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  • 8 hours ago
    • China
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s trade ties with China are set to strengthen

    Maholopa Laveil
    Canberra has committed to bolstering agriculture assistance, but free trade agreements may leave Australia in second place.
  • 17 May 2023
    • Australia
    • Diplomacy
    • Papua New Guinea
    • United States

    Biden’s trip cancellations reveal pitfalls of a crowded diplomatic calendar

    Daniel Flitton
    Bailing on Australia and PNG highlights the growing risk of disappointment when leaders are clambering to summits here, there, everywhere.
  • 18 Apr 2023
    • Pacific Islands
    • China and the Pacific
    • Melanesia
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • United States

    Not the Indo-Pacific: a Melanesian view on strategic competition

    Patrick Kaiku
    The states of the southwest Pacific are not interested in a zero-sum contest between the United States and China.
  • 23 Mar 2023
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea: media under threat

    Thierry Lepani
    A new draft government policy is set to put journalistic freedoms to the test.
  • 7 Mar 2023
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • China and the Pacific
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG voices: regional partnerships must be based on respect

    Andrea Connor , Maholopa Laveil , Leonie Baptiste , Londari Yamarak , Hannah Sarvasy
    Righting perceptions of an asymmetric relationship between PNG and Australia comes down to listening.
  • 1 Mar 2023
    • Australia
    • Papua New Guinea

    Reflections on the 29th Australia-Papua New Guinea Ministerial Forum

    Natasha Turia-Moka
    More action led outputs needed.
  • 27 Feb 2023
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea

    Answers needed on the Pacific Engagement Visa

    Akka Rimon , Michael Kabuni , Jope Tarai , Natasha Turia-Moka
    Beyond practicalities, it’s unclear whether this is a genuine “Pacific family” partnership or geopolitical convenience?
  • 20 Feb 2023
    • Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea: Reining in MP slush funds

    Michael Kabuni
    Allowing individual MPs to decide where money should be spent – and who should be rewarded – comes at too high a price.
  • 13 Feb 2023
    • Australia
    • Papua New Guinea

    Keeping languages alive in the family

    Hannah Sarvasy
    How many Australians can speak one of Papua New Guinea’s many Indigenous languages – even those who work there?
  • 30 Jan 2023
    • Papua New Guinea

    For PNG, Albanese’s visit was about more than just security

    Maholopa Laveil
    Dealing with Australia and keeping a door open to China gives James Marape the chance to foster the local economy.
  • 25 Jan 2023
    • Aid & Development
    • China – Belt and Road Initiative
    • Development Assistance
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Foreign Aid
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands

    Chinese aid to the Pacific: decreasing, but not disappearing

    Alexandre Dayant , Meg Keen , Roland Rajah
    With fewer Chinese finances available and less demand from Pacific countries, geopolitical competition is opening up.
  • 13 Jan 2023
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG needs a census, not more population estimates

    Maholopa Laveil
    Knowing a true number of residents is crucial to set development goals – for local government and foreign partners.
  • 21 Dec 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Timor-Leste
    • Australia
    • Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting
    • Bougainville
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Review

    Seeking independence: three books to read this summer

    Jessica Collins
    From Timorese history and Bougainville’s dreams to Australia’s regional stories, catch up on essential background.
  • 9 Dec 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    MP slush funds used to maintain power in PNG

    Maholopa Laveil
    The more cash, the more chance of an incumbent ruling party’s success at elections.
  • 25 Nov 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Riots serve an unexpected lesson in the Pacific

    Anouk Ride
    A new report on civil unrest in the region calls for a longer and wider lens in analysing reasons and rationales.
  • 23 Nov 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    Papua New Guinea: lessons of the last decade in four charts

    Maholopa Laveil
    Translating economic semantics into higher incomes, better living standards and good governance is the next step.
  • 7 Nov 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    Party politics in Papua New Guinea

    Maholopa Laveil
    While the machinations might appear incomprehensible, some trends can be detected in PNG’s complicated party system.
  • 31 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Papua New Guinea

    By the numbers: Papua New Guinea and development funding

    Thomas Wangi
    Australian funding to its Pacific neighbour outstripped the region’s major partners by four to one during the pandemic.
  • 31 Oct 2022
    • Australia
    • Bougainville
    • Papua New Guinea

    Overcoming suspicion: reconciliation for Australia and Bougainville

    Anthony Regan
    The angry reaction to Richard Marles’ comments should be a warning to Canberra about the need to settle past grievances.
  • 26 Oct 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG: Climate action, social change and a minister for coffee

    Catherine Highet , Serah Sipani , Trudi Egi
    A unique Arabica crop has the potential to improve women’s financial inclusion and climate change all at once.
  • 12 Oct 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    World Mental Health Day: reflections from Papua New Guinea

    Kylie McKenna , Peter Nasale
    Misunderstandings about the challenges involved are resulting in stigma, unemployment and isolation.
  • 11 Oct 2022
    • Aid & Development
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • United States

    The Global Fragility Act in PNG: can the US succeed?

    Jessica Collins
    A seemingly radical approach that relies on prevention and relinquishing control may be a foreign policy game-changer.
  • 29 Sep 2022
    • Human rights
    • Papua New Guinea

    Ending capital punishment for good in Papua New Guinea

    Moses Sakai
    In PNG’s history, the death penalty has now been abolished twice. The country can take a step to see it never returns.
  • 7 Sep 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    The missing foreign policy debate in PNG’s 2022 elections

    Patrick Kaiku , Trisha Yangawi , Bernard Yegiora
    Limited knowledge and paucity of interest is a concern, not just for local accountability but also for other countries.
  • 4 Aug 2022
    • Australia
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s troubled election should be a wake-up call for Australia

    Mihai Sora
    Shocking violence has captured headlines. A higher benchmark is needed in support of a free and credible ballot.
  • 27 Jul 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s election a violent event

    Maholopa Laveil
    Bitter experience should have been a warning that elections need to be properly planned and administered.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Melanesia
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific labour mobility and the existential threat of climate change

    Peter Hooton
    Australia needs to walk the walk on emissions, migration targets and resettlements to make itself a good neighbour.
  • 27 Jun 2022
    • Fiji
    • Papua New Guinea

    This year’s Pacific elections marginalise and isolate too many

    Mere Nailatikau
    As 2022 national polls unfold, it is evident that a global decline in democracy is disadvantaging the most vulnerable.
  • 7 Jun 2022
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Technology

    PNG’s elections: dangers that lie on social media

    Caitlyn McKenzie , Ben Connable
    Facebook has a major reach in PNG, making the sheer volume of suspicious and inauthentic content online a big concern.
  • 25 May 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s new health plan: “Leaving no one behind is everybody’s business”

    Kylie McKenna , Di Brown , Michele Rumsey
    A homegrown effort to empower healthy communities will still benefit from sustained international engagement.
  • 23 May 2022
    • Australia
    • China
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands

    PNG and the Solomon Islands-China security agreement

    Patrick Kaiku
    While respecting Solomon Islands sovereignty, regional solutions to regional problems are not yet fully exhausted.
  • 10 May 2022
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Sex and Gender

    Where are the women? The challenge facing the next PNG parliament

    Teddy Winn
    A country ranking among the world’s lowest for political participation by women has enormous social bias to overcome.
  • 19 Apr 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    With elections looming, PNG rushed to create seven new districts

    Michael Kabuni
    While the opposition worries about gerrymandering, the flaws in the decision are more about the population count.
  • 28 Mar 2022
    • Papua New Guinea

    PNG’s 2022 election takes shape

    Maholopa Laveil
    Parochial issues tend to dominate voter choices. But a pandemic and economy stress could make for restless elections.
  • 23 Mar 2022
    • Pacific Islands
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Russia
    • Ukraine

    Pacific nations send a message on Ukraine – and great power rivalries

    Patrick Kaiku
    Pacific states are watching Ukraine because their sovereignty and territorial integrity can also easily be violated.
  • 27 Jan 2022
    • Australia's Economy
    • IMF
    • Papua New Guinea

    Bitcoin vs the IMF, and other great expectations

    Greg Earl
    A roundup of recent economic events foreshadows a year of flux and reinvention, from Europe to the Pacific.
  • 12 Jan 2022
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Human rights

    The power of mercy and the death penalty in PNG

    Moses Sakai
    The country’s capital punishment laws need a reset, but there are better alternatives than clemency.
  • 22 Dec 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    Showcasing PNG, beyond expos and summits

    Patrick Kaiku , Russel Kitau
    A lack of strategic diplomacy and targeted foreign policy are selling the country’s immense potential short.
  • 9 Dec 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    The dual roles of PNG politicians, and why they fail at both

    Michael Kabuni
    By focusing on service delivery closer to home, MPs are neglecting their mandated role as national lawmakers.
  • 19 Nov 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Bougainville

    Bougainville independence: recalling promises of international help

    Kylie McKenna , Emelda Ariku
    The pandemic has blown the referendum result off front pages – but that doesn’t make the challenge any easier.
  • 3 Nov 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Coronavirus

    Politics and Covid-19 funds in Papua New Guinea

    Michael Kabuni
    Putting the money in the hands of MPs could mean it will never be known just how the funds were used.
  • 26 Oct 2021
    • Coronavirus
    • Papua New Guinea

    Overcoming community resistance to vaccination in Papua New Guinea

    Mihai Sora
    Increasing public demand for vaccines is the key to improving the country’s economic prospects and public safety.
  • 18 Oct 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    Supreme Court and parliamentary politics in PNG

    Michael Kabuni
    A recent ruling on a vote of no confidence challenge may see the next government complete a term in parliament.
  • 7 Oct 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    Maseratis in PNG: stuck in reverse

    Leanne Jorari
    It’s hard not to feel flabbergasted by what was a breakdown in decision-making.
  • 7 Oct 2021
    • Melanesia
    • Australian Development Assistance
    • Australia and the Pacific
    • Fiji
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Solomon Islands
    • Vanuatu

    Pacific Step-Up needs a Covid-era reboot

    Edward Cavanough
    Australia must bolster its vaccine assistance with practical fixes, starting with energy and cold-storage solutions.
  • 5 Oct 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    An aid to innovation in PNG’s informal economy

    Elizabeth Kopel
    Foreign donors can support the emergence of sustainable enterprises and unlock a growth windfall for the nation.
  • 15 Sep 2021
    • Papua New Guinea

    The future is female in PNG

    Leanne Jorari
    In 46 years of independence, only seven women have been elected to Papua New Guinea’s parliament. Can the tide turn?
  • 20 Aug 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Coronavirus

    As Delta looms, PNG’s vaccine rollout challenges mount

    Ishani Kaluthotage
    Getting the jab where it is needed is only part of the problem. Making sure people understand the urgency is another.
  • 3 Aug 2021
    • Public Diplomacy And International Broadcasting
    • Papua New Guinea

    Keeping PNG connected by investing in radio

    Shane McLeod
    Australia could quickly make a critical – and relatively cheap ­– neighbourly investment in democracy.
  • 2 Aug 2021
    • Papua New Guinea
    • Sex and Gender

    How many times? Reckoning with gender-based violence in PNG

    Leanne Jorari
    Urgent action is needed to end PNG’s poor record as the most dangerous country in the region for women and girls.
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