Australia must focus on the people of PNG, not the government of PNG!

This would deliver a body blow to any proposals China might have – proposals that would deliver no real improvement in basic services for the people of Daru.

But time is not on our side. China is skilled at influencing politicians, especially when elections are just around the corner. That is the position in PNG today – campaigning is already under way for elections in mid-2022.

It is surely a "no brainer" for Australia to immediately focus on the good people of Daru who have been crying out for vital not just quality of life services but life- saving services?

The second $100 million plus should be immediately and directly invested in the further upgrading of the Angau National Hospital in Lae. Australia has built three new wards, a deal negotiated by Peter O'Neill with Kevin Rudd when Australia wanted a safe site to house asylum seekers.

Australia should offer to effectively take control of Angau, not just for the benefit of the people of the city of Lae, but also for the many provinces that could benefit from, medicines and services emanating from and efficient and well run major hospital.

If Australia delivered, and delivered urgently, both these projects it would be money well spent. If on the other hand it persists with another cash handout it will be yet another significant foreign policy and regional policy in particular, failure.

In these challenging times, we simply cannot afford that the happen!!