10 Dec 2025
The IMF's balancing act in Papua New Guinea
The IMF reform program is making welcome and unexpected progress, but the hardest work still lies ahead.
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19 Nov 2025
Papua New Guinea’s workers abroad are an untapped resource
A diaspora syndicate fund could bridge the financing gap that leaves small enterprises starved of capital. -
10 Nov 2025
Pacific Islands: Without literacy, climate resilience is nigh on impossible
Strategic competition has left gaping holes in regional health and education goals. The parameters need to be reset. -
27 Oct 2025
Bougainville’s independence deadline exposes peace agreement gaps
With 2027 looming, unfulfilled provisions and post-referendum delays risk undermining 30 years of peace. -
20 Oct 2025
The Pukpuk Treaty is a defence deal PNG’s youth can prosper from
Structured opportunity for PNG’s population matters more than geopolitical debates about this partnership. -
9 Oct 2025
PNG should ratify the Pukpuk Treaty and move beyond a self-limiting mantra of “friends to all”
“The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray.” Proverbs 12:26 -
7 Oct 2025
The Pukpuk Treaty is about keeping China at bay, not military strength
The pact with PNG aims to preserve Australia’s regional standing by making Chinese military access harder. -
2 Oct 2025
Delays on the Pukpuk treaty with PNG were Australian missteps, not failures
The Papua New Guinea agreement represents a landmark not just for its signatories but the region as a whole. -
19 Sep 2025
Global health at risk: Why Australia’s leadership matters
Washington’s aid freeze threatens decades of progress against infectious diseases across Australia’s neighbourhood. -
17 Sep 2025
Australia-PNG: When mutual defence becomes mutual embarrassment
It was always going to be a hurdle for PNG to change its non-aligned foreign policy. -
2 Sep 2025
Indonesia’s move to welcome PNG into ASEAN is a win-win
Expanding the Southeast Asian bloc is good for the region, and will ensure Jakarta’s leadership position. -
14 Aug 2025
At 50, Papua New Guinea deserves a more complete story
One of ancient roots, contemporary challenges and enduring spirit. -
12 Aug 2025
Tok Pisin: Speaking PNG’s main language is more than cultural courtesy
From NRL teams to university exchanges, shared language holds the key to Australia's Pacific relationship success. -
7 Aug 2025
How Burkina Faso’s strongman became the Indo-Pacific’s unlikely hero – and other tales of disinformation
Digital disciples are spreading false narratives in an effort to exploit anti-Western sentiment across the region. -
12 Jun 2025
Australia-PNG relations at 50: Pride, politics and the price of partnership
What if more locals decide that Australia is rewarding bad behaviour at the top of PNG’s politics? -
4 Jun 2025
How Papua New Guinea is rewriting Pacific education partnerships with China and more
District-led programs are driving a new demand for technical degrees and signalling a new agency in foreign relations. -
19 May 2025
After listening, what’s Australia’s next move in the Pacific?
Pacific governments will ultimately judge Australia on concrete actions rather than friendly gestures. -
16 May 2025
Why the NRL's numbers don’t add up
Perth’s NRL plan spotlights the risks of a Papua New Guinea franchise. -
5 May 2025
A derelict memorial to aviatrix Amelia Earhart reflects America’s selective interest in PNG
During Trump mark one and Biden, US interest in Papua New Guinea took off; will it continue? -
12 Mar 2025
Papua New Guinea: Shhhhh … don’t use the word “Alliance”
PNG’s sovereignty need not come at the cost of the safety and well-being of its own people. -
12 Feb 2025
A “National Interest Analysis” would strengthen PNG’s foreign policymaking
Robust domestic procedures are crucial, not least to improve public understanding of government actions. -
6 Feb 2025
The global contest for the Pacific
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”
Reflecting on a political life championing local development and courting international controversy. -
18 Dec 2024
What I’ll be watching for in 2025
Lowy researchers gaze at their crystal balls – with questions, more than answers, for the year ahead. -
27 Nov 2024
The Pacific disinformation playbook
A surge in connectivity has exacerbated the region’s challenges, undermining trust in science and government. -
28 Oct 2024
China’s language diplomacy in Papua New Guinea
Local Mandarin programs are gaining momentum as a tool to foster closer relations. -
21 Oct 2024
PNG’s NRL bid: Making the most of the high-stakes game
Accountability is not just a question for donors but for the recipient country, too. -
15 Oct 2024
Three unanswered questions for Australia’s PNG Rugby League dream
Could Australian diplomacy enter novel terrain: professional sports administration? -
14 Oct 2024
How Australia can get better results in Papua New Guinea
A former prime minister offers a frank appraisal of the neighbourly relationship. -
20 Sep 2024
The days lost to PNG’s development and economy over votes of no confidence
Diminished parliamentary productivity has ramifications not only for the progress of legislation but the well-being of the nation. -
16 May 2024
Economic diplomacy: Budgeting for deglobalisation
Keeping up with the worldwide shift to industry policy is stretching boundaries of both economics and diplomacy. -
7 May 2024
PNG-China: What’s to gain in any policing deal?
It seems we’ll be hearing more about this prospective arrangement. -
2 May 2024
Bougainville’s future: The hard questions
There are good reasons to take time before Bougainville cuts loose from PNG. -
18 Apr 2024
It’s important to acknowledge PNG’s own interests with China
And a big part of that is bargaining power with the West. -
11 Apr 2024
Pacific Engagement Visas: New developments but quotas unknown
Australia’s highly competitive new visa lottery has much leg work to do to make fair allocations between countries. -
10 Apr 2024
Solomon Islands: Democracy on the ballot
Next week, voters will determine not only political leadership but the future of democratic processes. -
15 Mar 2024
A “climate defence force” for the Pacific
By harnessing human, environmental and resource security, Canberra can counter Beijing’s coercive tactics in the region. -
8 Mar 2024
State of play for Pacific women in 2024
When the playing field is levelled, the dividends are doubled, both in politics and sport. -
23 Feb 2024
Geopolitics, but what of other Pacific players?
Politics is a missing element of a new Lowy Institute assessment. -
15 Feb 2024
The state of play in PNG: A momentous start to 2024
Domestic deals and political spills threaten to overshadow economic progress in the land of the unexpected. -
7 Feb 2024
Whose security is really at stake? Gender must be prioritised in Australia‑PNG security agreement
More police can’t be the answer when police have long been part of the problem. -
7 Feb 2024
China’s message problem in PNG
Local doubts about mining projects appear at odds with government enthusiasm. -
25 Jan 2024
Practical steps to alleviate Papua New Guinea’s unemployment crisis
A good start is workable systems to ensure paperwork can be completed in a timely fashion. -
19 Jan 2024
Beyond the try line: What PNG’s NRL team means for development
The plan is to spend big – but is this the right field? -
29 Dec 2023
Keeping languages alive in the family
How many Australians can speak one of Papua New Guinea’s many Indigenous languages – even those who work there? -
22 Dec 2023
Why did PNG sign a Defence Cooperation Agreement with the US?
For Port Moresby, this deal is mainly about modernising PNG’s Defence Force – not a geopolitical ploy. -
19 Dec 2023
Australia–PNG security agreement: A revamp for Pacific partnerships
A technical perspective into the intended operation of the bilateral security deal between the close neighbours. -
27 Nov 2023
Papua New Guinea: Learning the lessons of language
Preserving PNG’s linguistic kaleidoscope is as much a connection with the past as a path to the future. -
23 Nov 2023
Digital dominoes: Australia’s strategic play in the Pacific
Enhancing the region’s digital connectivity goes beyond influence. It’s about sharing prosperity and security, too. -
1 Nov 2023
Loans, not grants, already proving costly for PNG
The latest Pacific Aid Map shows the PNG debt burden is growing and risks loom on the horizon.