PNG Prime Minister James Marape praised the Minister for Lands and Physical Planning John Rosso in Parliament recently. The commendation came after the Strata Title Management Bill 2022 and associated legislation and amendments were approved.
The bill is designed to help with the problems of a rising population and a lack of land. It allows people to purchase units and apartments in high-rise buildings.
The prime minister explained that the bill would modernize Papua New Guinea’s land and housing industries. He pointed out that strata title legislation has already been enacted in smaller Pacific nations like Vanuatu and Fiji. He also reminded people that of the country’s 462,000 square kilometres, only 3% was held by that government.
Marape said that as the new law allowed people to buy apartments in high-rise buildings, it would help to address the issues of rising demand for land and affordable housing.
“This is a response to our country’s need for housing. The minister has worked very hard on this at the sunset of this term of Parliament,” Marape said.
The prime minister said that this was just one of many laws his administration had approved since taking office. He also reiterated the importance of this particular bill and said, “This law was first talked about 20 years ago. It may seem just like any ordinary Act of Parliament that we’re passing today, however, far that. This has a direct value on the economy.”
He explained, “If one person owns a piece of real estate in an urban area and decides to build a 20-floor building, in which you can find over 60-70 units, these can be individually titled out. You don’t need to own a piece of land to have title to an apartment that you can call home.”
PM Marape thanked both parliamentary parties for their assistance in passing the law and added, “This is a law to modernize some of the legacy issues that we have carried through.”
Image caption: Downtown Port Moresby, FILE PICTURE credit PM JAMES MARAPE News Page
