On his recent trip to Canberra, the PNG Treasurer, Ian Ling-Stuckey, took time out from his meetings with the Australian Treasurer and the Minister for International Development to lunch with ten UPNG economics and public policy undergraduates.
These students were at the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University for the annual ANU-UPNG summer school. Ling-Stuckey also met with two UPNG economics tutors who are studying their Master’s in International and Development Economics at Crawford, and who will return to UPNG after graduation to lecture.
These programs are part of the ANU-UPNG partnership which sees five ANU lecturers in economics and public policy living in Port Moresby and teaching undergraduate and postgraduate students in the UPNG School of Business and Public Policy.
Ling-Stuckey thanked the Australian government for their funding of this partnership since 2015 and called for its continuation.
“As Treasurer, I am acutely aware of the need to improve the quality of the graduates coming into the PNG Treasury, Central Bank and other key economic agencies. This sort of program responds to that need by lifting the quality of teaching and research at UPNG.
“Since its inception five years ago, the impact of the partnership has been evident for all to see, whether in terms of teaching, or research or outreach. I thank the Australian government for funding the ANU-UPNG partnership, and request the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to continue its support for a second five-year period. Ending a project that is working well makes no sense, and prematurely closing a successful project would threaten to undermine its achievements,” stated the Treasurer.
The meeting with the UPNG students had to be convened in the home of Professor Stephen Howes, who heads the partnership on the ANU side, as the ANU campus had been closed for the day due to the hailstorm earlier in the week.
Ling-Stuckey was joined by the PNG High Commissioner to Australia, John Kali.
In a wide-ranging, two-hour long conversation with the students, Ling-Stuckey discussed the state of the economy and the government’s reform plans. He also gave the students some career advice, suggesting to them that they focus on their studies, that they prioritise work experience over pay, and that they work diligently once employed.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for the future leaders of Papua New Guinea whom I met today. Well done to the ANU and its staff for organising the summer school, giving our students the chance to meet other high-performing students from all around the world, and broadening their horizons by arranging meetings with leading policy makers and academics,” commented the Treasurer after the discussions.
(The PNG Treasurer with the PNG High Commissioner, advisers, ANU staff and UPNG students, during their discussions)