Pacific Islands

On 15 July, Viran Molisa Trief was sworn in as a Judge of the Supreme Court of Vanuatu, becoming the first ethnic Ni-Vanuatu woman appointed to high judicial office. She follows in the footsteps of Justice Mary Sey, from the Gambia, who served as Vanuatu’s first female judge from 2012 to 2017.

The Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) starts this week, welcoming back Fiji’s Frank Bainimarama, who had boycotted the Forum for the past 12 years. Many topics are expected to be covered, from West Papua to a rising China. However, it is climate change that is should be at the centre of discussions and

The so-called Quad group of Indo-Pacific maritime democracies – Australia, India, Japan, and the United States – is a valuable grouping, although it is still underutilised in many ways. One of the most effective ways that these countries could work together to enhance maritime security in the

If only a minister of the Morrison government would be as forthright in identifying climate change as a massive destabilising force in Australia’s region as the Chief of the Defence Force Angus Campbell has been. In a private speech in Bowral in June, General Campbell is reported to have sounded

Separation anxiety A new call to split trade negotiation from diplomacy in Australia has once again underlined how the rise of China has unsettled traditional frameworks for making policy about economic and security interests. The divide between neo-liberal economic policy approaches

PNG Prime Minister James Marape has concluded a week-long “Guest of Government” visit to Australia, including a stop at the Lowy Institute for a public address. Marape’s trip generated plenty of media interest on issues ranging from corruption, natural resource deals, relations with Australia

One evening every June for more than 20 years, a “Pacific Night” reception has featured as a mainstay of the diplomatic circuit in Washington DC. It is organised largely through the New Zealand embassy, and also sponsored by the Australian embassy and other Pacific island countries. This year,

In the first parliamentary sitting week following Australia’s recent election, a bill to amend the Migration Act was introduced and tabled in the House of Representatives. This follows the introduction of similar legislation in late 2018, which expired at the end of the previous parliament. With

Last week, China’s Defence Minister Wei Fenghe said his country was willing to deepen military ties with the Pacific. Later that week, Hugh White set out why he believes China might set up a military base in the Pacific. He also said Australia should stop trying to push Beijing out of the region

“The United States wants Australia to embrace a power role in the Pacific”, says US ambassador to Australia, Arthur Culvahouse. His statement followed the weekend G20 summit, where Prime Minister Scott Morrison and President Donald Trump also agreed that France needs to play a

When it comes to “stepping-up” in the Pacific, Australians get the what, they get the who, and they get the why. But they still have a long way to go before they’re convinced that spending more on foreign aid is in the national interest.  Attitudes towards the Pacific revealed in the

PNG’s Prime Minister James Marape met Australia’s High Commissioner Bruce Davis in Port Moresby, and took the opportunity to introduce his new Foreign Minister. This came as concerns are rising on Manus Islands as acts of self-harm by refugees are increasing.In parallel, the government of Papua

Scott and Jenny Morrison stepped out into the humidity of Solomon Islands historic Henderson airport earlier this week to a legacy Pacific welcome, a mix of indigenous traditions and colonial pomp. Being decked in finely wrought shell necklaces by young island maidens before inspecting the tiny if

When the news broke that Peter O’Neill had finally resigned from PNG’s top job last Thursday, it spread instantaneously, lighting up mobile phone screens across the country. It was social media, much more than PNG’s traditional news outlets, that had bored away relentlessly at O’Neill’s

The Bhartiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Narendra Modi has secured his second term as India’s Prime Minister with a landslide victory in the 2019 general elections. He spearheaded the long drawn out election campaign by labelling himself as India’s watchman, while the opposition criticised him for

Pacific leaders met in Suva last week for a rare meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. They used the summit to ramp up demands that developed nations do more to fight climate change and promise deeper cuts to emissions.Bal Kamal analyses the political situation in Papua New

The outcome of 12 May provincial elections, the last under peace agreements, hardens the atmosphere for essential political discussion about New Caledonia’s future beyond those agreements. While independence groups increased their representation in the territory’s Congress by one seat

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres has announced he will visit the Pacific next week and attend a special meeting at the Pacific Islands Forum secretariat, aimed at building momentum ahead of the UN Climate Action Summit in September.Catherine Graue explains why Papua New Guineans are

In the three years Sir Mekere Morauta was Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea, from 1999 to 2002, he pursued an ambitious reform agenda. Some parts of that legacy have fared well, like the privatisation of the country’s state bank. Others, like political party reform, have fallen over in the

Solomon Islands went to the polls on 3 April for their 10th general election since independence in 1978. The turnover of incumbent politicians in Solomon Islands elections is usually high, with around half of all sitting MPs losing their seats in each election. The 2014 general election, however,

The ABC Managing Editor Asia Pacific, Kellie Mayo, has subsequently disputed aspects of this article; read her response here. Bougainville – the autonomous region of Papua New Guinea which suffered a brutal 10-year civil conflict in the 1990s – was due to have a referendum in June to

The Walkley Foundation launched the Sean Dorney Grant for Pacific Journalism, which aims to encourage more and imporved journalism about the Pacific islands region by Australian media professionals and outlets.The Financial Times has produced a great data visualisation video showing how China has

Australia’s parliament will vote next week on legislation to give the Export Finance and Insurance Corporation (EFIC) an extra $1 billion in capital to fund Australian businesses to engage in infrastructure projects in the Pacific. Papua New Guinea has become the latest regional country to