Parliament resumes today to discuss bills and reports

Tonga’s Legislative Assembly will resume today after a month-long recess. The session was adjourned on June 26 after approving the 2024/2025 budget estimates. The agenda includes government bills, committee reports and government department annual reports.

The total budget for the 2024-2025 fiscal year is $899.2 million. The budget includes free education for students in grades 2 to 7 in public schools to reduce dropout rates, a 5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for public employees, and a 10% increase in aid to church schools (except Liahona High School). The salary of senior citizens is increased by 10%, and the eligibility age is lowered from 70 to 67.

The current budget, financed by the Government (452.3 million paga) and donor partners (446.9 million paga), marks Balance the budgetan improvement over the previous deficit.