Parliament has passed a bill to amend the Public Service Commission (PSC) Act, aimed at improving government service delivery across all provinces and remote areas of Vanuatu.

Prime Minister Hon. Jotham Napat, who presented the bill, said it supports government reforms to decentralize services and empower local leadership.

“Government is starting to introduce reforms in areas such as decentralization. This amendment empowers and delegates the power of the Public Service to the Secretary Generals in the provinces. The majority of our population live in rural areas where the demand for services is high, and government is looking for ways to speed up processes to deliver services to these communities,” he said.

The amendment gives the PSC authority to appoint Provincial Secretary Generals, while Directors General, Directors, and Secretary Generals will now have the power to discipline their staff directly — without waiting for the PSC to act.

“We all know that the positions of the SGs represent not only the Public Service but also their provinces. This amendment elevates their status to the level of Directors or DGs to better represent government in the provinces,” Prime Minister Napat added.

The amendment also places Directors General and Directors on fixed four-year contracts, with the PSC having the power to reappoint them for an additional term.