MEDIA RELEASE
25 July 2006
For immediate release
PNG OFFICIALS ATTEND LEGAL TRAINING WORKSHOP IN AUSTRALIA
Four Papua New Guineans are among 24 legal officers from 12 Pacific Island nations attending an important legal training workshop in Australia this week.
Emmanuel Giyomatala and Vela Konivaro from the Department of Prime Minister and National Executive Council and Esther Poiou and Dorothy Mimiko from the Department of Justice and Attorney-General are taking part in the Legislative Drafting Workshop in Canberra.
The workshop is part of the Pacific Legal Knowledge Program, which was embraced by senior Pacific island law officers in Vanuatu in September 2005.
Australian Minister for Justice and Customs, Senator Chris Ellison, said: “Legislative drafting is a crucial skill and Pacific Island countries often rely on donor assistance to draft important legislation.
“This workshop, which has been developed by the Australian Attorney-General's Department, will assist those nations to increase their legal drafting capacity.”
The Legislative Drafting Workshop, which runs from 25 to 27 July, is the second regional workshop under the Pacific Legal Knowledge Program.
It follows a successful workshop in December 2005 on international criminal justice cooperation which PNG officials also attended.
The Program seeks to build the capacity of legal officers in numerous areas including mutual legal assistance, extradition, and legislative drafting on a wide range of subjects including transnational crime and terrorism.
The Program also complements the work of the Anti-Money Laundering Assistance Team (AMLAT), which is assisting Pacific Island countries, including PNG, to develop systems to combat money laundering and terrorist financing.
Media Inquiries: Leigh Arnold, Public Affairs Manager. Ph: 3259333 ext 275. Mobile: 683 9811