BY BEN BILUA
GIZO

The Western Provincial Government (WPG) has resumed its Assembly meeting yesterday to deliberate on and approve the 2025/2026 provincial budget.

The meeting, which will run for a week, saw the attendance of the majority of Provincial Members who gathered at the Assembly Chamber in Gizo to discuss key financial matters and development priorities for the province.

Speaker of the Western Provincial Assembly, Ramrakha Aquila Talasasa, welcomed the members and acknowledged their continued commitment to the affairs of the province.

He thanked the members for their dedication and urged them to approach the week’s discussions with unity and a shared vision for Western Province.

In his opening address, Premier Billy Veo called on the Assembly members to exercise wisdom, understanding, and cooperation as the revised 2025/2026 budget was tabled.

He explained that the revised budget is necessary to address virements and replenish certain divisional heads whose allocations have been exhausted during the current financial year.

Veo further stated that the revision will also appropriate uncaptured revenues, including more than $1 million received under the Provincial Capacity Development Fund (PCDF).

He said the additional funding was awarded to the province for achieving a perfect financial assessment for the 2023/2024 fiscal year — a milestone that demonstrates the province’s sound financial management.

“We have come to that time of the year again where, as a provincial government and assembly, we are required to table a revised budget as per the Western Provincial Financial Management 2018, Part 4, Section 14, Subsection 2. It is therefore an obligatory undertaking,” Veo said.

The Assembly is expected to continue deliberations throughout the week, with hopes of passing the revised budget to guide the province’s development programs and service delivery in the coming year.

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