Australian Development Assistance
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
It was a long-awaited announcement that drew little attention in Australia. In April, US President Joe Biden named Haiti, Libya, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea (PNG) and Coastal…
Five reasons Australia should establish a Development Finance Institution
The Australian government has recently announced a Development Finance Review. One big idea actively under consideration is establishing an Australian development finance…
Commentary
Telstra’s Digicel Pacific challenge
The deal with the government insulates the telco from financial risk. But accepting the role of Australia’s lead business ambassador in the region makes it no set-and-forget…
Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot
Through thickly vegetated jungle paths, teams of doctors hike for hours to reach Fiji’s most remote villages. Travelling ahead of them, as reported in The…
Commentary
Australia buying Digicel hits two birds with one stone
On top of staving off a China telco monopoly, underwriting the purchase would show the government is putting big money on the table to get ‘blue chip’ companies to invest in the…
Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy
China’s increasing attention to the Pacific region has created an uncomfortable bind for Australian foreign policy: should Canberra try to compete on economic grounds, knowing…
What Biden means for Australia’s aid policy
Joe Biden has taken the mantle of US president at a critical time for international development – amid a resurgence in poverty, increasing geopolitical contestation, rapid…
Policy Briefs
Avoiding a Pacific Lost Decade: Financing the Pacific's COVID-19 Recovery
The Pacific's post-pandemic economic revival will rely on an international
multi-year recovery package of grants and loans led by Australia
Office of Development Effectiveness: Praised, then abolished
The creation of the Office of Development Effectiveness was announced in Foreign Minister Alexander Downer’s 2006 Aid White Paper. It symbolised the hope and mood of the time:…
Submissions
Submission to the UK Foreign Affairs Committee Inquiry into the contribution of the FCO to the Integrated Review of UK foreign policy strategy
The UK government's ‘Integrated Review of foreign policy, defence, security and development’, announced in February 2020, has been described as the largest foreign-policy…