Prime Minister James Marape has commended Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Lands and Physical Planning John Rosso for spearheading historic reforms to Papua New Guinea’s land laws, describing them as essential to securing the country’s future and safeguarding landowners’ rights.
Speaking in Parliament during the tabling of amendments to six major pieces of land-related legislation, Marape underscored the significance of the reforms as PNG marks 50 years of independence. The legislation passed with strong bipartisan support and will be implemented in phases starting in 2025.
“In the face of our 50th anniversary, some of these corrective updates in our laws must be made so we may secure the future of our country,” Marape said.
“Land is our people’s greatest inheritance—our playground, our home, our heritage. Every Papua New Guinean is connected to a piece of land somewhere in this country. We must protect it. One of the greatest pains I live with is seeing Motu Koitabuans lose their land. This law secures what limited land remains and prevents further erosion. It ensures no one sells or loses their land forever," he added.
The prime minister reaffirmed his government’s commitment to digitising public services and using modern technology to improve transparency, efficiency and accountability.
“We’ve instructed the minister for finance, the minister for public services and others to ensure future recruitment, procurement and tender processes are ICT-based and assisted by AI,” he said. “We must eliminate the delays caused by walking office to office and remove personal preferences from the system.”
He also proposed forming a bipartisan committee to oversee the reform process and ensure inclusive, transparent review of the laws.
“This is not a political matter—it’s national. I thank the member for Hiri-Koiari for chairing the Lands Committee even though he sits opposite. Let’s work together to ensure our people’s rights are protected,” Marape said.
He further announced the government’s intention to allow properly registered customary land to be used as collateral—enabling citizens to access finance and unlock the value of their land.
“This is an important precursor to giving value to our people and the land they own as we celebrate 50 years of nationhood. Let’s get this done for them,” he said.
Deputy Prime Minister Rosso, who introduced the bills in Parliament, said the amendments to the Land Act 1996, Physical Planning Act 1989, Surveys Act 1969, Survey Coordination Act 1967, Land Registration Act 1981 and Valuation Act 1967 are designed to bring PNG’s land administration into the digital age.
He said each piece of legislation had specific business processes reworked to integrate ICT and improve service delivery.
“These laws have been modernised to cater for a new digital platform that will replace our outdated, cumbersome, paper-based processes,” Rosso said. “This is about ensuring land dealings, including communication with our people, are done in a timely, transparent and efficient manner.”
“The new digital system will enable us to manage, track and process land transactions with accuracy and speed. Whether it’s land registration, valuation or lease processing, we are moving into a fully electronic era,” he said.
Rosso added the reforms strike a balance between protecting customary land ownership and enabling development where necessary.
“This reform is about balance—protecting our people’s traditional ownership while allowing the state to plan, build infrastructure and develop the economy. We are not taking land away; we are protecting it and making it work for our people.”
