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    7Sep, 2022
    PSC CHAIRMAN WELCOMES PUBLIC SERVICE MINISTER INTO OFFICE

    7/09/2022

    The Chairman of the Public Services Commission Mr. Apeo Fuata Sione officially welcomed the Minister for Public Service Hon. Joe Sungi, and congratulated him on his re-appointment as the Member for Nuku and also as Public Service Minister, in a ceremony held at the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance, that was organized by the Department of Personnel Management, PILAG, and PSC.

    Mr. Sione in his speech said the Commission envisions a cordial working relationship with the Minister in order to deliver on the government’s agenda on Public Sector Reforms as outlined under the Loloata Accords and to implement the Commissions programs and projects in its Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023.

    “We had a good cordial working relationship with you as we endeavored to implement the government’s agenda on the Public Sector Reforms”, said Mr. Sione.

    The Chairman further added that PNG is going through some difficult and rapid socio-economic and socio-cultural changes that have never been experienced before, therefore PSC, just like PILAG and DPM will need to manage these changes in order to take advantage of the opportunities presented to it to develop an efficient public service mechanism that will provide quality service to our people.

    ‘’The Commission through its Corporate Plan 2019-2023 will uphold its Constitutional mandated roles and functions, corporate goals, values, and integrity to promote the principles of good governance, accountability, and transparency to ultimately achieve its vision to transform the National Public Service into a vibrant, effective and efficient service delivery machinery”, said Mr. Sione.

    The Chairman further reiterated that under Minister Sungi’s political leadership going forward, PSC will continue the working relationship it has with sister organizations, DPM and PILAG, to bring about an efficient and vibrant public service system that the people of Papua New Guinea will benefit from.

    Ends//

    Minister of Public Service Hon. Joe Sungi, MP receiving a welcome gift from the Chairman of the Public Services Commission Mr. Apeo Fuata Sione.
    6Sep, 2022
    HOUSING FOR PUBLIC SERVANTS

    Tuesday 6/09/2022

    Member re-elect for Nuku and reappointed Minister for Public Services Hon. Joe Sungi has announced that he will be looking at ensuring Public Servants housing is a condition of employment; something that has been overlooked over the years.

    The Minister in admitting that the Government is not taking care of its 128,000 public servants throughout the country, added that housing should become a condition of employment for public servants and would fight for this change. This he said will result in an improvement in the performance of officers in the Public Service.

    ‘’ Before you talk about the performance of public servants, we must also ensure that the welfare of our public servants is taken care of. So, housing will no longer be ‘Not a Condition of Employment, rather, I will fight hard to ensure laws are amended to make Housing a ‘Condition of Employment. I will raise this issue in Parliament to ensure that everyone understands, that if we are talking about public servants’ performance, we must ensure their welfare is taken care of; and housing is one aspect. The current public servants’ housing allowance is lousy, how do we expect them to pay for their rent in a city like Port Moresby, it’s just not real,” stressed an irate Minister Sungi.

    The Minister further added that most of the laws are outdated and need to be reviewed to suit the current conditions we are now facing regarding the terms and conditions of employment in the Public Service. He added that the Public Service Ministry is serious about providing incentives to motivate public service performance.

    Meantime, the Minister confirmed that a housing project that was initiated earlier for public servants will be launched this month in Bomana, NCD.

    //ENDS//

    6Sep, 2022
    MINISTER CALLS FOR REFORMS IN THE PUBLIC SERVICE

    Date: 6/09/2022

    Public Service Minister Hon. Joe Sungi vowed to continue what he started in his previous tenure as Minister, and that is to enhance the image of the public service machinery in Papua New Guinea.

    Speaking during his welcome back ceremony as the Minister for Public Service in the 11th Parliament he urged all Departmental Heads, Provincial and District Administrators to perform to their best as mandated servants of the people.

    Minister Sungi urged departmental heads to address issues such as public servants’ attendance, punctuality, and work ethics by scrutinizing their staff through their Performance Appraisals that are completed twice yearly, and more importantly, spend time with their officers.

    He strongly emphasized the need for Public Servants to be on the ground to serve wherever they are paid to be stationed.

    “You are not here to serve Waigani but the 96 Districts, 6,000 wards, and 3,000 LLGs; you are the servant of the people’’.

    The Minster stressed that Departmental heads must now be held accountable for the decisions they make that put unnecessary burden and stress on the taxpayers.

    ‘’ Any Departmental Head that is found to be incompetent and does not properly manage the discipline process of Public Servants, and if the Public Services Commission finds that there were errors in that decision, the Departmental Head will pay for the damages from his/her own pocket and not pass on to the taxpayers of this country to pay,” said Minister Sungi.

     Minister Sungi said there are a lot of issues that are still outstanding and will be discussed and worked on in consultation with the heads of the Department of Personnel Management (DPM), Public Service Commission (PSC), and the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG) as concerned agencies in Public Service.

    //ENDS//

    Minister Joe Sungi speaking at his welcome reception at PILAG Hall yesterday.
    6Sep, 2022
    WELCOME BACK RECEPTION FOR PUBLIC SERVICES MINISTER HON. JOE SUNGI, MP

    6/09/2022

    A small but warm reception was hosted by the three Public Service Institutions that included the Public Services Commission, Department of Personnel Management, and the Pacific Institute of Leadership and Governance (PILAG) at the PILAG Main Hall yesterday to welcome back the Minster for Public Service and Member re-elect for Nuku, Hon. Joe Sungi.

    The event was attended by the Minister along with his staff, representatives from Nuku District, and the Senior Management from DPM, PSC, and PILAG.

    Minister Sungi in his address said the Public Service has been criticized for non-performance for years adding that there are a lot of outstanding issues that need to be resolved, and he will do so with the assistance of the heads of DPM, PSC, and PILAG.

    The event ended with a dedication service for the Minister as well as heads of the three Agencies by Reverend Tony Dalaka of the AOG Cornerstone Church.

    //ENDS//

    From Left Public Services Commission Chairman– MR .APEO FUATA SIONE, L.M, M.PP, Minister Joe Sungi.MP, Ms. Taies Sansan Secretary Department Personnel Management, PSC Commissioner Provincial–MR JOSEPH AKA. BEcon, MEcon, LLB, Mr. Michael Barobe CEO PILAG & PSC Commissioner National – Ms. Judith Stenis, MBA.

    1Aug, 2022
    SIMBIL EXCELS IN HIS MASTERS PROGRAM AT UPNG

    Continuing your professional development essentially ensures that you are proficient and competent in your profession. It can also furnish you with essential skills that can help you progress in your career.

    Those were the sentiments shared by the Director of the Legal, Advisory and Litigation Division Mr. Richard Simbil who graduated from the University of Papua New Guinea with the highest-Grade Point Average (GPA) after completing the Masters of Economics & Public Policy (MEPP) Program in April 2022.

    Mr. Simbil is a lawyer by profession and began his career with Paraka Lawyers in 2010 as a Junior Lawyer. He was fresh out of the Legal Training Institute at the time after being admitted to the Bar a year earlier. He worked with the firm for two (2) years before he successfully secured a scholarship to do his postgraduate studies at the Australian National University (ANU) under the Australian Development Scholarship (ADS). He was one of eight (8) successful PNG ADS scholars, who were further awarded the prestigious Australian Leadership Award (ALA).

    In 2013, he went on to undertake a Master of Laws (LLM) program also at ANU and graduated with Merit in 2014.

    Mr. Simbil returned to Papua New Guinea and joined the Public Services Commission (PSC) in 2015 as the Senior Legal Officer in the Legal, Advisory & Litigation Division. He worked in that capacity for about a year before he was promoted to the position of Director of the Legal Division. In his tenure as Director, he also served as the Acting Commissioner Provincial from the 27th of April, 2020 to early January, 2022 when a permanent appointment was made and he reverted to his substantive position.

    In 2019, with the endorsement of the PSC Training Committee, he applied to undertake the Master of Economics & Public Policy course offered at the School of Business & Public Policy at UPNG which he completed in 2021 with flying colors.

    Mr. Simbil said he decided to take up the course because he wanted to broaden his understanding of public policy and its development.

    “After being employed in the public service for about five (5) years and being a manager for several years, I saw that I lacked a deeper understanding of public policy and its development. This became clearer to me when I was working on developing PSC’s legislation to amalgamate the Commission and the PSC Secretariat. I was searching for an opportunity to improve my knowledge to understand this area, and that was when I came across the Master of Economics & Public Policy course, and so I applied to UPNG to take up the program”, said Mr. Simbil.

    He added that there were various topics covered in the course but there were some that stood out for him.

    “Some of the topics included how to do research; how to address governance and developmental issues such as corruption and the challenges of sustainable development, etc. However, the three (3) topics that stood out for me and applied to my role as a manager were related to planning; that encompassed organizing and directing the completion of specific projects for the Commission whilst also ensuring that these projects are on time, on budget and within the scope to meet the objectives of PSC, which must also be in line with the PNG National Development Plan; another topic was corporate governance in an organization which I believe is very important”, stressed Mr. Simbil.

    Armed with these new sets of skills and knowledge, Mr. Simbil said he is committed and focused and will contribute meaningfully to assisting PSC to fulfill its constitutional roles and functions, which will ultimately contribute to the development of PNG as a whole.

    He thanked the good Lord for the blessings and protection that allowed him to complete his studies during the COVID-19 pandemic, and also thanked PSC for paying for his tuition fee for the first year of his studies. He also thanked his family, especially his wife, for the love and support at home, that helped him to focus on his studies and work at the same time.

    Mr. Simbil also encouraged other officers of the Commission and colleagues within the Public Service to pursue further studies to upgrade their qualifications.

    “The good thing about being a public servant is that you will be supported if you meet the requirements of your organization’s internal Training & Development Policy as well as Public Service General Order 6. My advice to everyone is to set your goals and be motivated and focused to achieve them”, he said.

    The Public Services Commission commended Mr. Simbil for his determination and perseverance in attaining his Masters in Economic & Public Policy and also scoring the highest GPA in the course.

    PSC continues to invest in up-skilling and enhancing the competencies of its human resource to achieve its goal as outlined in the PSC Corporate Plan 2019 – 2023 which is further streamlined through the PSC Training and Development Policy 2020 – 2023 that is aimed at providing relevant training for staff of the Public Services Commission.

    //ENDS//

    Mr. Simbil with his wife Ms. Konnie Korna and son Arial after UPNG’s 67th Graduation Ceremony at the Sir John Guise Indoor Complex.
    Photo credit: RSimbil
    2Jun, 2022
    Welcome to the Public Services Commission

     

     

     

     

    The Public Services Commission (PSC) is an independent constitutional office established under Section 190 of the National Constitution of Papua New Guinea.

    The Commission consists of three (3) members who are appointed for a five (5) year term by the Head of State, upon recommendation of the Public Services Commission Appointment Committee, consisting of the Prime Minister; Chief Justice; Leader of Opposition; the Chairman of the Permanent Parliamentary Committee on Appointments; and the Chief Ombudsman.

    Our Vision is to ‘transform the National Public Service into a vibrant, effective, and efficient service delivery machinery by maintaining impartiality in our Review Process, Merit-Based Appointment Proceedings, Investigation, and Legal representation in accordance with the public service government system, set processes and procedures and the rule of law’.

    Our Mission is to ‘promote a highly competent, non-partisan and representative Public Service that is based on the values of fairness, integrity, transparency, accountability, and accessibility to our service. This will reinforce trust and confidence in the Public Services Commission’.