Viewpoint:John Leahy Parliament passed the Mining Amendment Bill 2020 and the Oil and Gas Amendment Bill 2020 on July 10, 2020. These bills will significantly change the mineral, and oil and gas sectors, and will take effect following their certification by the speaker of Parliament. The mining bill intends to give the state an avenue to directly participate in mineral exploration and mining…
Government Structure There are three levels of government in Papua New Guinea: national, provincial and local. The legislative powers of these governments are regulated by the constitution and the Organic Law on Provincial Government and Local Level Government (Organic Laws). Each level has its own distinct law-making powers. The National Parliament’s legislative powers are outlined in section…
The government of Papua New Guinea faces some challenges in 2020, with the electorate calling for improvements to social and economic infrastructure, and greater efforts to combat both real and perceived corruption. Despite these difficulties, PNG’s resource wealth and strategic location between the industrial centres of north-east Asia, the rising economies of the Association of South-east Asia
This chapter explores Papua New Guinea’s legal system across the national, local and provincial levels, including the laws that may impact a foreign enterprise in its business dealings in PNG; the taxes and import duties imposed on individuals and business organisations; the rules regarding the use of customary land; and the conditions under which citizens of the country can be employed. The chapter…
Viewpoint:Eunice Parua The growth of Papua New Guinea’s economy in the last decades, as a result of large-scale development projects primarily in the extractive industries, has had both positive and negative consequences for the country. With a growing consumer base and an emerging middle class, one negative consequence has been the influx of counterfeit consumer goods. The courts and law…
Government Structure There are three levels of government in Papua New Guinea: national, provincial and local. The legislative powers of these governments are regulated by the constitution and the Organic Law on Provincial Government and LocalLevel Government (Organic Laws). Each level has its own distinct law-making powers. The National Parliament’s legislative powers are outlined in section…
This chapter examines the legal system of Papua New Guinea, as distributed across the national, provincial and local levels, including those governing: investment promotion; regulation of companies; taxation and tax credits; partnerships and joint ventures; personal property; power of attorney; land rights; patents; employment conditions; foreign exchange control; and sector-specific legislation across…
Papua New Guinea has seen a mixed performance over the last 12 months, with the extractive industries recovering from the impact of the 2018 earthquake, while political uncertainty contributed to fluctuating investor confidence. It remains to be seen to what extent Prime Minister James Marape and his recently reshuffled government will enact far-reaching reforms to laws and regulations governing t
Viewpoint:Peter Lowing, Partner, Leahy Lewin Lowing Sullivan Lawyers The decision of the Supreme Court – Papua New Guinea Forest Authority vs Minister for Forests PGSC 24 of September 17, 2017 – regarding the question of the taxation powers of the National Parliament represents a significant legal development. The decision cements the English common law position that there can be no taxation…
Papua New Guinea has remained resilient in the wake of a host of domestic and external challenges, and while growth has slowed since construction of PNG LNG ended, ongoing fiscal, structural and policy reforms should support domestic non-oil economic growth in 2018. PNG’s international profile received a boost when it was selected to host APEC 2018. Although the budgetary burden of APEC could be