Australia’s ‘PNG Angels’ prove the philanthropic potential of Kokoda Tourism
‘Covid exposed the failure of DFAT-Kokoda Initiative environment officials to establish a...
Read More‘Covid exposed the failure of DFAT-Kokoda Initiative environment officials to establish a...
Read MoreCharlie Lynn, a former army major, first trekked across the Kokoda Trail in 1991. Prior to this only a small number of hardy adventurers trekked across the trail each year.
At this time the combined income of all the villagers along the trail was estimated to be approximately K60,000 per year.
In 1992 Charlie organised and led a group of 20 trekkers across the trail to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Kokoda campaign. His trek featured as a cover story in the Bulletin magazine.
Read MoreOver the past decade 54,623 Australians, young and old, from all walks of life, have trekked across the Kokoda Trail. They are motivated by the significance of its military heritage and the lure of an adventure in the ‘land of the unexpected’.
Read MoreAUTHOR’S NOTE:The Kokoda Track (Special Purpose) Authority (KTA) was proclaimed by the...
Read MoreThis 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.
Read MoreWe established Network Kokoda as a philanthropic not-for-profit company to support our workers, their families and the villagers who live and work along the Kokoda Trail through sustainable initiatives.
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