PNG’S BUDGET TRANSPARENCY HITS NEW LOW | INSTITUTE OF NATIONAL AFFAIRS

BY LETHISA KOLOKOL

Papua New Guinea’s 2025 Open Budget Survey (OBS) results reveal a decline in fiscal accountability, with transparency dropping to 46/100 and budget oversight remaining at 30/100, according to findings released by the Institute of National Affairs (INA).

OBS is a biennial independent assessment conducted by the International Budget Partnership that evaluates countries, including Papua New Guinea since 2006, on budget transparency, public participation, and the effectiveness of oversight institutions.

The OBS 2025 was released yesterday by INA Executive Director, Paul Barker at the INA conference room.

The results show a staggering drop in budget transparency efforts, revealing a score of 46/100, a bare minimum public participation rating of 2/100 and 30/100 for budget oversight.

Compared to the results released in 2023, the transparency and public participation results indicate a significant, systemic failure in fiscal management, accountability, and democracy.

In his presentation, Mr Barker also presented recommendations made by the survey committee to improve the ratings of the PNG’s budget including ensuring the budget is available and is released on time.