Public Service Housing Being Addressed
Housing for public servants has been an existing issue however all that is to change now that the Public Service Housing Policy and its related policies are being developed to addressed this issue says Department of Personnel Management Deputy Secretary Policy and Reforms Mr. Ellison Kalimet at the opening of the Highlands Regional workshop.
Mr. Kalimet who opened the workshops on behalf of DPM Secretary Ms. Taies Sansan said the housing policy is a way forward in setting the foundation for addressing the housing issue not only for public servants but for Papua New Guineans as a whole.
Department of Personnel Management in collaboration with PNG National Research Institute (NRI) will develop housing policies that will incorporate housing as a condition of employment at the district, provincial and national level and DPM is working to deliver these policies that will set the road map to deliver on institutional houses for public servants.
The department has now paved the way towards a whole of government approach since the launching of the Portion 1212 in Bomana for 1000 houses to be built for public servants through a public private partnership with International Finance Corporation, who will commence budling houses for public servants once developers are confirmed.
Deputy Kalimet echoing Secretary Sansan’s sentiments said, housing for Public Servants has been a longstanding issue of which successive governments have made some efforts to try and address meanwhile he acknowledged that bold stance that the Marape/Rosso government is taking to support the Public Service Ministry to push us to find ways to deliver on this issue.
The Public Service Housing Policy is being developed alongside the District Housing Policy and the Institutional Governance Framework. The housing policy is sector driven which will focus on Public Sector Housing Policy that intents to provide the guidelines and framework that is going to outline the rules and regulations of public service housing.
These policies are developed to ensure that the one person, one pay and one position and one House (1PPP + house) initiative of the government is realized and achieved.
The Public Minister Hon. Joe Sung in the Stakeholders workshop held in September this year said the housing policies will go a long way to guide the whole of government approach undertaken to address the issue of public service housing.
Department of Personnel Management is also part of the review of the housing laws in the country currently being spearheaded by the Constitutional Law Reforms Commission into housing rentals in the market, this will add to the effect on the housing industry in the country.