7 Mar 2023
PNG voices: regional partnerships must be based on respect
Righting perceptions of an asymmetric relationship between PNG and Australia comes down to listening.
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27 Feb 2023
Answers needed on the Pacific Engagement Visa
Beyond practicalities, it’s unclear whether this is a genuine “Pacific family” partnership or geopolitical convenience? -
24 Feb 2023
The Australia-New Zealand alliance in a war with China
The potential for conflict in the region should have Canberra and Wellington thinking about shared strategic risks. -
25 Jan 2023
Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing
With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up. -
19 Jan 2023
Weaving webs of statecraft in the Pacific Islands
Gaining influence in the region is about tools and techniques, not just the actors. -
28 Nov 2022
Confident, competent, inconsistent: Australia’s strategic personality
Canberra’s report card receives a solid “pleasing result” on Southeast Asia, but a “could do better” on the Pacific. -
11 Oct 2022
The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?
A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer. -
4 Oct 2022
Building a better development finance institution: Australia’s opportunity
Canberra can learn a lot about risk appetite and the culture of financing from those already in the space. -
27 Jun 2022
Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change
Australia needs to walk the walk on emissions, migration targets and resettlements to make itself a good neighbour. -
27 May 2022
Labor’s Pacific plan: ticking the economic box
Tightening up on fees charged for remittances will ensure millions of dollars get to households across the region. -
26 Apr 2022
Fixing Australia’s failing Pacific Step-up strategy
Supporting domestic interest groups in the region will bring success, and should be high on Canberra’s “to do” list. -
24 Mar 2022
Climate change in the Pacific – what Australia needs to do
Canberra’s insipid approach to climate action undermines trust and endangers vital interests close to home. -
17 Feb 2022
The Pacific Islands become collateral damage on drug superhighway
Australia and New Zealand must address the fallout from an appetite for illicit drugs. The Pacific is relying on it. -
15 Oct 2021
France-Australia: Welcome back, Your Excellency, urgent matters await
AUKUS was a blow to Australia’s French romance but the Pacific region needs the two regional powers to kiss and make up. -
7 Oct 2021
Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot
Australia must bolster its vaccine assistance with practical fixes, starting with energy and cold-storage solutions. -
24 Sep 2021
AUKUS: France’s strategic outcry
After the drama of recalled ambassadors in the wake of a new Indo-Pacific strategic deal, it’s time for dialogue. -
23 Sep 2021
Economic diplomacy: After AUKUS in trade, aid and technology
Commercial links may be China’s response to the submarine deal. -
11 Aug 2021
Pacific needs partnership, not just leadership
Richard Marles on a multidimensional regional challenge, from aid and migration to climate change and strategic denial. -
15 Jul 2021
Economic diplomacy: Little Australia spends slowly in the Pacific
Can a step-up speed up? And what of the economic and cultural benefits of migration in Covid times? -
2 Jul 2021
Forgiveness not permission: A feminist foreign policy
If Australia wants to adopt a values-based approach to the world, the next step is obvious. -
21 Jun 2021
The risks of escalating strategic competition in the Pacific Islands
Becoming tangled in power politics can create divisions between – as well as within – nations across the region. -
20 Apr 2021
Accountability is the path to better governance in PNG
A more inclusive environment and more responsive public-service initiatives will lessen the citizen-state divide. -
26 Mar 2021
Facebook’s monopoly danger in the Pacific
The social media giant’s move to “unfriend” Australia highlighted complex threats to information security in the region. -
1 Dec 2020
The UK’s unwelcome foreign aid cut
Amid a pandemic and shifting geopolitics, the aid budget was a victim of its own size – and domestic pressures. -
24 Nov 2020
PNG budget: Pluses and minuses
A spending surge aims to steer the economy out of crisis, but high debt and heavy interest pose another risk. -
5 Aug 2020
The way to post-Covid recovery in the Indo-Pacific? Act now
If Australia wants to see future stability in the region, it needs to find ways to help today, not down the track. -
10 Jul 2020
Stoking the fire of Asia-Pacific missile proliferation
Despite the justifications, Australia’s plan to acquire long-range missiles won’t make the country or the region safer. -
10 Dec 2019
Favourites of 2019: ABC primetime returns to the Pacific
Friction between the panel and audience and Australia’s climate change policies was on display – and plenty more, too. -
15 Oct 2019
“Accepting the science”, rejecting the action
If the Morrison government is on board with reducing emissions, as it seems to claim, it needs to step up its policies. -
30 Sep 2019
With Pacific step up, a chance to step in
Australia can help strengthen partners’ understanding of the Pacific, as a counter to China’s growing reach. -
3 Sep 2019
Waking up to Australia’s real Pacific family
A simple act of generosity could have recast Australia’s climate-change politics in the region for the better. -
13 Aug 2019
Does Chinese aid make Australians more generous?
A survey finds surprising results when Australians are asked to consider Chinese aid in the Pacific. -
12 Aug 2019
It’s time for a “Quad” of coast guards
This modest proposal could help bring stability and security to the Indo-Pacific, without the military fanfare. -
5 Jun 2019
Stepping out – and up – in the hot mess of the Pacific
<p>Personal connections matter, and Scott Morrison’s ties to the Pacific run deeper than many realise.</p> -
16 May 2019
What’s on offer? Pacific policy and Australia’s election
Far more than previous years, the region is in vogue for both parties with a choice greater than might be assumed. -
29 Mar 2019
Ignoring international law in the Blue Pacific
Colonised peoples have rights to resources, on land and in the oceans, and this must be recognised. -
12 Mar 2019
Canberra’s Pacific pivot is bereft of vision
The government’s motivations appear sincere but are riddled with anxiety about the risks of investing in the region. -
28 Feb 2019
Sovereignty for citizenship might help the Pacific
You can’t eat sovereignty, you can’t drink independence, and you can’t build a house in the middle of the ocean. -
14 Feb 2019
The curious case of aid concentration in Papua New Guinea
The extreme concentration of aid from Australia to PNG stands out. It may be time for others to get involved. -
12 Feb 2019
Australia, BRI backlash should be a warning on loans
The rush to loan-financed infrastructure is a geopolitical play, but does not consider the wellbeing of the recipients. -
30 Jan 2019
Australia’s new Pacific Czar
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s new Office of the Pacific is a sign of the step up being made real. -
23 Nov 2018
Morrison and the Pacific: the good, the gaffe, and the omission
The rediscovery of the Pacific covers important ground but raising Australia’s broadcast voice is a chance to do better. -
25 Oct 2018
Never too late to get the kids off Nauru
Australia is overdue to respond to the deterioration of the mental and physical health of refugee children on Nauru. -
8 Oct 2018
Turning the dial on international broadcasting
Australia may think it has been silenced but there are avenues for it to increase the volume in the Pacific. -
27 Apr 2018
Review: Safeguarding Australia’s security interests through closer Pacific ties
James Batley says more attention should be paid to the role Pacific island countries play in regional security. -
8 Dec 2017
No zero-sum game in greater Pacific ties
Australia can play a major role in setting the agenda to the gain of all Pacific island nations. -
6 Dec 2017
What next for Papua New Guinea?
Experts assess policy options for PNG after a tumultuous year for Australia’s nearest neighbour. -
23 Nov 2017
To lead in the Pacific, Australia must lead on climate change
Australia’s position as the world’s largest coal exporter does not sit easy with many Pacific Islanders. -
7 Nov 2017
Cleaning up the Manus damage
PNG is Australia’s nearest neighbour, former colony and one of Australia’s most important bilateral partners. -
17 Aug 2017
Paranoia on Aotearoa
On New Zealand, Turnbull, Pyne and Bishop have engaged in poor foreign policy at the behest of even worse domestic politicking.