Australian High Commission
Papua New Guinea

Australian Government partners with Santos to build local expertise in PNG resource sector

The Australian Government and Santos Limited are pleased to announce a new partnership to build the technical and management capability in Papua New Guinea’s natural resource sector.

The partnership includes a new scholarship to be awarded to a Papua New Guinean working in the resources sector, to commence post-graduate studies in Australia in 2019.

Australian High Commissioner Bruce Davis said the award is a great example of the public and private sectors collaborating to support national growth.

“This kind of partnership between the government, the private sector, and education institutions shows public-private sector cooperation can support stronger national industries to bring about development and economic growth, and share the benefits of this growth more widely,” he said.

Kevin Gallagher, Santos Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, said Santos is pleased to partner with the Australian Government in investing in the people of PNG to build added capability in its oil and gas sector.

 “Santos is passionate about investing in the communities where it operates and there is no better way to do that than through education,” Mr Gallagher said.

“Having a highly skilled local workforce is great for Santos, but just as importantly, it will build a better future for families and communities throughout Papua New Guinea and contribute to the economic and social development of Australia’s nearest neighbour and friend,” he said.

The resource sector is an important industry in Papua New Guinea, making significant contributions to national growth and economic development and Santos, an Australian company with a long history of working in PNG, is a major investor in the resources sector with a 13.5 per cent interest in the PNG LNG project. 

Nearly 2600 employees and contractors are engaged in PNG LNG production operations, with approximately 82 percent Papua New Guinean and 22 percent women.

PNG LNG has invested more than US$246 million to build infrastructure, develop social programs, and implement skills training in local communities and the project has contributed around US$4.3 billion to local businesses and the government through employment taxes, disbursements to state shareholder agencies, development levies, royalties, and petroleum license fees.

This partnership between the Australian Government and Santos will contribute to development of the highly skilled workforce needed to support a sustainable natural resources sector, including the development of a highly capable public service and a strong regulatory regime.

For further information, including access to related materials, please contact the Australian High Commission media team: +675 7090 0100