BY NED GAGAHE
Guadalcanal Premier William Atu has raised serious concerns about the Public Service Bill 2025, saying that the bill could take away power from provinces and give too much control to the central government.
Speaking to the Bills and Legislation Committee on Monday, Premier Atu pointed to clauses 9 and 79 as particularly troubling.
These clauses give government ministers wide powers to apply the bill to provinces and assign functions to provincial officers without clear legal responsibility.
“This bill looks like it will centralise power instead of supporting provincial governments.
“Our constitution promises decentralisation and local decision-making. This bill does not reflect that,” Premier Atu said.
He warns that the bill could cause confusion, weaken provincial governments, and open the door for political interference.
Provinces have long called for more autonomy highlighting the importance of giving provinces more control to maintain peace and good governance.
Premier Atu urges lawmakers to amend the bill to recognise the Provincial Secretary as the key official responsible for provincial administration.
He also calls for any ministerial orders affecting provinces to be made with provincial consultation.
“Assigning important powers to officials who are not legally accountable will cause confusion and hurt good governance,” he said.
As the Public Service Bill goes through Parliament, provinces like Guadalcanal want to ensure their powers are protected and their people are well served.
The Public Service Bill 2025 comprises of a total of 134 clauses.
BLC commenced hearing into the Bill on September 15, 2025.
The Public Service Bill 2025 is currently under scrutiny by the committee and is expected to go before Parliament in the coming sessions.
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