Which body should receive a consumer protection complaint about goods or services in Papua New Guinea?

The ICCC is the main cross-sector body for complaints about goods, services, misleading practices, prices and product safety. Sector complaints may instead require the responsible body first, such as BPNG for financial services or NICTA for telecommunications.

What evidence can a consumer submit with an ICCC complaint in Papua New Guinea?

The ICCC online form accepts complaints, queries, suggestions, submissions and reports, with up to two supporting files. Keep receipts, contracts, messages, photographs, account records and other documents that show the transaction and the disputed conduct.

How can a financial-services consumer escalate an unresolved complaint in Papua New Guinea?

The consumer should complain to the bank or financial provider first. For example, BSP should acknowledge a complaint within 24 business hours and aim to resolve it within 30 days; an unresolved matter can then be escalated to the BPNG Customer Complaint Help Desk.

How can a telecommunications consumer obtain redress in Papua New Guinea?

The consumer should first complain to the telecommunications provider about billing, poor quality, misleading advertising, unauthorised services, privacy or scams. If the provider does not resolve the matter, the consumer can contact NICTA free and confidentially through its online form, complaints@nicta.gov.pg or a NICTA office.

Is a refund guaranteed after consumer fraud or a defective purchase in Papua New Guinea?

The available sources do not establish a general guaranteed refund or restitution right. The consumer should contact the bank or supplier immediately, preserve evidence and report the matter to the ICCC, NICTA or police according to the conduct involved.

Consumer protection in Papua New Guinea

Consumer protection in Papua New Guinea covers safety, information, choice, education, representation and redress when private consumers deal with suppliers of goods and services. The Independent Consumer & Competition Commission (ICCC) is the central cross-sector body, while financial, telecommunications, aviation, health and energy matters also involve sector regulators. The legal framework is fragmented, so the appropriate complaint pathway depends on the product, service and supplier.

Tip

Treat consumer protection in Papua New Guinea as an issue-specific process rather than a single guaranteed remedy. Identify the responsible body early, preserve evidence and use the supplier-first process where it applies, because a complaint does not automatically produce a refund or compensation.

byRose&Samuel

The ICCC operates under the ICCC Act 2002 and handles consumer information, complaints, investigations, referrals and available claims or redress processes. The Act recognises consumer rights to safety, choice, consumer education, information, representation and redress, but it does not guarantee that the State will accept liability or secure enforcement in every individual dispute. The Consumer Affairs Council Act 1993 was repealed by the ICCC Act 2002. A proposed Competition and Consumer Protection Bill discussed in 2026 is not current law. For goods and contracts, relevant rules can arise under the Commercial Advertisement (Protection of the Public) Act 1976, Packaging Act 1974, Packaging Regulation 1975, Trade Measurement Act 1973, Weights and Measures Regulation 1974, Goods Act 1951, Motor Car Dealers Act 1976 and Food Sanitation Act 1991. Core sources do not establish a general statutory cooling-off or warranty regime, so an individual dispute may also require contract or civil-law analysis. The ICCC can receive complaints about goods and services, while product-safety notices, recalls and information standards address unsafe or misleading supply. An interim ban on unsafe goods can last up to 18 months; a permanent ban follows the prescribed process. Supplying a banned product can lead to a fine of up to K100,000, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. Measuring equipment used to charge customers must be certified. Voluntary Brand Approval is processed by the ICCC and usually takes about two weeks. The ICCC regulates declared goods and services. It publishes monthly maximum retail or indicative prices for petrol, diesel and kerosene, maximum average prices for Water PNG, and maximum fares for PMV and taxi services. Regulatory contracts can combine tariffs with minimum service standards. PNG Power and the National Energy Authority handle sector-specific energy matters; no general energy consumer ombudsperson is established in the available sources. Complaints can therefore involve the ICCC or the responsible sector body, depending on the issue. Financial consumers should use only registered or licensed banks, licensed financial institutions, savings and loan societies, payment service providers, life insurers and other supervised providers. The Bank of Papua New Guinea (BPNG) supervises these sectors and protects depositors, payment users and policyholders within its mandate. A general financial consumer-protection framework and bill remain development or draft work rather than established law. For example, BSP should acknowledge a complaint within 24 business hours with a reference and aim to resolve it within 30 days; an agent complaint should normally be handled within seven days. Unresolved matters can be escalated to the BPNG Customer Complaint Help Desk. BPNG advises the public to avoid unlicensed investment and cryptocurrency offers, verify licences and report suspected fraud to the provider, BPNG or police. Telecommunications complaints follow a provider-first process under NICTA rules. The National Information and Communications Technology Authority (NICTA) applies the Consumer Protection Rule 2014, Quality of Service Rule 2022 and NICTA Act 2009. Providers should give clear current price and service information, a free Critical Information Summary of no more than two pages, usage or balance notices after calls, messages or data use, and six months of itemised history. Unrequested plan or value-added-service enrolment is restricted, and consumers have protections concerning service quality, privacy, data protection and informed choice. Consumers should protect bills, SIM registration details, accounts and PINs. If the provider does not resolve billing, poor quality, misleading advertising, unauthorised services, privacy or scam complaints, a complaint can be submitted free and confidentially to NICTA online, by email at complaints@nicta.gov.pg or at a NICTA office. Confirmation usually takes one to two working days. Serious cybercrime should also be reported to the Royal Papua New Guinea Constabulary. Travel protection is less unified. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority of Papua New Guinea (CASA PNG) handles aviation safety and security, while the Accident Investigation Commission investigates accidents and incidents; neither is a general individual-compensation body. Official core sources do not establish a general passenger-rights or travel-compensation office. A traveller should first complain to the airline or travel supplier, then contact the ICCC when the issue concerns market conduct, supply or pricing. In its 2026 aviation inquiry, the ICCC recommended independent economic regulation for the National Airports Corporation and NiuSky, but that recommendation does not itself create a passenger compensation right. For medicines, the National Department of Health Pharmaceutical Services Standards Branch and the Pharmacy Board of Papua New Guinea handle registration, licensing, inspections, laboratory testing and pharmacovigilance under the Medicines and Cosmetics Act 1999. Consumers should use registered pharmaceutical suppliers and avoid expired medicines. Circular 26/2025 provides for a fine of up to K5,000, imprisonment for up to 12 months, or both, for the stated breach. A general health-service ombudsperson is not established in the available sources. The ICCC accepts complaints, queries, suggestions, submissions and reports through its online form, with up to two supporting files. Case review is stated to take about two weeks. Regional ICCC offices are located in Port Moresby, Kokopo, Lae and Mt Hagen, and ICCC agents in provinces operate through memoranda of understanding covering complaints, prices or fares, product-safety inspections and regulated-service monitoring. The Consumer Protection and Competition Council (CPCCC) is an informal forum meeting twice a year, not a general ombudsman. Fraud complaints should be directed to the bank or provider immediately when money or an account is involved. Misleading practices and unsafe products can be reported to the ICCC, telecommunications scams or data abuse to NICTA, and cybercrime to the RPNGC Cybercrime Unit, the NCD Cybercrime Unit at 7 Mile or the nearest police station. The PNG National Cyber Security Centre can receive cyber-incident reports. Preserve messages, receipts, account records, screenshots, contracts and transaction details. The available sources do not establish a guaranteed refund or restitution right, so the result depends on the facts, the responsible body, the contract and the applicable sector rules.