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
Refugee processing in PNG to end
By Nic Maclellan 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
Kava: brewing up a storm
There’s a storm brewing over the Pacific as a Queensland town mayor suggests kava could be grown in
Tides that bind: Australia and Pacific leadership
Richard Marles has a passion for the Pacific. In his new book ‘Tides that bind: Australia in the Pacific’, the deputy leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) argues that Australia should play a greater leadership
Now is the time for an independent Pacific think tank
By Dr Anthony Bergin and Dr Transform Aqorau Good foreign policy, diplomacy and sound national security in the Pacific Islands doesn’t just require solid ideas and good plans. It needs robust evidence of what works
No progress on Fiji bubble until COVID is controlled: Australia
Australia’s Minister for International Development and the Pacific says Australia will want to see COVID cases under control in Fiji before any commitment can be made on a travel bubble. When Fiji’s Minister for
Fiji COVID cases hit 1200 in a day
As Fiji’s daily COVID-19 cases hit 1,200 in a 24 hour period, Fiji’s top health official is looking to bring in more retired health workers, recent graduates and civil servants to help boost medical and health
Australia to arm PNG patrol boats
The Australian Department of Defence has announced it will arm the Papua New Guinea Defence Force’s four new Guardian-class Patrol Boats. The equipment will be delivered through the Pacific Maritime Security Programme
How an ASEAN ag visa would undermine Pacific seasonal worker programs
The Australian Federal Agriculture Minister, David Littleproud, announced yesterday morning on the ABC that the National Party had demanded and gained acceptance of a proposed “seasonal agricultural workforce visa”
Aust gives another F$42.5 million to Fiji for budget support
Australia has supplied Fiji with direct budget support, vaccines, rations for front liners, funds for NGO emergency food distribution, medical supplies including thermal guns and other forms of support in responding to
Luve ni yali: Lost son of a seasonal worker
By Satish Chand Luve ni yali, a newborn, was issued a fresh certificate of identity by a Pacific diplomatic mission in Canberra so that he could be repatriated home with his mother, a temporary migrant worker who
Luve ni yali: Lost son of a seasonal worker
Luve ni yali, a newborn, was issued a fresh certificate of identity by a Pacific diplomatic mission in Canberra so that he could be repatriated home with his mother, a temporary migrant worker who fell pregnant while in
Opinion: Forum’s moral failure for Melanesians
By Professor Wadan Narsey During the recent crisis over the appointment of Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's new Secretary General (former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna), much public debate occurred
Australia officially launches bid to stage 2027 Rugby World Cup
Australia is attempting to become the sole host of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Training Coalition faces a reckoning
By Samantha Magick A multimillion-dollar program aimed at supporting “a more prosperous Pacific driven by a skilled, competitive and productive workforce” is undergoing controversial changes which could have
Training Coalition faces a reckoning
A multimillion-dollar program aimed at supporting “a more prosperous Pacific driven by a skilled, competitive and productive workforce” is undergoing controversial changes which could have significant impacts on the
Opinion: Forum’s moral failure for Melanesians
During the recent crisis over the appointment of Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat's new Secretary General (former Cook Islands Prime Minister Henry Puna), much public debate occurred over the supposed "gentlemen's
