Transcript
JT: The story first appeared in the Post Courier, saying all MPs had been awarded an APEC vehicle each.
The line from the government was that the cars were for MPs when they were in the capital, Port Moresby, and that using the cars that were bought for APEC would save plenty of money that's currently being spent on rental cars.
The finance secretary said there would be strict regulations governing the cars - such as that they're only allowed to be used for electoral duties.
KH: Do we know what cars they're getting?
JT: No, 166 cars were imported for the APEC summit - including the notorious Maseratis and Bentleys.
When they were brought in by the former O'Neill government, the luxury cars sparked outrage over the apparent extravagance of the purchases - in the event, a number of leaders, like New Zealand's Jacinda Ardern opted not to travel in one while in Moresby for the summit.
The government said the vehicles would be onsold to the private sector after the summit, but hardly any sold, and since the summit they've sat gathering dust in a Port Moresby parking lot since.
But there were also a whole lot of other cars imported - late model sedans, shiny SUVs; some vans and buses too. We're not clear about what cars will be used for the members of parliament.
What we do know is that two of the Bentleys that were imported are being used by the prime minister's office and the governor general.
Either way, Port Moresby's about to see some nice new cars down its highways.
KH: How has the announcement gone down?
JT: Not well. Anti-corruption advocates I've spoken to have said they harbour strong doubts about whether the MPs will follow the regulations. Remember, several of the cars -- including Maseratis -- have just disappeared since APEC. The best example being one that showed up in the Highlands city of Mt Hagen -- remarkable considering there's no road between Moresby and Hagen.
There's also the promises made. When all the cars were imported to PNG, the minister for APEC at the time, Justin Tkatchenko, said private sector buyers had already been lined up for after APEC, and that all the cars would be selling like hotcakes.
Those hotcakes have been sitting in the warmer for a while - no one buying them. Only one Bentley and two Maseratis have been sold through public tender.
KH: It's not the only revelation to come from the APEC summit recently is it?
JT: Yeah, nearly a year after APEC it's controversies just don't seem to go away - even for a new government.
APEC Haus - the glistening new convention centre on the Port Moresby waterfront - has only just reopened after it was ordered closed for not meeting fire regulations.
But there's also the millions that have gone missing. Nearly a million US dollars is unaccounted for, much of it used to pay hire car companies for cars not asked for by the APEC authority and potentially never provided.
A report into the APEC spending is due to be tabled in parliament next month.
The APEC summit was held in PNG with grand promises, that it would bring the spotlight to PNG, and that it would bring great riches to the country. It hasn't really panned out that way.
