Community building as state building in a Port Moresby suburb
Where do you start to build a state? We often imagine top-down processes of constitution writing and elaborate institutional frameworks of national governance. But what if we move beyond narrow institutionalist
Preferred supplier system – one of Solomon Islands government’s wallet-holes
Solomon Islands Government’s preferred supplier system is one which is wrapped in controversy despite its purported creation with good intentions. Not for its initial purpose of bringing about efficient service for
The Next Breakthrough in Shipping isn’t on the horizon. It’s here.
Few think of the ocean as an epicenter for human ingenuity, but our history and future can be charted by our life on the seas, President David Kabua writes. From the extraordinary voyages of my ancestors and other early
A matter of conscience? Jerry Singirok, Sandline and Bougainville
In May 1989, PNG’s Bougainville copper mine was permanently shut down after disgruntled landowners supported by the Bougainville Revolutionary Army began sabotaging critical mine infrastructure. A secessionist war
Resisting obsolescence
Palau’s traditional chiefs revamping their roles to catch up with modern times Palau’s traditional chiefs, called “Klobak,” have been a cornerstone of Palauan society for centuries, serving as protectors and
PNG’s trade ties with China are set to strengthen
Richard Maru, PNG’s trade minister, was startlingly direct at the Australia–Papua New Guinea Business Forum and Trade Expo held in Port Moresby last month. “Enough is enough,” he said, complaining that two-way
Turning the Tide on Plastics
Pristine, picturesque, paradise. Common words which are often used to describe our Pacific Island Countries. It is not unusual to hear that a visit to the Pacific region sits on the bucket lists of many people. With
Collision course: Australia’s flatlining aid and its climate finance commitments
Recent data shows that official development assistance (ODA, “aid”) is increasingly being spent as a form of climate finance. The OECD reported that climate finance increased from 21.7 percent of bilateral ODA in
Malaria: fight half done
When the Global Fund was created 20 years ago, HIV, TB and malaria seemed unbeatable. But we have proven that with science, adequate resources and effective global collaboration, we can force even the deadliest diseases
AIFFP, ADB, PNG Ports and corruption
The recent two-part ABC Background Briefing series “Dead Man’s Secrets” makes for compelling listening. It is the story of two men, Fego Kiniafa, former PNG Ports CEO, and Don Matheson, Australian businessman and
The Pacific call for an equitable transition for world shipping appears to be building. But is all as it seems?
It’s been a fantastic week for international support for the Pacific’s high ambition position at the International Maritime Organisation – after many years of this small alliance of Pacific states, nicknamed the
Opinion: Keeping small islands financially afloat
The international community has recognised the special circumstances facing small island developing states, but has done little more to help. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the global financial system, where SIDS
Why Climate should be the beating heart of the U.S. strategy in the Pacific
U.S President Joe Biden has postponed his visit to Australia, where he was to join the 2023 Quad Leaders’ Summit, which brings together leaders from Australia, the United States, India, and Japan for talks on building
New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme: 38,000 workers by 2028?
In an election year, pressure is on for political parties to make policy announcements that capture the public imagination and ultimately garner votes, Charlotte Bedford writes. Inevitably, some surprising promises are
Opinion: It’s time to move on from “fisheries management”
The last year has seen some promising changes in the global framework for environmental governance. COP27 and COP15, while they didn’t go as far as necessary to hold back the escalation of global temperatures, have
Comparing media law in Fiji and PNG
This piece is the third in a series that addresses media freedom in Papua New Guinea. In this part, the authors compare a media law that was in place in Fiji for years with a proposed media policy in PNG this year.
Grants to drive change
Less than one per cent of direct funding reaches women rights organisations in the Pacific and this is just one of the reasons why a stand-alone Pacific Feminist Fund has been established to address the chronic
Fukushima seafood businesses adapt as treated water release looms
With the release of treated water from the crippled nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture looming, embattled seafood businesses in the region fear fresh reputational damage to their products, Takaki Tominaga writes. By
How Tonga strikes a balance between king and democracy
The Pacific’s last remaining monarchy has taken a unique approach to balancing executive powers between the king and the parliament, Mele Tupou Vaitohi reveals. Tonga knows how to do coronations. When the current
Deep-seabed mining is creating a noisy problem for Australia — and it’s only getting louder
Given the exponential threats it poses to the marine environment, deep seabed mining is destined to become a contentious global environmental issue. The risks are significant enough to make a mockery of any
Australia would be smart to recruit soldiers in the Pacific, former Fijian British Army officer explains
Fiji has a track record of service to the British crown. Travel to Hereford, where the Special Air Service is based, and you will find a statue of Sergeant Talaiasi Labalaba, who was one of the 212 Fijians who joined
Vanuatu ransomware attack a lesson for others
On 06 November 2022, a new government started its first official day in office on the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu – just as a debilitating ransomware attack shut it out of all state-run computer systems. Unable
ANZ’s stubborn optimism on the PNG economy
In 2013, the ANZ Bank produced a big report on PNG’s economic future in which it expounded on its “considerable optimism about the country’s future”. The report outlined three scenarios for the resources sector: