- This editorial in The Age of 4 January argues the Australian government has sacrificed the promotion of good governance in Papua New Guinea and Nauru in order to sustain its asylum seeker policy, at a cost to local populations and Australia's international reputation.
- PNG Prime Minister Peter O'Neill has followed through on his promise to terminate the services of a number of foreign advisers seconded to government departments by the end of 2015. Fifteen Australian public servants attached to PNG government agencies ended their contracts on 31 December. According to the PNG Post Courier, Australian advisers were told they will need to leave their employment with the Australian government and work under PNG government employment contracts if they wished to continue.
- Over at Devpolicy, Tess Newton Cain foreshadows the year ahead for the Pacific Islands region. Elections are scheduled to be held in Vanuatu, Samoa and Nauru this year.
- Paul Flanagan considers what went wrong for the PNG economy in 2015 and looks at what lies ahead in 2016, warning that poor policies hinder the realisation of the country's great prospects.
- ABC PNG correspondent Eric Tlozek reports on a great new initiative: a free women-only bus in Port Moresby, funded by Australian aid and the UN, providing safe travel for women who are frequently victims of crime on the city's Public Motor Vehicles.
- The Republic of the Marshall Islands has a new President. Parliamentary newcomer Casten Nemra, 44, won a close vote this week, a month after general elections saw half the cabinet lose their seats.
- A second round of elections in Kiribati this week will decide the composition of the 44-member national parliament. The number of women contesting the elections has doubled since the last elections in 2011.
- French photographer Marc Dozier documents PNG tribesman Mundiya Kepanga's journey across the US. You can follow him on Twitter.
- Jo Chandler documents the contribution scientist Vojtech Novotny has made to Papua New Guinea's forest conservation efforts.
- Outgoing Kiribati President Anote Tong features in this short documentary about the environmental and human impacts of rising sea levels in Kiribati. EyeSteelFilm and filmmaker Matthieu Rytz have launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds to complete the film.
Pacific Island links: Women-only buses, Kiribati climate, PNG economy and more
Published 6 Jan 2016
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