District governance under scrutiny as DDA review starts

Public consultations reviewing the District Development Authority (DDA) Act 2014 are currently underway in Gulf, following complaints regarding public service delivery at the district level.

A team from the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission (CLRC) arrived in the province this week to conduct a weeklong face-to-face legislative review.

CLRC team leader Kenny Kaipas confirmed that Gulf is among eight provinces selected nationwide for the public exercise.

He said the DDA Act, enacted in 2014 to improve service delivery and empower local-level governments, had generated widespread concern across the country after ten years in operation.

“People across Papua New Guinea have raised serious issues regarding governance, lack of accountability, poor financial management, weak planning, procurement irregularities, and limited staffing capacity,” Kaipas said.

He said these concerns prompted Minister for Justice and Attorney-General Pila Niningi to direct the CLRC to undertake a comprehensive review of the legislation.

During the week, the CLRC delegation will meet with provincial and district management teams, district treasuries, public servants, community development officers, and local women and youth groups.

The public consultations are open to all community members and are being hosted at selected venues across Kerema town from Monday, Aug 31, to Thursday, Sept 3.

Participants and members of the public can also submit feedback digitally via an online consultation form accessible through a designated QR code provided during the sessions.