Prime Minister Peter O'Neill

PM O’Neill said there will be a clarification of some measures that were included in the 2017 Budget that are intended to ensure that entities who are not paying their fair share of tax will be compelled to do so.

“We need a review of some taxation measures so as to eliminate any confusion that people may have,” the Prime Minister said in a statement.

“This includes measures in the budget that have been raised by the public and businesses.

In a bilateral meeting with Thailand’s Deputy Prime Minister and Air Marshall, Prajin Juntong, on the sidelines of the APEC Leaders’ Summit in Lima this week, O’Neill said as trade and tourism continues to expand, the new air link would be viable.

O’Neill said the prospect of direct flights between PNG and Thailand will create opportunity for increased business travel and tourism, and also have the potential for the movement of fisheries and agricultural produce.

More than 900 delegates and exhibitors from resource and service companies, government organisations, landowner groups, international investors and financiers, and aid organisations will attend the 14th conference at the Sydney Hilton Hotel.

Prime Minister Peter O'Neill will open the conference with a keynote address followed by Treasurer Patrick Pruaitch's presentation on the National Budget and the 2017 outlook.

These are the same senseless attacks the Opposition Leader made against the Pacific Games in 2015, stated the PM.

“The Leader of the Opposition is the most reckless and selfish individual that we have ever seen in the political history of this nation,” the Prime Minister said.

“He stands in the Parliament and says if he was Prime Minister he would cancel APEC in 2018.

“Well, he will be lucky to win in his seat of Kandep let alone to win Government, so no one has to worry about his threat.

Its leader Don Polye described the row as an ‘embarrassment for PNG’.

“The Prime Minister and his Trade Minister should leave the matter with the Foreign Affairs Minister, whose department has the capacity and systematic memory to deal with it within the protocols of conventions and agreements.

“It should have easily been dealt with amicably without any complications through the diplomatic channels,” said Polye.

He said PNG is a ‘big brother’ among the Melanesian countries, adding it lodging a trade row with Fiji only reflected naivety and incompetency.

Anjo, who is leader of NGO group People’s Power Movement, said however, O’Neill’s victory was a political one.

He said as far as the NGOs, civil society groups and other likeminded groups were concerned: “The fight is not over,” Anjo told Loop PNG.

“Our call is for him to step down from the post of Prime Minister,” the activist stated.

“That demand still stands for him to step down or hand himself in to police for questioning.”

In a media statement, Sir Mekere said O’Neill should come out and tell the truth about public finances and his mismanagement of them.

Sir Mekere said O’Neill’s boast about the 9 percent annual GDP growth were both wrong and misleading.

“Papua New Guinea’s annual GDP growth is not 9 percent per annum, as he says. Nor is GDP growth alone the answer to our problems, as he imagines.

“People do not eat GDP. We consume the goods and services that we have converted from GDP, and this is what we are lacking.”

Prime Minister Peter O’Neill told the media at the Jackson’s airport that since the formation of the Government, they haven’t had the opportunity to sit down and discuss their programs with their coalition partners and Members.

“So this is a good opportunity to do that.

“This is not about numbers game. We are going down there to discuss our work program for the next 12 months before the elections.”

Treasury Minister and National Alliance Party Leader, Patrick Pruaitch, said: “The NA is all about stability and we believe in stability.

In relation to the proposed vote of no-confidence that has again been proposed by the Opposition, the Prime Minister said this is another costly attempt to cause instability for the sake of political self-indulgence.

“The vote proposed by the Opposition is mischievous and continues to lack the support of the Members of Parliament,” O’Neill said.

“The PNC-led Coalition Government has overwhelming support on the floor of Parliament to complete this term of Government.

The student body included students from secondary schools in the national capital as well as the Port Moresby Technical College.

In a media statement shortly after receiving the petition from the students, which was delivered to him by NCD Governor Powes Parkop, the  Prime Minister said,

“I have received the petition from the UPNG Student Representative Council.

“I thank the students for the mature manner in which the petition was presented to my delegation.