‘I have taken the liberty of copying the full text of two of Masuko’s letters because I believe that in them lie the very heart and soul of this story. I want others to have the opportunity to share with me the beauty of thought contained in her letters, and, more particularly, of her humble and sincere cry from the heart for peace.’
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A secret Australian plan to manage PNGs most post popular tourism destination by environment bureaucrats rather than tourism professionals is a suicide note for Kokoda tourism.
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Lynette Kelly claimed during her time with Kokoda Spirit her boss, Wayne Wetherall, had stood over her and yelled at her to “the point he was spitting on her”, refused her access to paid leave without reasonable basis, and frequently had angry outbursts of aggressive behaviour, which caused her enormous stress and anxiety. Kelly also alleged she had been exposed to explicit pornographic messages and images authored by, and featuring Wetherall, which were linked to the Kokoda Spirit Facebook page.
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Kokoda has emerged as the complete adventure experience for boomers and young adventurers. It requires physical stamina and mental tenacity. The wartime history evokes strong emotions. The unconditional care and support of local PNG guides and villagers is humbling. The environment is rugged, remote, and pristine.
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If ever there was a time for PNG to reclaim ownership of their Kokoda Trail from Australian aid-funded officials, it is now!
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OVERVIEW: This is not a PNG bill – it is a DFAT inspired bill developed in a clandestine manner...
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Trekker numbers have declined by 46% under their watch. This translates into a cumulative loss of K46 million for the subsistence villages across the Trail in foregone wages, campsite fees and local purchases – and these are the people we have spent more than K150 million trying to help!
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On the 75th anniversary of Gallipoli, Labor Prime Minister Bob Hawke sponsored and accompanied 59...
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Papua New Guinea’s pristine, rugged, and remote environment is managed by their Conservation...
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A DFAT plan to introduce a new ‘Kokoda Track Management Authority’ (KTMA) has been revealed as a...
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Official data, based on the number of Trek Permits issued by the Kokoda Track (Special Purpose) Authority (KTA), reveals that villagers across the Kokoda Trail have suffered a cumulative loss of K49.7 million in foregone income opportunities since the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative assumed responsibility for its management in 2009. A Kokoda Livelihoods Study by Pacific Islands Projects revealed the DFAT-Kokoda Initiative allocates just 1% of their budget to ‘income generating projects’ for villagers across the Trail.
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This is not a PNG bill – it’s an Australian environment bill being imposed on PNG in a clandestine manner.
There is no record of any consultation with key stakeholders in Kokoda pilgrimage tourism in the drafting process of the bill as required by PNG law.
The bill seeks to extend the influence of foreign aid-funded officials by expanding the gazetted boundaries of the Kokoda Trail to include a large part of the Owen Stanley Ranges and protecting their aid-funded careers with another layer of unnecessary environmental legislation.
The bill fails to acknowledge that the Kokoda Trail is PNGs most popular pilgrimage tourism destination and should therefore be managed on a commercial basis as a tourism enterprise owned by Traditional Resource Custodians (TRCs) for the benefit of their village communities.
Following are comments on each section of the proposed bill along with serious questions that need to be answered by the proponents of the bill before it is considered any further.
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