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Enhancing regional integration by promoting freer movement in the Pacific has emerged as a compelling strategy for fostering regional prosperity. Yet, the social and economic integration of the Pacific diaspora in Australia — a key destination for Pacific migrants — remains relatively underexplored beyond basic population statistics. In the first part of a new blog […]
The primary impetus for much of the contemporary focus on the relationship between Australia’s aid and its wider geopolitical goals has been the perceived increase in the use of various forms of development finance by China as a key part of Beijing’s own influence efforts, particularly those directed toward Australia’s Pacific Island Country neighbours. Indeed, […]
A perspective on the history and future of the Pacific Islands News Association from incoming President Kalafi Moala. The Pacific Islands Media Freedom (PIMF) Index 2023, published by the Pacific Freedom Forum (PFF), referred to challenges facing regional media. The report State of Media Freedom, what are the key challenges? says that respondents were asked […]
The book My Land, My Life: Dispossession at the Frontier of Desire by the Australian National University’s Associate Professor Siobhan McDonnell provides an important new addition to Vanuatu’s land history on the island of Efate, home to the capital Port Vila. With a focus on large-scale, speculative land sales, McDonnell traces the land leasing and […]
Inflation, low wage growth and little job creation have made life very tough in Papua New Guinea for the ordinary person. The PNG government has made some effort to respond to cost-of-living pressures. Depreciation of the kina, while painful for urban residents, helps rural producers earn more for their coffee exports and helps make their […]
A perspective on the history and future of the Pacific Islands News Association from incoming President Kalafi Moala. The common feeling among participants at the recent 7th Pacific Islands News Association (PINA) Summit was that Niue was the right place to host the conference for journalists, media practitioners and partners. The event is held every […]
The Pacific Islands Forum and its secretariat is a complex bureaucracy that will take any individual at least a year to understand. It is a political organisation that continually works to balance the interests of 18 member states to strengthen regional solidarity. It operates on a mix of rules and procedures and established forum practice […]
During the dry season in the city of Makassar in the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi, the state-owned power company PLN rations hydroelectric power due to low water levels. As a result, households, universities, businesses and government offices lack access to continuous electricity. Many students with disabilities, including Ilham, a blind student, have reported that […]
The nations of the world remain divided over which countries should provide financial support for climate action to developing countries. This is in addition to debate about how much support should be provided by countries that have the capacity to do so. The 2009 Copenhagen United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) meeting promised […]
Marking the 30th anniversary of the National Recognition of Australian South Sea Islanders, two exhibitions in Queensland celebrate the enduring presence of Pacific communities in Australia and the vital contributions of migrants to Australian society, while emphasising ongoing connections to the Pacific region. The Australian government first recognised Australian South Sea Islanders as a distinct […]