Image: Endangered Pig Nosed Turtle, Credit: Rob Bulmahn Flickr, Creative Commons, some rights reserved  

1 July 2026 

Today, the Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights Inc. (CELCOR) and Jubilee Australia Research Centre are publicly raising concerns about a proposed Development Forum for the proposed Papua LNG project. A Development Forum is where landowners, provincial government and national government negotiate the allocation of any proceeds arising from a major extractive project.  

To date there has been no official notification of a Development Forum. However, there are unsubstantiated reports that some people have been told that there is a planned Development Forum for the week of 6 July. No measures have been announced to ensure a fair playing field for negotiations which pit rural landowners against their own governments.  

“If what we’ve hearing is true, this is deeply shocking. Landowners should be given months to prepare for a Development Forum. They should be provided with extensive information and have the funds to commission their own independent experts and advisors. We are calling on the government to reassure the public that it is not trying to rush through a Development Forum with anything less than three months official notice,” stated Peter Bosip, Executive Director of CELCOR.  

“For years now, we have observed a deep disrespect of landowners and affected peoples when it comes to the proposed Papua LNG project. The PNG public and affected people are denied access to critical documents and there is no record of community information provided to affected peoples. Communities have not been informed of the project’s risk and impacts, or of their rights in this process under international law and standards. This is incredibly alarming. It is a gross violation of basic international human rights and finance industry standards’, adds Shona Hawkes, Director of Environmental Justice at Jubilee Australia.   

Key information hidden from landowners and other affected people  

Between the PNG government and the foreign companies behind the project there is a mounting list of documents that are being kept secret from the public and landowners:  

• Environmental permits 

• The precise routes or locations of the project’s key infrastructure  

• Upstream decommissioning plans (clean-up of the site when the project ends) 

• Current Human Rights Impact Assessment  

• Climate Change Risk Assessment  

• Economic modelling (if any was done) of the costs or benefits to landowners  

There have been no funds provided to landowner groups to hire their own lawyers or their own economic and environmental experts.  

It also appears that the Development Forum will not allow in independent observers.  

Worst of all, neither the project nor the government have issued community information materials that clearly explain the project, its risks and impacts for landowners – or their rights under international human rights law and industry standards.  

Despite Papua LNG being in development for years there is no public record of what, if any, information communities have been provided.  

There can be no Free, Prior and Informed Consent if communities do not have access to understandable, accurate and independently verifiable information about the project or their rights.  

Known and profound risks and impacts 

To date, at least 15 NGO case studies or reports have highlighted a host of environmental, climate and human rights concerns about the project. A 60-page December 2025 complaint to potential financiers outlined in extensive detail how the project is failing to adhere to the Equator Principles and International Finance Corporation Performance Standards – and related human rights measures such as the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.  

In 2026, PNG was grey listed by the Financial Action Task Force, among concerns cited include PNG’s failure to uphold environmental laws and regulations in some sectors.  

Deep disrespect  

Throughout the process of the proposed Papua LNG project, organisations have described what they view to be a consistent, deep disrespect for landowners and their lands and waters.  

“If the project and Development Forum are not respecting landowners before the Papua LNG project even begins – we can only imagine that this will only get worse after the project begins,” adds Peter Bosip.    

Both organisations have been calling for climate justice and an end to proposed fossil gas projects in Papua New Guinea because of profound climate, biodiversity and human rights risks.  

They note it would be particularly alarming if the Development Forum was to proceed without:  

• A clear set of conditions from landowner groups on what they agree is required for a fair, independent and equitable Development Forum – and that these are met before a Development Forum is announced.  

• Three months’ official notice or whatever minimum landowners describe as necessary to participate fully and fairly.  

• Independent advice from international human rights experts that the proposed Development Forum format and context is consistent with measures necessary for Free, Prior and Informed Consent.  

• Full access to all relevant documents before a Development Forum is called.  

• Resources for landowners to commission their own independent legal, economic and environmental experts. 

• Full community information materials that clearly describe the project, its impacts and communities’ rights. These should be available before a Development Forum is even under consideration to being called.  

• Fully independent observers appointed for the forum – including people with relevant human rights and environmental expertise.

Approved for release