Biography
Hon. Peter Charles Paire O'Neill, CMG MP, is the Parliamentary Leader of the People's National Congress Party and the sitting Member for Ialibu-Pangia Open. He served as the seventh Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea from August 2011 to May 2019 — one of the longest-serving Prime Ministers in the nation's history. Born on 13 February 1965 in Pangia, Southern Highlands Province, he rose from humble beginnings in rural PNG to become a chartered accountant, businessman, and statesman who shaped a generation of national policy.
Education & Qualifications
- Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting), University of Papua New Guinea
- Member, Certified Practising Accountants Papua New Guinea (CPA PNG)
- Executive leadership programs, Harvard Kennedy School and INSEAD
Experience
- Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea (2011–2019)
- Member of Parliament for Ialibu-Pangia (2002–present)
- Minister for Finance and Treasury (2002–2004)
- Minister for Public Service
- Leader of the Opposition (2007–2010)
- Chairman, APEC PNG 2018 — hosted the APEC Leaders' Summit in Port Moresby
- Founder and Parliamentary Leader, People's National Congress Party (since 2006)
- Former Managing Director, PNG Teachers Savings & Loan Society
Skills
- Public finance and national budgeting
- Macro-economic policy and infrastructure delivery
- International diplomacy and trade negotiation
- Coalition building and parliamentary leadership
- Chartered accounting and corporate governance
Policy Platforms
- Tuition Fee Free education from elementary through Grade 12
- Free primary healthcare and rebuilding of provincial hospitals
- Connect PNG — sealed national highways linking all four regions
- Reliable electricity, water and telecommunications to every district
- Law and order reform — better-resourced police and courts
- Resource-sector reform that delivers landowner benefits and SME growth
- Empowering women and youth through guaranteed parliamentary representation