The selection process that led to American anthropologist without any military history credentials as Australia’s National Military Heritage Advisor in PNG by the Australian High Commission could best be described as dodgy.
Read MoreFormer Prime Minister Peter O’Neill ordered a review of the KTA in 2018 after he was advised of its failures since it was taken over by Australian environment officials in 2009.
Read MoreMy greatest frustration over the past 27 years has been trying to explain the significance of the pilgrimage to those who have never trekked with a group led by professional military historians – particularly Australian and PNG officials charged with managing Kokoda tourism.
I therefore invited an author, Rashmii Amoah Bell, to join us for a trek to interpret the experience through the eyes of a PNG woman.
Rahsmii was given free reign to engage with guides, carriers, campsite owners, village womens groups, and other trekkers.
Her articles, titled ‘Kokoda: A Trail of Woe’ were published in Keith Jackson’s PNG Attitude Blog and are republished below.
Charlie Lynn
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The Review of the Kokoda Track Authority (KTA) ordered by PNG Prime Minister, Peter O’Neill, is a disappointing academic desk-top study which recommends more of the same under a different name.
Prime Minister O’Neill ordered the review after the collapse of the management system put in place by the Australian Government in 2009.
Despite spending more than $60 million since then Kokoda trekker numbers have declined by 43 per cent; there is not a single management protocol in place; not one of the five key strategies or 33 objectives established by Australian managers for the period 2012-2015 was achieved; and there is still no master plan to protect and interpret our shared wartime history of the Kokoda campaign.
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The DFAT recruiting process, which led to the employment of an American anthropologist without any military heritage credentials, as Australia’s ‘National Military Heritage Advisor’ on a generous 6-figure salry raises serious questions regarding proper governance.
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