Simplification of the Budget Documents (PNG0030)

Commitment 8.4.2: Simplification and Translation of Budget Documents

The translation of budget volume one is the commitment brought forward from the NAP II. This shows the Government's commitment to achieving an inclusive and accountable budget. This will start with the simplification and translation of the budget volume one document. Budget Volume 1 is the summary of Budget Volumes 2 and 3. Thus, translating the budget volume one will increase citizens' budgetary knowledge and understanding, particularly of revenues, expenditures, borrowing, and debt levels, enabling them to participate effectively and make informed decisions, including in electoral processes. This is expected to address budgetary information asymmetry and the information gap for citizens on fiscal and budgetary matters.

The Department of Treasury will lead the commitment with assistance from DNPM and full support from TIPNG representing the INA.

Tables 1-4 below provide a summary of the commitment's activities, key milestones, strategies, and indicators.

Table 1: Commitment 8.4.2: Simplification and Translation of Budget documents

Objective
To ease the Understanding of the Citizens on the National Budget appropriations and the Fiscal Policy Stance

| OGP Global Commitment | MTDP IV DIPS | OGP Commitment | No. | Summary Activities |
| 4 | DIP 7.4- Public Finance Management | Simplification and Translation of Budget Documents | 4.2 | Simplification of Budget Documents to enable citizens' understanding |

Milestones and Activites
No. | Milestones | Activities |
1 | Summarised and simplified Budget Volume 1 Template produced and published. | Establish a committee with defined ToR
| | Engage a technical assistant
| | Produce the simplified template entailing budget volume 1 |
| | Launching and publication of the summarised and simplified Budget Volume 1
2 | Capital Investment Budget translated into Tok Pisin | Establish a committee with defined ToR
| | Engage a technical assistant
| | Craft the Capital Investment Budget into Tok Pidgin
| | Launch and publish the Tok Pidgin version of the CIB
3 | Budget Vol. 1 Engage translated into Tok Pisin | Establish a committee with a defined ToR
| | a technical assistant
| | Translate Budget Volume 1 into Tok Pidgin
| | Launch and publish on different media platform

Table 3: Strategies
No | Implementation Strategy | Policy Reference
---|------------------------|-----------------
1 | Effective Resource mobilisation | MTDP IV 2023-2027
2 | Effective Partnership and Collaboration | PFMA 1995
3 | Effective awareness and marketing | PNG Fiscal Responsibility Act 2006

Table 4: Indicators
No | Indicator | Source | Baseline (2024) | [Annual Targets: 2025 | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029]
---|----------|--------|----------------|------|------|------|------|------
1 | Total number of translated budget books printed at GPO | DoT | | | | 500 | 500 | 500 | 500 |
2 | Timely availability of budget documents on government websites (1-10) | DoT | | | | 3 | 6 | 9 | 10 |