Government offices locked out over outstanding rent

Several government departments have been locked out of their offices over millions of kina in outstanding rental payments.

Among them is the National Disaster Centre, which has been locked out of Kitpeng Haus since last week, NBC National News has confirmed.

The timing of the lockout has raised concerns, particularly as the country continues to face the impacts of El Niño, with the peak now extended to the end of the year.

NBC National News contacted the Minister for National Disaster and Emergency Management, Dr Billy Joseph, for clarification on the amount owed to a named property owner. The Minister said he would provide feedback.

The Department of Information and Communication Technology [DICT] also faced a similar situation after being locked out of its offices for two days.

DICT Secretary Steven Matainaho told NBC National News that the department is now operating after the government paid K1.4 million towards outstanding rental arrears of K3.8 million.

Meanwhile, Nurses Association President Fredrick Kebai has called on the government to ensure outstanding rental payments for government agencies are settled on time to avoid disruptions to essential services.

Several attempts have been made to obtain a response from the government on the outstanding rental payments.