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The Papua New Guinea government has tabled its 2026 National Budget - a money plan that reinforces the country's medium-term repair path and sets another record in scale.
But before diving into the numbers, Treasurer Ian Ling-Stuckey could not resist setting the political scene.
In a speech peppered with pointed jabs, he repeatedly referred to former Prime Minister Peter O'Neill only as "the other guy," blaming him for past mismanagement, inflated deficits and what he described as "fake budgets".
"We must learn some painful lessons from our past, and with wisdom from those lessons, ensure our budgets provide the targeted resources that can inspire our future security," he said, shifting to the serious business of charting PNG's fiscal recovery.
The 2026 Budget totals
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