15 May 2025 Pacific health systems: Breaking the aid dependency cycle Pala Leka Donor dependency is not a path to health sovereignty in the region.
2 May 2025 Bursting the Solomon Islands stability bubble Jon Fraenkel A mass cabinet exodus sets up another leadership change amid shifting Chinese influence in the Pacific nation.
1 May 2025 What the Pacific sees at stake in the Australian election Isabelle Zhu-Maguire Climate policy, aid and regional respect hang in the balance.
14 Mar 2025 Sunk costs: Pacific shipwrecks and the urgent call for the Nairobi Convention Sheridan Ward An international accord to clean up shipwrecks and other waste from commerce on the high seas already exists. The region should get on board.
12 Mar 2025 Papua New Guinea: Shhhhh … don’t use the word “Alliance” Oliver Nobetau PNG’s sovereignty need not come at the cost of the safety and well-being of its own people.
3 Mar 2025 New Caledonia: A small step forward Denise Fisher The first comprehensive talks in four years at least sees the parties together in the restive territory.
3 Mar 2025 Is this the end of aid as we know it? Soli Middleby The task for Western aid is not to rebuild what existed before, but to reduce dependency altogether.
24 Feb 2025 New Caledonia: A troubled France seeks agreement about the future Denise Fisher With local elections overdue against the backdrop of recent strife comes the latest pitch for peace.
17 Feb 2025 What the Pacific has said about Trump’s Paris pull-out Isabelle Zhu-Maguire Listen to the region and the message is clear – wrong way, go back.
12 Feb 2025 A “National Interest Analysis” would strengthen PNG’s foreign policymaking Patrick Kaiku , Molly Kola Robust domestic procedures are crucial, not least to improve public understanding of government actions.
6 Feb 2025 The global contest for the Pacific Michael Wesley Geopolitical fears of growing Chinese influence in Oceania are not the only interest Australia has in the region.
5 Feb 2025 Sir Julius Chan: PNG’s “last man standing” Ian Kemish Reflecting on a political life championing local development and courting international controversy.
3 Feb 2025 Strong leader preferred – Fiji’s coup legacy Mosmi Bhim Complete democratisation will remain a challenge for Fiji while former military officers continue to dominate politics.
3 Feb 2025 The deadly consequences of disinformation in the Pacific Lisa Singh , Tushar Joshi International partners, including Australia and India, are well placed to counter the scourge.
17 Jan 2025 Trump’s climate retreat will cost America influence in the Pacific Oliver Sinclair So much for the solemn declarations of “family”.
16 Jan 2025 A looming police shortage in the Pacific: Drug use can cripple a male workforce Melissa Jardine The labour and public health consequences from expanding drugs surge in the region must be acted upon.
13 Jan 2025 The case to keep guns out of police hands in Solomon Islands Sheridan Ward In a country where trust in the police is already fragile, bringing in more weapons won’t help.
20 Dec 2024 Trump’s relations with the Blue Pacific Tarcisius Kabutaulaka The second Trump administration will find a region different from when last in office.
19 Dec 2024 Vanuatu: The challenge to build back Meg Keen , Riley Duke A crippling earthquake will test Vanuatu’s already fragile political and economic system.
18 Dec 2024 Votes of no confidence at a time of permanent contest: A Pacific Islands year in review Jessica Collins With so much global attention on the region, little shifts can have big ramifications.
11 Dec 2024 Australia’s new chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific Daniel Flitton The potential for a bidding war should be acknowledged.
11 Dec 2024 An ounce of prevention: Nauru deal puts defence spending in a different light Sam Roggeveen Australia’s Nauru deal is a victory for preventive diplomacy, closing off any possibility of a Chinese security presence.
10 Dec 2024 New treaty ties Nauru to Australia via banks, security and telecommunications Jessica Collins But the “permanent state of contest” in the Pacific appears set to continue.
4 Dec 2024 “Narco-subs” in the Pacific demonstrates need for effective maritime security cooperation Henrietta McNeill , Genevieve Quirk Criminals are always looking for an edge. Listening to what the Pacific needs and coordinating maritime security responses will help blunt the threat.
29 Nov 2024 Australia’s banking on the Pacific Jessica Collins Making money in the region is not easy. But links to international finance are essential.
27 Nov 2024 The Pacific disinformation playbook Meg Tapia A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government.
7 Nov 2024 Fake kidnaps and real dangers of disinformation in Pacific Islands Anouk Ride Islanders have long joked about “coconut wireless” storytelling – but more understanding of these networks is needed in the digital age.
1 Nov 2024 An all-male Pacific peace mission to New Caledonia excludes women’s voices in the crisis Nicole George Women are being made invisible, yet their actions are consequential.
30 Oct 2024 The Translator: What is "strategic infrastructure"? Laura Salt Building lines of influence in the Pacific.
29 Oct 2024 Pacific Islands need stronger corrections systems to address transnational and organised crime Danielle Watson Rehabilitation is too often a forgotten arena in regional efforts.
28 Oct 2024 China’s language diplomacy in Papua New Guinea Bernard Yegiora Local Mandarin programs are gaining momentum as a tool to foster closer relations.
23 Oct 2024 Biases within the capital flows to the Pacific Jinita Prasad A pervasive power imbalance stops the small steps needed for better aid outcomes in the region.
23 Oct 2024 The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility scheme is helping some workers but harming others – it needs to be reformed Matt Withers Lopsided economic benefits are intimately linked to prevailing conditions of employment.
21 Oct 2024 PNG’s NRL bid: Making the most of the high-stakes game Oliver Nobetau Accountability is not just a question for donors but for the recipient country, too.
18 Oct 2024 Can Australia’s new Humanitarian Policy deliver? Meg Keen The effort is laudable, and a step in the right direction, with more ambition and local engagement needed.
17 Oct 2024 Samoa: The Switzerland of the Pacific Sheridan Ward With CHOGM leaders about to touch down in Apia, the nation’s mandate for peace and non-violence will be on show.
4 Oct 2024 Paris offers signs of hope for New Caledonia Denise Fisher Recent government statements represent a major conciliatory effort by France.
2 Oct 2024 Kamala Harris and the Pacific Islands Meg Keen Pacific Island countries want to hear more from the Democratic nominee about how she will support the region.
20 Sep 2024 The days lost to PNG’s development and economy over votes of no confidence Catherine Wilson Diminished parliamentary productivity has ramifications not only for the progress of legislation but the well-being of the nation.
20 Sep 2024 Reducing the role of cash in Pacific Island economies Jessica Collins , Hilman Palaon From QR codes to mobile wallets, innovative tech solutions can help the region transition its financial ecosystem.
12 Sep 2024 The real risks of exploitation for Pacific workers in Australia Sophia Kagan While neither blackbirding nor systemic modern slavery, the PALM scheme has many loopholes that should be addressed.
10 Sep 2024 Beijing’s "one-China principle" is spreading Benjamin Herscovitch It is untrue that Taiwan is an "inalienable part" of China, but that's not stopping governments from Kiribati to Honduras from saying it.
6 Sep 2024 Tonga and His Majesty’s Armed Forces: A military made for peace Sheridan Ward This Pacific country avoided colonisation not by force, but by adopting the trappings of state. A next step awaits.
30 Aug 2024 Long-range leaders in Melanesia: Why you need to know about them Miranda Forsyth , Sinclair Dinnen Carefully mixing metaphors helps to understand a crucial yet underappreciated actor in Pacific politics.
28 Aug 2024 The Falepili Union: A Pacific response to the greatest global challenges Pat Conroy A world-first treaty with Australia ensures Tuvalu’s statehood will continue, even in the face of a climate catastrophe.
26 Aug 2024 The down-low on deportations and drugs in Tonga Henrietta McNeill The practice by Australia of sending criminals back to their home country can pose a risk to regional security without the proper reintegration support.
21 Aug 2024 Australia takes a big first step to engage civil society in foreign policy Heather Wrathall , Jasmine Stephens With a new multi-million dollar fund, Canberra underscores the importance of robust and transparent democracy.
21 Aug 2024 Polycrisis in the Pacific: How leaders will respond at the PIF Summit in Tonga Mihai Sora A tiny capital will be host to a huge regional agenda.
13 Aug 2024 Where to for Australia’s First Nations Foreign Policy? 'Alopi Latukefu The climate is right to make environmental diplomacy a centrepiece of this new approach to the world.