PNG far below Commonwealth standard for female leaders, former minister says

PNG political pioneer Lady Carol Kidu is spearheading a national campaign to boost female representation in parliament, urging that the country remains critically short of Commonwealth standards for women in leadership.

More than 200 people attended a one-day Citizenship Awareness workshop in Northern Province on Wednesday, as part of an initiative backed by the Australian National University [ANU] under the Pacific Women in Leadership Program.

The program, run alongside the Civic Awareness Coordinating Team in Oro, aims to build an informed electorate ahead of the 2027 National General Elections.

Lady Kidu, a former cabinet minister and the lead facilitator for the workshops, said Papua New Guinea needed to move toward shared governance after five decades of independence.

"The main purpose is to try to increase the number of women in parliament," Lady Kidu said.

"The Commonwealth standard is 30 per cent women in parliament, and we are a Commonwealth nation… We are under two per cent women in parliament. We never have been [near that] in our history."

The workshop locations were selected using ANU research that identified electorates where female candidates achieved strong first-preference votes in previous elections.

The national roadshow has already visited West Sepik and East Sepik, with upcoming sessions planned for Manus and Milne Bay.

Lady Kidu said money politics and shifting cultural norms were a hurdle for prospective female MPs, but stressed that inclusive decision-making was essential for national progress.

"We need a balance. We need women's thinking, women's priorities, as well as men in there," she said.

"In traditional politics, women had power behind the scenes, and now people have this idea that it's just men… My aim is to give women a chance."