BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
Minister for Environment Polycarp Paea believes the new Public Service Bill 2025 will help his ministry’s work on climate and environment.
Contributing to the bill in parliament yesterday, the Member of Parliament for Malaita Outer Islands, said the bill is an important reform to replace the old outdated Public Service Act from 1998.
He stressed that as a government, the bill is essential in terms of managing the environment and ensuring that the ministry has the most qualified people as well as in respect to how they perform.
“This means that staff working on climate, environment and disaster will be skilled, honest and responsible. It makes government agencies work better together. The bill promotes transparency and accountability across all ministries. This is crucial for environmental work, which requires different ministries to cooperate,” he said.
Paea told the house that a better coordinated government will help the ministry implement its national policy on climate change, disaster risk and environment more effectively to train their staff to be experts.
“Managing the environment requires not just skills, but also strong ethics. This bill strengthens rules to prevent misconduct and corruption. This will lead to better decisions about our natural resources and help the public trust the government to protect our environment,” Paea said.
He said that the new bill will work well with the constitution and other existing laws, including those for the environment and disaster management.
“The bill improves workforce planning and coordination between ministries. This will help my ministry better manage large, complex funding from international donors like the Green Climate Fund.
“To conclude, passing this bill will renew the pride and the spirit of public service across the government. For my ministry, it will empower our officers to serve with professionalism and integrity as they work on important national and global environmental commitments,” he said.
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