Australian High Commissioner to Papua New Guinea, His Excellency Mr Bruce Davis presented Ruline Pokote Ketauwo and Stanley Raka with the Allison Sudradjat Prize for 2017.

The Award is given in memory of Allison Sudradjat, a former senior Australian Government staff member who passed away in 2007 whilst attached to the Australian Embassy in Indonesia. Allison was deeply passionate about education as a pillar of development. From 1996 to 2000 she worked at the AUSAID office in Port Moresby.

Each year, six outstanding Australia Awards Scholarship recipients (four from Indonesia and two from Papua New Guinea) are awarded the Allison Sudradjat Prize.

2017 recipients

Ms Ketauwo works with the Department of Health in the Health Management, Planning and Research Sector in her home province, the Autonomous Region of Bougainville. She will pursue a double degree program: a Master of Public Health and Master of Business Administration at James Cook University, Queensland.

She aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of health programs within the Bougainville Health Department. “After successfully completing my studies, I will be in a better position to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of managing health programs within the Bougainville Health Department, which is very important in ensuring health care services are delivered throughout my region,” said Ms Ketauwo. And as a female officer to gain such a double degree qualification, she hopes to inspire and promote gender equity among the senior management workforce in the Bougainville public service.

Mr Raka works with the Law and Justice Sector Secretariat in National Capital District. He is a M&E Practitioner and will study a Master of Public Policy at the Australian National University. “I hope to venture further into policy development, particularly the macro policy development associated with sub-national service delivery to advance the drafting of policy documents similar to the General Orders and the Public Finance Management Act of Papua New Guinea,” said Mr Raka. Mr Raka hopes to implement and validate the Policy M&E Framework currently advocated by the Department of National Planning and Monitoring as the standard and prescribed practice for the whole public service in terms of Performance M&E.

Upon the successful completion of their studies, Ms Ketauwo and Mr Raka will return to PNG with new knowledge and skills that will contribute immensely to their sectors and increase equitable service delivery across the country.