BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

The Government for National Unity and Transformation (GNUT) is of the view that the country’s legal agencies remain relevant to serve the people and their mandates.

Minister for Justice and Legal Affairs Clezy Rore spoke about this during the official launch of the Legal Agencies Reforms and implementation project held at the Heritage Park Hotel on Monday this week.

He said that the country’s legal agencies play an important role in growing democracy, collectively having a duty to contribute to the third Arm of the Democracy.

“Their work is crucial to providing legal advice to any government of the day, access to justice for our populace, prosecutions, law reforms and laws relating to intellectual property and copyright and patents, to name a few,” he said.

“Above all, reforming their mandates now presents the best foundation for ensuring that as a country, we secure and future-proof our legal agencies,” said Rore.

He said that future-proofing also involves considering the long-term impact of the country’s legal agencies, their legal decisions and practices that serve future generations.

He said that the Legal Agencies Reforms and their implementation project will involve consultations between government ministries, stakeholders, legal experts, associations, bilateral partners, CSOs and churches, to name a few.

He said his ministry will encourage a range of policy support and legal conversations, which will contribute to these mandate reforms. 

“I would like to acknowledge the assistance to the Justice sector by DFAT through the Australia Solomon Islands Partnership for Justice Program. Australia remains the only development partner with the Ministry of Justice. I also thank New Zealand for legal and organisational advisers, UNICEF for law reform partnership, legal-related trainings by the PRC and Legal twinning programmes with Fiji, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea and Australia and PacLII.”

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BY JOHN HOUANIHAU

Lindsay Buckingham, Minister Counsellor from the Australian High Commission in Solomon Islands, has acknowledged the Legal Agencies Reforms and Implementation Project recently launched in Honiara.

Speaking during the official launch at the Heritage Park Hotel on Monday this week, Mrs Buckingham also acknowledged the leadership of Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs, Clezy Rore, and his PS George Hoa’au for the progressing transformational projects that will be foundational for the law and justice sector.

“I wanted to acknowledge this very significant law and justice reform project for Solomon Islands and Australia is delighted to be partnering with the ministry and supporting this important work”, said Buckingham.

She said the justice sector in Solomon Islands has also been investing deeply in leadership capability across sector agencies to build on their capability for now and into the future and is equipped to provide access to justice for all citizens across Solomon Islands.

“Australia continues its long-standing partnership with you as you implement your ambitious agenda with these types of activities and more and we are supporting your key priorities and vision, because this sector is so important and central to promoting Solomon Islands’ stability and security,” she said.

She said the reform of the project is yet another ambitious and important undertaking.

“The reforms will ensure that the mandates and enabling legislation for key law and justice agencies are fit for purpose and they set the sector up for the future,” she said.

“To all agency heads and representatives here today; your contributions and enthusiasm in progressing this project are invaluable and I wish you all the best for the consultations that you’ll be having,” she said.

She said that Australia and Solomon Islands have been enduring law and justice sector partners for many, many years.

“We look forward to continuing to work with you on this historic project, setting Solomon Islands’ law and justice sector up for the future,” said Buckingham.

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BY INDY MAEALASIA

The Bills and Legislation Committee (BLC) has commenced its enquiry into the much-anticipated National Building Standard Bill 2025, a landmark legislative proposal aimed at transforming building safety and inclusivity across the country.

The proposed bills seek to address long-standing gaps in construction standards, building safety, and disaster resilience, while also embedding gender inclusion and accessibility for people with special needs into national building regulations.

Speaking during the enquiry, Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Infrastructure Development (MID), Allan Lilia, highlighted the bill’s focus on protecting vulnerable populations.

“The justification for this intervention is the bill will improve people’s livelihood and living standards, improve safety and comfort for all and regulation and enforcement of standards to buildings.”

“Building designs will be inclusive for all and accessible for people with special needs. Design will be climate resilient and sustainable in the long run,” he added.

Various stakeholders are expected to come before the committee in the coming days.

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BY BEN BILUA

GIZO

Western Province is taking decisive action in the fight against plastic pollution, ramping up awareness and education campaigns across communities and schools in the province.

Western Province Network for Sustainable Environment (WPNSM), a coalition of local NGOs and the Western Provincial Government, has taken the lead in ensuring that communities understand and embrace the change after the national government endorsed a plastic ban regulation last year.

WPNSM Secretary Jully Misimake, said the network has made it a priority to reach both the youth and the general public in efforts to curb plastic use and promote sustainable waste management.

“We began last year. Our first awareness program was held at Kongu School and we’ve continued to expand our outreach.

“Communities have also been part of the awareness program, participating in discussions and educational events,” she said.

Among their efforts, WPNSM has organized speech contests on plastic alternatives and solid waste management, encouraging students to envision and contribute to a plastic-free future.

In June, the team marked World Environment Day with a campaign at Sairagi, distributing pamphlets and engaging locals in environmental talks.

“Western Province has been advocating for a plastic-free zone for a long time and we are serious about this because solid waste is a threat to our environment,” Misimake said.

She said WPNSM was also part of the Coral Triangle Day celebration held in Noro and used the opportunity to highlight the impacts of plastic waste and promote community action.

Misimake said the organization will continue its mission to foster environmental stewardship across Western Province, with a strong focus on education, youth engagement and community-driven solutions.

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BY NED GAGAHE

Premier of Central Islands Province Kenneth Sagupari has clarified concerns of unpaid costs for his executive’s recent stay at an accommodation in Honiara for the recent swearing-in ceremony.

Concerned citizens of the province are asking about who will foot the bill at Bulaia Backpackers Rest Haus in Chinatown.

It was revealed that the cost has accumulated and now totals up to more than SBD 8,000.

They said this is a repeat of the same issue in 2024, when non-executive members stayed at the same place and incurred an unpaid bill of over SBD 8,000.

However, Premier Kenneth Sagupari denied claims that all his executive ministers were ordered to stay in Honiara until Thursday, stating that most have already returned to their communities.

He clarified that unpaid bills from his time as a non-executive member were settled and emphasized that accommodation allowances for MPAs are paid directly by the Ministry of Provincial Government.

Sagupari stressed that any extra costs incurred from personal accommodation choices are the responsibility of the individual MPAs, not the Provincial Government.

“Despite assurances from the current Premier that this would be paid, no payment has been made to date and the landlord has since followed up and reported the issue.

“Who is responsible for covering the extended accommodation costs of the ministers while in Honiara on official duties? If the provincial government is not paying, then who is? It’s now been a week and the unpaid costs continue to grow.”

Concerned citizens expressed the above adding that this is a growing concern that reflects a troubling pattern of past behaviour, where personal or political expenses are incurred first and later reimbursed from provincial funds, often without proper approval or transparency.

They said this is not the type of governance the people of Central Province deserve.

“We respectfully call on the Premier and the executive team to settle all outstanding accommodation and related costs immediately. Publicly clarify how these expenses were planned, approved and whether public funds are being used in a transparent and accountable manner.

“Ensure provincial resources are not used to support political movements that do not reflect the public interest or mandate.

“It is also important to emphasize that travel allowances were already provided during the executive’s swearing-in period. Therefore, any additional personal expenses should not fall upon the former administration or be unfairly drawn from public funds.

“Let us protect the dignity and reputation of our province.

“We remind our elected leaders that holding public office is not a privilege for comfort, it is a responsibility to lead with integrity, humility and full accountability to the people,” The concerned citizens said.

Following the concern raised in the Central Islands Forum on Facebook, Premier Sagupari responded promptly to clarify the issue.

He said the claim that all of his executive ministers were instructed to remain in Honiara until Thursday is not true.

Sagupari mentioned that as of yesterday, most of his ministers have already returned to their respective wards and communities.

“Only a few remain in town, mainly those who have families based in Honiara”, he said.

On the issue of unpaid bills at Bulaia Backpackers, he said that during his time as a non-executive member under the former government led by Michael Salini, they only stayed at Bulaia when handling official lands-related business and to his knowledge, those bills were already cleared.

He said most importantly, the public needs to understand that MPAs are entitled to accommodation allowances that are paid directly by the Ministry of Provincial Government.

“If any individual MPA chooses to stay elsewhere, that is a personal decision and the Provincial Government is not responsible for those costs.

“To support our team during this transition, I have given all ministers a one-week break to return to their families and home communities before we reconvene for the Second Appointed Day. After that, by early July, all ministers will return to Tulagi to officially begin work under the new policy directives of this executive government.

“I hope this clarification helps to clear the air. Let us move forward in unity and focus on serving the people of our province with transparency, commitment and responsibility,” Premier Sagupari said in a statement.

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BY BEN BILUA

THE most anticipated Mineral and Resource Bill has been criticized by landowners in Isabel who describe it as a “Bill full of rubbish”.

Chairperson of San Jorge Island Resource Owners Association, Wilson Tohidi said the Mineral and Resource bill is no different from the existing Mines and Mineral Act.

He said the bill is vague in many aspects especially on the ownership of minerals, processes of obtaining license and sharing of benefits.

“Well, this bill would be better if landowners are recognised and capture good benefit for the people like royalty percentage increase.

“Stronger guidelines should be stipulated in the bill for investors to abide to when conducting operation in mining, for example there are other types of minerals which have value yet these other minerals are not beneficial to landowners,” Tohidi said.

He said the Mineral and Resource bill is crafted to satisfy the government’s agenda.

“What we landowners see is that the government is shaping this bill according to their interest.

“It is not in the interest of landowners. We never been consulted and this is unfair to resources owners in this the country,” Tohidi said.

He calls on the government to carry out proper consultation before tabling the bill in parliament.

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