Reporting Corruption from within Papua New Guinea's Public Financial Management System

This paper reports on an innovative approach to expand corruption reporting practices in Papua New Guinea (PNG) based on the experiences of public officials using this new reporting mechanism. Overall, the findings show that the service has been well utilised, with hundreds of ongoing investigations and several arrests. However, it is argued here that while the project is proving to be successful, its expansion should be very carefully and cautiously planned. Phones against Corruption is an initiative of the United Nations Development Program in PNG, implemented by the PNG Department of Finance, with support from Mobimedia Ltd, the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and the Government of Denmark via the UNDP Innovation Facility. The research presented in this paper was funded by the Australian Government. The current context of PNGs public financial management system is explained first, before the project is introduced. The paper presents the research design and findings, followed by a discussion of practical recommendations and implications for the domains of policy and theory. Finally, the conclusion presents suggestions for further research.