My following interview appears in this week’s Green Left Weekly: Independent journalist and author… Antony Loewenstein… visited Papua New Guinea in January and February as part of his research for an upcoming book and documentary about disaster capitalism and privatisation. He spoke to… Green Left Weekly‘s… Ash Pemberton… about the influence of the resource industry in PNG, its links with…
Showing all posts tagged Papua New Guinea
Corporate press routinely ignores real people in Papua New Guinea
Business reporting often ignores the vast bulk of human beings and focuses solely on company profits. Take this lead story in today’s Murdoch Australian: Papua New Guinea specialist Highlands Pacific has long been known as an asset-rich, share-price-poor type of stock. There is a feeling out there that this year could well see that change…
Only military force will keep PNG LNG on track
The political situation in Papua New Guinea remains tortured but one thing is constant; resource exploitation. PNG’s Gary Juffa writes in a powerful Facebook post that history appears to be repeating itself and disaster capitalism must be resisted: It appears that the lessons from Bougainville have yet to be learned. In an announcement this week,…
Since when did Australia protect its future through mining interests?
My following book review appeared in last weekend’s Melbourne’s Sunday Age and Sydney’s Sun Herald: The news late last year that Australia’s richest man, Andrew ”Twiggy” Forrest, had not paid any corporate tax for seven years was unsurprising. Fortescue Metals’s tax manager, Marcus Hughes, conceded to a parliamentary committee in December: ”We have not cut…
False lure of mining riches in Papua New Guinea
My following investigation appears in New Matilda today: Papua New Guinea has a new leader but the country’s relationship to mining remains complex. Locals who aren’t happy about the growth of the industry are left with few options, reports Antony Loewenstein from Port Moresby At Port Moresby international airport in Papua New Guinea sits piles…
Understanding PNG and how the resource curse infects everything
During my recent visit to the country, not a day passed when a land-owner or NGO didn’t complain about the negative effects of Western corporations on daily lives; exploitation supported by a corrupt political elite. Some recently released documents via Wikileaks provides a grim picture. Both are written by Australian journalist Philip Dorling. The most…
The selling off of our prized possessions
The record of private security company G4S is deeply troubling… (including in Papua New Guinea, from where I recently returned). So this news is both worrying and a sign of things to come globally. For some privatisation propagandists, everything should sold to private interests: Private security company G4S is about to sign a deal which would…
Helping PNG by leaving the country breath on its own
During my recent visit to Papua New Guinea, I constantly heard complaints about the absurd number of Western advisers who were coming to the country telling locals how to live their lives. It’s a form of neo-colonialism. This is therefore good news: Australia’s international aid agency says it has now saved more than $US90 million…
Civil strife serious possibility in PNG due to vulture capitalism
My following investigation appears in Crikey today: The story led the business pages in Papua New Guinea’s… Post-Courier… in early February. “Analyst: PNG on verge of change” screamed the headline. British-based market analysts Bdaily Business Network praised the $US17.3 billion Exxon-Mobil led LNG project. “[It] is the most important single development in the history of PNG”, it…