When we take action together we can have a massive impact - so never doubt the importance of making your voice heard. As proof of this ACT NOW! supporters have played a vital role in a number of very significant campaign victories.
Prospective seabed mining company Nautilus Minerals was officially declared bankrupt in the Canadian Courts, in November 2019. This signals the end of its Solwara 1 seabed mining project off the coast of New Ireland.
ACT NOW! has been campaigning against experimental seabed mining in the Pacific since 2011.
The Lands Minister has announced 3 million hectares of land under SABL leases "has been given back to customary landowners". This means almost 60% of the land originally alienated under the SABL scheme has been returned to its rightful owners.
The Department of Community Development has released the results of its first ever survey of the size of the informal economy - valuing it at K12 billion or 20% of GDP - and recognising its importance as the biggest income generator for families.
The government has signed an agreement with the OECD for expert auditors to be sent to Papua new Guinea to assist the Internal Revenue Commission crack down on tax evasion by the logging industry.
Police Minister Jelta Wong has responded directly to ACT NOW’s call for him to confirm the cancellation of all SABL leases and put an end to the police intimidation and harassment of customary landowners.
In today's Post Courier newspaper, Mr Wong has said,
Prime Minister Peter O’Neill has been left struggling to explain why the SABL leases have not been cancelled as recommended by a Commission of Inquiry in 2013.
The PM was put on the spot by journalists at a televised media briefing after weeks of intensive campaigning by ACT NOW!
Analysis of government data on log exports reveals that only a relatively small percentage of forests illegally acquired under the Special Agriculture Business Lease scheme, have actually been logged.
Of 77 known SABLs, issued between 2003 and 2011 and covering an area of 5,367,765 hectares, a total of 64 leases were designated for agro-forestry activities.
Of those 64 SABLs, covering an area of 5,150,071 hectares, only 13 are known to have been subject to logging activity.
The 13 SABLs where logging activity has been recorded cover an area of 609,788 hectares.
The Prime Minister has reiterated his commitment to cancel the SABL leases found to be unlawful in a Commission of Inquiry (see newspaper report below).
While some skepticism remains, as the PM made similar promises in 2013 and 2014 that were not actioned, the announcement remains a significant step forward.
Oro Governor, Gary Juffa, has publicly attributed the Prime Minister announcement directly to the impact of the campaign by ACT NOW! and our latest radio advert:
The government has announced the logging industry will be forced to pay more tax through increases to the log export duty.
This comes after a damning report from the Oakland Institute that revealed logging companies are evading corporate taxes by failing to declare any profits year after year and under-declaring log export values.
Canadian mining company Nautilus Minerals is facing a severe financial crisis that threatens not just its plans for experimental seabed mining in Papua New Guinea, but the future of the whole company.
Nautilus says not only is it delaying any further project spending, it desperately needs short-term emergency funding to continue company operations to allow staff more time to look for ‘significant additional funding’ or an “alternative transaction aimed at maximising shareholder value”.