Australia will slash the number of technical advisors to Papua New Guinea by a third in an attempt to eliminate wastage. Australia’s foreign minister, Kevin Rudd, confirmed the cuts as part of a plan to drastically overhaul its $457 million PNG aid program. The announcement comes less than six month after a review of the PNG-Australia Development Cooperation Treaty called for changes to the program – criticising it for putting too much of its budget towards consultancies and training.
Presenter: PNG correspondent Liam Fox reports
Speakers: Professor Stephen Howes, co-author of PNG development program review from the Australian National University; Gary Lee, AID/WATCH; Teresa Gambaro, Australian Opposition’s Foreign Aid Spokeswoman