Prime Minister James Marape has announced the government’s commitment to tackling the persistent law and order challenges facing the country.
This commitment is underscored by the enactment of a new legislation and the strategic Bilateral Security Agreement (BSA) with Australia, aimed at enhancing the nation’s judicial and security frameworks.
Marape detailed the recent legislative advancements including the Constitutional Amendment on Court Restructure.
This amendment received unanimous support from Parliamentarians in a 94-0 vote during the February session and introduces a pivotal Appeal Court tier between the National Court and the Supreme Court designed to expedite the processing of court case backlogs.
“This is a key step toward to addressing the backlog of court cases, reflecting our collective effort to enhance the judicial system for our rapid population and economy,” Marape said.
“Further legislative effort includes the passing of the National Court (Number of Judges) (Amendment) Bill 2023 last November and the historic signing of the BSA in Canberra last December,” he said.
Marape said the BSA valued at A$200million (K455million) symbolizes Australia’s investment in PNG’s security, providing comprehensive support that spans infrastructure development, judicial and correctional services enhancement, gender-based violence mitigation and the establishment of a police recruit and investigation training centre.
The Prime Minister added that the government is making an effort to recruit up to 200 judges, showcasing a holistic approach to strengthen the nation’s law enforcement and judicial system.