Canberra’s tired old script has led to a less democratic Solomon Islands and a less secure Australia
China must be hoping that Australia persists in its “business as usual” approach to Solomon Islands. An appeasement policy by Australia towards the Solomons prime minister, Manasseh Sogavare, has been outstandingly
Australia drops mandatory COVID pre-departure test
International travellers entering Australia no longer need to provide evidence of a negative pre-departure COVID-19
Telstra acquires Digicel PNG license rights
PNG's ICT Authority has approved and transferred the license rights of Digicel Pacific to Australian communications giant
Australia asks PM Sogavare to avoid security deal
Australia Minister Zed Seselja met with Prime Minister Sogavare in Honiara, in light of the proposed China-Solomon Islands security
Rethinking Solomon Islands security
It has been an interesting couple of weeks for Solomon Islands, with stories of policing, weapons, replica weapons and a security agreement with China dominating the local and regional media. Let’s start with the
Australia is Preferred Candidate for Rugby World Cup 2029
World Rugby has announced Australia as preferred candidate to host the Rugby World Cup
Australia to provide $258k for Fiji General Election
Australia will contribute $258k to Fiji’s Electoral Commission to support an independent audit of the National Register of
New Pacific workers scheme to deal with “slave labour” conditions
Next month (April) a new scheme for Pacific Islanders to work in Australia’s agricultural industry comes into force, after parliamentary inquiries heard evidence that Pacific Islanders have been exploited and treated
Additional COVID funding postpones aid cuts
Faced with the prospect of another cut to aid while the COVID-19 pandemic continues – and in some ways intensifies in our region – the government has again reached for the “temporary and targeted” lever to avoid
Australia hands over Blackrock as China concerns re-emerge
The opening of the Blackrock Camp in Nadi this month signified the culmination of “close to a A$100 million investment” by the Australian government designed to support Fiji’s peacekeeping and humanitarian
Solomon Islands PM says China security deal ‘ready for signing’
Solomon Islands' PM says a contentious security agreement with Beijing was “ready for
Solomons: Putting a draft security deal with China in local context
A draft MOU between Honiara and Beijing on security related issues has sparked international headlines and worried response from
Australia’s vaccine diplomacy in Pacific islands wards off Beijing: Morrison
Australia has been able to stop an “incursion” by Beijing into the Pacific islands by talking with leaders there weekly and offering vaccine aid, Prime Minister Scott Morrison
Australia’s investment in gender equity
The newly appointed Australian Ambassador for women and girls, Christine Clarke, has marked her debut press conference with a strong message against gender-based
A month on from Tonga’s Tsunami
(TONGA HIGH COMMISSION) One month ago, on the 15th of January 2022, the Kingdom of Tonga suffered from the double catastrophe of the Hunga Tonga – Hunga Ha’apai volcanic eruption and tsunami on the same day.
COVID-19 may create a flood of criminal deportations to the Pacific
Closed borders have created a backlog of criminal deportations to Pacific Islands states, and more effective transition programs are needed to reduce the risk of recidivism among returnees, Henrietta McNeill and Magele
Australian Seasonal Worker scheme ‘rife with abuse’: Inquiry
Supermarket shelves are filled with fruit and vegetables but the people who harvest them are sometimes being paid just A$100 (US$71) for a 64-hour work week. On Wednesday, seasonal workers detailed exploitation at the
Pacific Islands in the wake of AUKUS
By Kaliopate Tavola Australia also needs to temper its geopolitics under Indo-Pacific/AUKUS to allow breathing space for PICs to determine their respective China, et al, policies. This would necessarily mean a
Opinion: Promoting kava exports, ignoring sustainability
On 1 December 2021, Australia launched a pilot program for the commercial importation of kava from the Pacific islands, joining a modest global boom in trade in this iconic Pacific product. As Pacific Trade Invest
Kavita Kalyan’s musical journey
By Rowena Singh “Fiji is a strong part of my existence,” says ghazal and Bollywood singer Kavita Kalyan. Kalyan is Australian born, but with strong family ties that take her back to Fiji, and her extended family in
Unlimited commercial kava export trial to Australia gets nod
Kava exporters from the Pacific Islands can now export an unlimited amount of kava to Australia for commercial purposes, under Phase 2 of Australia’s Kava Pilot program. Launching Phase 2 in Canberra yesterday in
Money for “our backyard” but not the Green Climate Fund
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has announced a new pledge of A$500 million for climate finance for Asian and Pacific countries at the COP26 global climate negotiations in Glasgow. Morrison said this amount
Refugee processing in PNG to end
Australia and Papua New Guinea have announced the closure of Canberra’s offshore refugee processing program by the end of this year, leaving responsibility for the remaining asylum seekers and refugees to Port
