National Budget will be ‘measured and cautious’

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has highlighted that the National Budget, to be delivered by Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch next week, will be measured and cautious.

He says while previous governments had sought to inflate spending ahead of a national election in order to increase votes, the O’Neill-Dion Government has more respect for the people and will not go down this path.

“The good Treasurer, Patrick Pruaitch, and I, have well over a decade of economic governance experience between us,” PM O’Neill said.

"We have been through the good and the bad times, and I know the Treasurer’s budget in 2016 will be the most thoroughly considered in the history of our nation.

“Our Government will not do what previous Governments have done and try to buy re-election, because we know that we will be re-elected on our merits and achievements over the past five years.

"The electors of Papua New Guinea today are a lot more sophisticated now than decades ago, and our citizens see through a sham and they know when politicians are spending money just to try and win votes.

“If any Government thinks they can spend their way to win an election they are gravely mistaken.”

The PM says his Government will proudly stand before the people and ask them to judge according to what they have delivered.

"Our message is simple, the global economy has taken a massive downturn and so our national income is reduced.

"People can rest assured that this will not affect core policy areas and we will continue to fully fund free education and universal healthcare, as well as maintain investment in law and order and critical infrastructure.

“We will make sure that districts are properly funded through their DSIPs and that core services will be delivered.

“What we have done is to increase efficiencies in the public service, delay spending on non-critical infrastructure, and put a stop to excess such as unwarranted overseas travel by bureaucrats.

“We will deliver on programs such as APEC, but we will do so in a sensible way.”

(Picture: Philstar)

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Press release