplementary budget, saying it is necessary to balance the budget due to the adjustments in the revenue collection.
However, he said more importantly, the Supplementary Budget is to reprioritise expenditure to focus on the Government’s key development agenda.
He added that the 2017 budget plan was based on commodity prices for our exports together with revenue generation.
“We are still in a challenging global economic environment with a slow rebound in commodity prices, and this places press on expenditure.
“We will continue to adjust and reprioritise expenditure to ensure that we protect and build on the gains we have achieved in the last 5 years in healthcare, education, infrastructure, law and order and empowerment of our people.”
Meanwhile, former prime minister and Moresby Northwest, MP Sir Mekere Morauta, said the Supplementary Budget should be the start of a long journey to repair the Budget and public finances, and lay the foundation for sustainable growth, especially in the non-mining sector.
Sir Mekere said the Supplementary Budget was the key test of the Government’s ability to make running repairs.
“But very little can be achieved in three months. The comprehensive repair work will need to be made in the 2018 Budget and continue for at least three years.
“If the root problems are not addressed now, the situation will get far worse, and the pain of adjustment will be unbearable.”