PNG MP coy on security talks with China
Papua New Guinea’s Foreign Affairs Minister Justin Tkatchenko Tuesday avoided questions about a potential security and policing deal with China, and instead extolled security relationships between PNG and Australia.
David Pocock condemns Australia’s fossil fuel projects as an ‘existential threat’ to Pacific neighbours
The independent senator David Pocock says the Australian government is failing to listen to its “Pacific family” and must stop approving new fossil fuel projects that fuel “an existential threat for those
PNG Immigration under investigation
Papua New Guinea’s government has engaged prominent accounting firm KPMG to investigate the PNG Humanitarian Programme and its links to an alleged Chinese drug dealer. The investigation will also cover the PNG
Woman arrested over alleged PNG drug smuggling plot
A Chinese woman arrested over an alleged $15 million drug smuggling plot has been associated with businesses that have reportedly received payments from an Australian government-funded refugee programme in Papua New
Top Chinese diplomat says support of Pacific nations with policing should not alarm Australia
China’s ambassador to Australia, Xiao Qian, sought to reassure Wednesday that China’s increased involvement in the Pacific, particularly in policing efforts, should not be a cause of alarm for Australia. Xiao,
Forging Australian priorities for the region
US President Joe Biden designated former Ambassador Frankie Reed as the first-ever US Envoy to the Pacific Islands Forum in 2022. Beijing appointed Qian Bo in February 2023 as Special Envoy for Pacific Island Countries
Australian Defence Force mulls allowing Pacific islanders to serve amid recruitment drive
In a bid to bolster the ranks of the Australian Defence Force (ADF), various recruitment methods are under consideration, with a focus on potentially permitting residents from Pacific nations to join the force. Defence
Six refugees relocated
Six of the 64 refugees and asylum seekers housed in Papua New Guinea by Australia have been relocated from their current accommodation because of unpaid bills. The National reports that according to Pakistani refugee
Opinion: A PNG-Australia security framework: not a treaty but solid nonetheless
On 7 December 2023, the prime ministers of Australia and Papua New Guinea signed an historic security agreement in Canberra. It has taken approximately three years to conclude since both countries signed the
Australia, PNG announce security deal
Australia clinched a security deal with Papua New Guinea on Thursday, bolstering ties to a key Pacific neighbour that has been courted persistently by China. Canberra pushed for a more substantive treaty earlier this
French foreign minister says she is open to South Pacific resettlement requests due to rising seas
French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said on Monday she was open to any resettlement request from tiny South Pacific nations threatened by rising sea levels, similar to Australia’s agreement with Tuvalu. Colonna
Tuvalu official raises concerns and opportunities in Australia’s climate refuge offer
The Pacific Islands Forum Programme Adviser for Resilient Development Finance, has shared his thoughts on Australia’s offer to provide refuge to Tuvalu citizens in the face of climate change. In a PACNEWS interview,
Opinion: Tuvalu’s parliament debates the Falepili Union
Over the week of 20 November 2023, Tuvalu held its last parliamentary session under the Natano government, which was elected in 2019 and officially dissolved on 27 November. Elections for the new parliament will be held
Opinion: Australia-Tuvalu ‘Falepili’
The Australia-Tuvalu ‘Falepili’ strategy is bullish and most alarming. The initiative was never consulted with the people of Tuvalu, nor was it ever raised in Parliament. It is not a climate change response. It is
Lautoka foreshore redevelopment deal signed
Fiji Ports Corporation Ltd and the Australian Government have signed a deal to look at redevelopment options for the Lautoka foreshore. The A$380,000 (FJ$558,000) grant will pay for a high-level feasibility study to
Opinion: Australia should listen to PNG not the IMF
In late 2021, following the first phase of a review of the 2000 Central Banking Act (CBA) by an independent advisory group, the Papua New Guinea parliament unanimously amended the CBA. Among other things, the amendments
Opinion: New data to inform big decisions around Pacific labour mobility
There has been much discussion about how the rapidly expanding labour mobility programmes in Australia and New Zealand have affected lives in the Pacific. Many have pointed to the significant economic benefits to
Australia’s deal with Tuvalu is not about climate justice, say experts
Australia’s offer to Tuvalu of 280 permanent residency visas every year as part of a new treaty between the two countries, is being criticised as an Australian strategic security initiative in the guise of climate
Australia has “resettlement edge” over China
In a report on Australia’s security/climate deal with Tuvalu, Indian news agency, Business Standard says Australia has scored a “significant win for influence” in the Pacific Islands region with a “trump card”
PM Albanese says Pacific backs Australian climate policy with ‘very positive’ feedback
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese says he’s had “nothing but positive feedback” about his country’s climate change policies as the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) is expected to test his
SOL23: Wallis & Futuna’s Chef De Mission leads the way, Australia sends 100 police officers
The Chef De Mission (CDM) for Team Wallis & Futuna, Polelei Valetino, has arrived in Solomon Islands ahead of his team. Valetino was welcomed by GOC PGA Team at the Henderson international airport. During an
Supporting Pacific cacao farmers
“We are chocolate and cacao manufacturers, but we call ourselves community cultural development practitioners which is what we all studied, none study chocolate making. The more beans we move, the more money goes into
COP28: German envoy has urged Australia to support an EU push to phase out fossil fuels
Germany’s international envoy on climate has called on Australia to support a push by Germany and the European Union for a phase-out of fossil fuels at the next UN climate summit, saying the world does not “have the
PNG military leader to serve as deputy commander of Australian Army’s 3rd Brigade in Townsville
A military leader from Papua New Guinea will become the second-in-command of one of Australia’s combat brigades in a historic move designed to shore up military ties between the two nations. It is the first time a