A LEADING ACADEMIC has said he is “not confident there will be any immediate policy changes’ in response to a PNG public accounts committee report that described the state of public finances as a "profound national embarrassment" that has robbed people of basic services.

PNG expert and emeritus fellow of the Australian National University, Dr Ron May, told Radio Australia that, although treasurer Peter O’Neil promised to act on the findings, he was not confident there would be any immediate policy changes.

"We do have a lot of mechanisms in the PNG system, designed to enforce compliance and to check on people who aren't behaving properly, but the record of following up on prosecutions has been rather weak," Dr May said.

He supported the committee's claim there is poor training in government departments, saying training had been declining for a number of years.

"The University of PNG and what used to be the Administrative College, are both now, I think shadows of their former selves," Dr May said.

"There are a lot of good, younger people and good middle level people in a number of departments, who try hard to operate effectively under difficult conditions.

"But nonetheless, there is a rather poor level of enforcement of the regulations that exist."

Dr May said there was demand for reform but usually it pertained of people demanding other people be brought to account.

"I think there's the will in a lot of circles to do this, but we exist in a situation at the moment, where a number of members of parliament, including ministers have been appearing before leadership tribunals themselves," he said.

"These aren't the people who are likely to champion measures to get rid of people who've been offending against the laws."

Source: Australia Network News