Office of Censorship

13/04/2026

The Office of Censorship is reinforcing its commitment to professional development and public service excellence through sustained investment in staff capacity building, a strategy that continues to yield tangible results across the organization. This commitment was recently highlighted as Research Officer Ms. Margaret Talingapua, successfully completed 20 weeks of study and graduating with a Diploma of Government Public Administration (DoGPA) at the Somare Institute of Leadership and Governance (SILAG) on 10 April 2026. The achievement reflects a broader institutional effort to equip officers with modern leadership, governance, and technical skills required in today’s evolving world. As a Research Officer, Ms. Talingapua pursued the course to upskill and strengthen her performance within the public service. The program equips public servants with practical knowledge and leadership tools designed to enhance workplace efficiency and service delivery. Her studies were fully funded by the Office of Censorship as part of its commitment to building professional capacity and investing in the growth of its staff. The Office believe in empowering officers through education to better serve the people of Papua New Guinea. Ms. Talingapua’s dedication and achievement reflect the values we uphold, and we look forward to her continued contribution to the organization. This milestone is a proud moment for us all. The Office’s approach to capacity building is not incidental but guided by long – term strategic planning. Under its Corporate Strategic Plan 2022 - 2026, strengthening organizational capacity and developing staff competencies remains a key priority.

13/04/2026

Office of Censorship Empowers Staff Through PR Training
Clear communication and strong branding took center stage as three (3) staff from the Office of Censorship gathered for a two – day Public Relations (PR) training aimed at transforming how the agency connects with the people. The training, facilitated by Aiyala Accountants and Consultancy Services and led by Ms. Donah Miskaram was held from March 26 – 27 and brought together Mr. Brandon Okamun from Corporate Services, Ms. Eunice Kavon from Enforcement & Compliance and Mrs. Joyce Konop from Strategic Policy & Coordination Divisions. This training has been identified for them as per the Training Needs Analysis conducted by Human Resources and is scheduled on the Office Training Plan 2024 – 2027.Participants explored how effective messaging can build trust, even in challenging environments where public confidence may be limited. The workshop emphasized the importance of consistent branding, clear language, and aligning communication with the organization’s core values. A key focus of the training was strengthening the Office’s identity, ensuring that every message reflects its mission, vision, and commitment to ethical service. Through practical exercises and real – life case studies, staff learned how to communicate more effectively during crises, collaborate across departments, and maintain professionalism in all forms of communication. Importantly, the training highlighted that communication is not just for PR teams. Technical staff, including IT professionals, were encouraged to translate complex information into simple, meaningful messages for everyday users.

11/03/2026

The new Board Members of the Censorship Board of Papua New Guinea were sworn in today.
The Censorship Board of Papua New Guinea is established under Section 4 of the Classification of Publication (Censorship) Act of 1989. It’s membership functions, policies, terms and conditions of the office are found in the same Act. Specifically, the Censorship Board falls under Part II – Administration. Division 1 of this part of the Act details the specific wordings and make up of the Censorship Board. The Board, as established, is a policy making body, whose decisions and directions are executed by the Censorship Office. Acting on advice, the Minister for Religion, Youth & Community Development appoints citizens to the board for a term of three years, included in the appointment is the Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson. The main functions of the Censorship Board are; to formulate polices of censorship & set standards.
The Office of Censorship has been without a Censorship Board since the term of the last Censorship Board of Papua New Guinea expired in 2022. The Office of Censorship through the Office of Chief Censor, Jim Abani and the executive team have worked tirelessly to meet all statutory requirements over the past two years to have a Board in place.
The Board Members sworn in are; Ms. Karen Haive as Chairperson, Mrs. Josephine Pitmur as Deputy Chairperson, representing the Department of Justice and Attorney General, Chief Censor, Mr. Jim Abani as ex officio member, Mr. Neville Choi as member representing the Media, Mrs. Loi Vele representing Women, Ms. Claribel Waide, representing the National Department of Education, Mr. Joe Itaki, representing National Youth Development Authority, and Reverend Jacob Harry representing the PNG Council of Churches. The others representing the National Department of Health, Dr. Monica Hagali, National Cultural Commission, Mr. Steven Kilanda and Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary, Chief Inspector, Boas Binuali had sent in their apologies that they couldn't attend today's Swearing In Ceremony.
Legal Officer Kennedy Oibotee from the Department of Justice and Attorney General, officiated the ceremony, witnessed by the Management Team and the Media.

10/03/2026

Good afternoon Media Colleagues, please see Media Invite from the Office of Censorship. There, ll be a Swearing In Ceremony for the Censorship Board Members at Lamana Hotel from 9am - 1.30pm. Please confirm your attendance. Thank you.

24/02/2026

12/01/2026

Office of Censorship staff and management were amongst other Public Servants who attended the Public Service Dedication Service today at the Sir. John Guise Stadium in Port Moresby. The theme of the PSDS is "Reset - Recommit - Dedicate: for a New Beginning in PNG Public Service". Everyone witnessed the dedication and launching of the 2026 Annual Operational Plans (AOPs) for Government Departments and Agencies by Prime Minister, Hon. James Marape alongside Minister for Public Service, Hon. Joe Sungi and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Religion, Hon. Jason Peter.

05/01/2026

CHIEF CENSOR ON RESETTING THE OFFICE
The Chief Censor, Mr. Jim Abani strongly encouraged the staff of the Office of Censorship to reflect while on break during the Christmas to New Year’s festive season.
He said in late October, 2025, Prime Minister, James Marape unveiled the Reset PNG@50 blueprint in Port Moresby as part of the country’s Golden Jubilee activities making 50 years of independence.
“While you are in the Office of Censorship, you have to reset too. Let’s reset the Office. During this Christmas period, go back and try to assess yourself on what you have done in terms of your contributions to this Office and the country as a whole,” said the Chief Censor.
Mr. Abani emphasized the need for his staff to sit down and reflect on what each has done for the country and upon resuming office in January 2026, it will all be about resetting.
He also added that the Prime Minister has already given directions to every citizen, especially those who are working to try as much as possible to commit themselves to their job to ensure services are delivered to the people of Papua New Guinea.
In January 2026, the office will have its Board coming in – the National Censorship Board. The Board will come with its own policy directives and decisions for the Office to implement, he said.
The Chief Censor said this will be done by the Top Management. Their priority is to ensure that the Board members are sworn into Office as members of the National Censorship Board of Papua New Guinea.
“The Board is the policy making body, and the Office is the administrative arm that implements policy directions and decisions. For the past two or three years when the board was absent, we were implementing the government decisions too,” said Mr. Abani.
Mr. Abani communicated that recently there is another decision which he had circulated to a few of the senior managers indicating the establishment of the E-Safety Directorate.
He said his challenge to all the staff is that once the E- Safety Directorate is established, all officers of the Office of censorship must think critically.
“We must strategize ourselves on how to implement that decision too.”
Mr. Abani said there were many things that the office has done so far of which some great things too were achieved by the office.
He said comes January, 2026, his expectation will be a bit much higher – higher than the bar the office has reached in 2025.

23/12/2025

Office of Censorship undertook Study Tour in Wellington, New Zealand

The Office of Censorship is looking abroad to enhance its operations to meet international best practice standards as part of its ongoing modernization program.
As part of its ongoing program, Chief Censor Jim Abani recently led a team from the Office of Censorship on a study tour to Wellington, New Zealand from the 10th - 18th of December, 2025.
The team held discussions with the New Zealand Classification Office and the Advertising standards Authority (ASA).
The New Zealand Classification Office, formally called the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC), is the government agency responsible for classifying films, videos, publications, and other content in New Zealand.
“The purpose of the study tour is to examine international best practices in content classification, censorship, and advertising regulation, with particular focus on regulatory frameworks, operational procedures, and responses to emerging digital media challenges and New Zealand Classification Office was selected amongst other organizations because its classification roles and functions are similar to that of Office of Censorship, Mr. Abani said.
The Chief Censor says the study tour was the first of its kind and under his leadership, he will ensure that, the recommendations from this study tour are implemented accordingly to boost the functions of the Office.
Mr. Abani said his delegation was engaged with the New Zealand Classification Office on the 11th of December where the Chief Censor for the New Zealand Classification Office Ms. Caroline Flora play host to the team and took them on a tour around the Classification Office and then gave them a presentation overview of what the Classification Office and its mandate is.
In her presentation, Ms. Forbes stated that the key roles and functions of the Classification Office are;
• Classifies content such as movies, TV series, DVDs, games, books, magazines, and online material.
• Determines age ratings and content restrictions to protect children and the public.
• Assesses objectionable material, including violent, s*xual, or harmful content.
• Issues classification labels (e.g. G, PG, M, R13, R16, R18)
• Provides guidance and education on media literacy and content regulation
• Advises government on classification policy and emerging digital content issues.

The Office operates under the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993. Ms. Forbes said the Classification Office helps protect young people from harmful content, support informed viewing and reading choices and balance freedom of expression with public safety and community standards.
The other organization that was selected was the Advertising Standards Authority and since the Office of Censorship has been drafting guidelines and standards for industry players, it was important to meet and discuss with this very important organization to learn from them. The Censorship team met with Hilary Souter, the Chief Executive of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) on the 12th of December. Hilary is an expert in advertising regulation. She leads the ASA’s work to set ad standards, provide training and education to industry, and support the independent Complaints and Appeal Boards.
Hilary is an advocate for the value of self-regulation as a part of the regulatory framework. She works closely with industry, consumer groups and government to ensure the ASA is best placed to effectively regulate advertising to New Zealanders.
From the study tour, some of the key take away are;
1. Advanced and well – established classification system
New Zealand has a mature and clearly structured system for classifying films, publications, and other media, which PNG Office of Censorship wanted to study and adapt.
2. Similar legal and administrative background
Both countries share a Commonwealth legal tradition, making New Zealand’s classification laws, procedures, and standards more relevant and transferable to PNG.
3. Clear, Accessible Advertising Codes
Uses clear, principle-based codes (e.g. decency, truthfulness, protection of children) where PNG can learn from and adapt.
4. Strong Protection of Children and Vulnerable Group
Strict rules on; s*xualized imagery, violence, alcohol and gambling advertising, targeting children.
5. Evidence Based Decision Making
Decisions are based on: community standards, social harm assessment, context (time, audience, platform)
6. Adaptation to Digital and Social Media
Regulates digital ads, influencers, and online promotions
Applies the same standards across platforms.

The Censorship delegation were also privileged to pay a courtesy visit to the PNG High Commission in New Zealand during the study tour.

05/12/2025

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Everyday we consume news, films, social media and many more. As the internet is evolving, it has become a challenge to monitor online contents. This survey questionnaire is designed to target every individual who goes online to access or disseminate information. The purpose of it is to gather feedba...

05/12/2025

Signing of MOU between Office of Censorship and Deal Corp Finance Limited
A Memorandum of Agreement was signed between the Office of Censorship and Deal Corp Finance Limited on Thursday, 4th of December, 2025, to ensure staff of the Office of Censorship have some form of benefits upon taking a loan, as well as repaying.
This arrangement emerged as a result of talks between the Corporate Service Division – Human Resource Management of the Office of Censorship, and the Deal Corp Finance Limited team where opportunity of dialogue and liaison was given to the HR team of Censorship to agree on an interest rate for the different tiers within the organization.
Mrs. Lovelyn Douglas, the Enforcement and Compliance Executive Manager officiated the signing ceremony on behalf of the Management where she emphasized on the importance of this small yet significant event stating that most public servants look for loans either for school fees or for other expenses.
“It is good that the Deal Corp Finance Limited are here so when staff of Censorship need loans, they can come to you for assistance. Most of them are young so they will apply for loans for their children’s school fees,” said Mrs. Douglas.
She also added that this is the first where one financial company is seeking a partnership with the Office of Censorship.
Chief Executive Officer of Deal Corp Finance Limited, Mr. Ellison Pidik said having such agreement is something they want to do – where they bring service to the employees.
He said they want to do something differently from all other institutions, and that includes commercial banks. Mr. Pidik has been with the Central Bank of Papua New Guinea for twenty-nine years and after that he resigned.
The CEO of Deal Corp Finance Limited said the reason of being in an institution like Deal Corp is to try to look at a person as a person with needs and with a lot of dreams that can aspire to be a strong employee of PNG.
“What I have seen in my work at the Central Bank, the information that comes to us, a lot of customers, they are in bad shape,” he said.
Mr. Pidik said his team and himself are discussing ways of how best to deliver their services and opportunities to their customers and the employees of Censorship are of their best interest.
Ms. Joan Nion, Manager Human Resource, in her closing remarks expressed gratitude towards the management of Censorship for allowing this agreement to push through and also thanked the senior members of the management who had attended the signing ceremony, including representatives from different divisions.
She elaborated on the opportunity at hand stating that this is one of a kind – one that Office of Censorship cannot miss.
“The interest rates were something we had to discuss and agree upon for your benefit. They offer not only loans but refinancing importantly and apart from that, training and financial literacy,” said Ms. Nion.
Deal Corp Finance Limited is a PNG based company recently incorporated by Investment Promotion Authority as a finance lending company.

28/11/2025

Public Notice from the Office of the Chief Censor

26/11/2025

CLASSIFICATION OF PUBLICATION (CENSORSHIP) ACT 1989 UNDER REVIEW
The Classification of Publication (Censorship) Act of 1989 has been reviewed to ensure that it aligns with modern media platforms.
With the rapid increase in internet users and online content creation, the existing legislation developed in 1989 is now outdated.
Speaking at the 2025 Digital Transformation Summit today, Compliance Officer, Mr. Steven Lapun explained that the Act was created in 1989 before the rise and advancement of the internet.
“Given that the NEC instructed the Office of Censorship through NEC Decision 265/2023 to look into indecent content, our law is no longer adequate,” Mr. Lapun said.
The review focuses on several key areas, including:
1. Providing the Office with authority to directly communicate with owners of media platforms, including social media services, websites, and mobile apps.
2. Introducing penalties and fines related to online content and the actions of content creators.
3. Developing five new content standards, covering:
o Sexual Content and Public Nudity - Addresses explicit or suggestive material that could be deemed immoral or indecent.
o Violent and Graphic Content - Covers depictions of violence, cruelty, or graphic phenomena that may offend reasonable adults or harm vulnerable users.
o Sensitive Government Information - Regulates content involving sedition, discrimination, or information that could undermine national security or public order.
o Blasphemy against the Christian God - Protects against content that is irrelevant or offensive to Christian beliefs, reflecting PNG,s constitutional emphasis on Christian principles.
o State of Emergency - Civil Unrest - Targets content that promotes, incites, or encourages unrest, terrorism, or activities disruptive during emergencies.
“As long as your content goes against these five standards, it will be taken down,” Mr. Lapun stated.
He added that once the review of the Classification of Publication (Censorship) Act 1989 is completed and approved, the standards will be made public, followed by extensive awareness before enforcement begins.
Mr. Lapun also emphasized that the review has also captured some areas relating to content offenses that was not captured by Cybercrime Code Act 2016.