Papua New Guinea - Strongim Gavman Program
In December 2003, Australia and Papua New Guinea (PNG) agreed to an Enhanced Cooperation Program (ECP) to help address PNG's development challenges. An independent joint review of the ECP was completed in March 2008. The review recommended a number of changes to the ECP including a change in the name of the program. In April 2008, Australian and PNG Ministers met in PNG for the 18th Papua New Guinea-Australia Ministerial Forum and agreed to rename the program: the Strongim Gavman Program.
The objective of the Strongim Gavman Program (the Program), as agreed with the PNG Government, is for PNG and Australia to work together to strengthen PNG's financial and economic management, public sector reform, governance including a broad anti-corruption focus, law and justice and border security. The Program is currently providing assistance to the PNG Government in these areas through the placement of Australians in in-line and advisory roles within PNG Government agencies and departments.
The Attorney-General's Department is responsible for managing the (non-policing) law and justice component of the Program. In this context, Australian officials are currently deployed to PNG and are working to assist PNG's law and justice system by promoting law reform and assisting PNG's prosecution capacity. These specialists include legal policy officers working in the PNG Department of Justice and Attorney-General, in-line prosecutors working in the PNG Public Prosecutor's Office, and a litigator working in the Office of the Solicitor-General. Future assistance will include corrections advisers and additional lawyers within the Solicitor-General's Office.
The Department works closely with its whole of Government partners, including AusAID, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Australian Federal Police to implement the (non-policing) law and justice component of the Program.
Strongim Gavman Program Activities
Deployees in the Department of Justice and Attorney-General provide policy advice to assist PNG officials, including in relation to the implementations of the White Paper on Law and Justice in Papua New Guinea.
The prosecutors are prosecuting matters before the courts and have been supporting their PNG counterparts in the preparation of court files, 'Leadership Code' referrals, prosecution briefs and legal submissions.
The lawyer placed in the Solicitor-General's Office is working closely with PNG officials on litigation matters involving the PNG Government.