Can Australia prevent Papua New Guinea becoming a failed state?

Investment has dried up Covid-19 is draining the skilled workforce and the government simply cannot continue borrowing between K6 billion and K8 billion a year just to fund the recurrent budget!

This won't be an easy conversation for the Australian Government, but if we are genuine about helping our closest neighbour it simply cannot be ignored.

The third area is which Australia can offer urgent assistance is in regard to revitalising agriculture and building an independent fisheries sector – a sector increasingly dominated by China.

Papua New Guinea desperately needs a major boost to non-mining export income as well as the tax revenue and export income the resource sector can provide if real growth occurs.

The most obvious propriety areas are agriculture and fisheries. Australia can offer practical assistance in both. There are still Australians around who worked in the PNG agriculture sector prior to and just after Independence who would willingly contribute.

Australian agriculture, and fisheries, today are real success stories.

We can offer to share that with Papua New Guinea where the rural majority still depend on agriculture and fisheries for food, and cash income.

And if we can help agriculture and fisheries grow it directly benefits the majority of the good people of our closest neighbour and friend.

The game of "pretend" which seems to be being played out in Canberra simply must end.

We must face up to reality. Respond responsibly and positively to the enormous challenges overwhelming Papua New Guinea.

The proposals I have outlined may not be conclusive. But is a start and surely worth consideration without delay.

We cannot afford to have a totally "failed state" on our northern doorstep – making it susceptible to even greater influence and control from the Peoples Republic of China than it already is!