Editing Transport in Papua New Guinea (section)

==Governance==
One of the key recommendations of the 1964 World Bank mission was the creation of a new department to manage the development of all transport modes.<ref>''The Economic Development of the Territory of Papua New Guinea'', World Bank, 1964</ref> While many of the World Bank mission's recommendations were much argued both locally and internationally, this proposal was widely accepted as it was clear that both political and economic advancement depended on greatly improved land, sea and air transport. Beginning in 1967 with the appointment of a Coordinator of Transport heading a policy unit, in 1968–69 the Department of Transport was fully established as for policy and investment in all transport modes,<ref>Programmes and policies for the economic development of Papua New Guinea, Government Printer, Port Moresby, 1968</ref> (civil aviation regulation remained with the Australian Department of Civil Aviation).

In the late 1960s, a large development program prepared by the Department of Transport as a result of the UNDP Transport Survey of Papua New Guinea was endorsed by the PNG House of Assembly, the Australian Parliament and multilateral agencies, and implementation continued through later decades.<ref>DN Smith, Transport, development and project aid for Papua New Guinea, Annual Engineering Conference, Institution of Engineers, Australia, Newcastle, 1974</ref><ref>RJ Sothern, The Highlands Highway, ''[[Australian Geographer]]'', vol. 12, issue 2, September 1972</ref> This and subsequent revisions provided the basis for loans from the multilateral agencies, in particular the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and UNDP, establishing a relationship which remains.<ref>GJ McDonell, Studies and Programmes for Transport Facilities in Papua New Guinea, Journal of the Institution of Engineers, Australia, September 1970</ref>

Major improvements were made to key highway links, notably between the coast and the highlands,<ref>See Sothern above</ref> to provide international standard port facilities at Port Moresby and Lae, and in lesser ports, for international and domestic airport upgradings, and for the regulation and management of transport services. The Department of Transport remains a key government agency.{{According to whom|date=March 2013}} Transport assistance from Australia also continued. The Transport Sector Support Program is funded by the Australian Government and continues a long-term commitment to the sector. The Transport Sector Coordination, Monitoring and Implementation Committee (TSCMIC) brings together the heads of all the relevant agencies to coordinate work. This body was created after a National Executive Council decision and first met in July 2006. Maintenance of transport network assets remains a key challenge in order to get the best out of previous investments.