DPA In Briefs (previously Briefing Notes)

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/292043

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Open Access
The 1978 Commonwealth Games: How a Boxer Brought a New Country Together
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2016) Zurenuoc, Manasupe; Herbert, Felicity
Papua New Guinea (PNG) is a diverse country of over 800 different languages spread over remote and diverse terrain. Bringing a country like this together was always going to be challenging. This In Brief describes how the many differences were put aside when a young boxer from Tsio Island represented PNG, just after its independence, at the Montreal Commonwealth Games.
Open Access
The 2007 Elections in Papua New Guinea
(Canberra, ACT: State, Society and Governance in Melanesia (SSGM), Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2008) May, Ronald
In June-July 2007 Papua New Guinea held its seventh post-independence national election. Papua New Guinea remains one of the few post-colonial states with an unbroken record of national elections held on schedule and producing popularly accepted overall results. In 2007 the country maintained this record, successfully completing its seventh election and producing yet another broadly-based coalition government, under the continuing leadership of Sir Michael Somare. As in previous elections in this geographically challenging and socially fractious country, the election in 2007 was marked by problems of logistics, electoral irregularities, and sporadic violence, but less so than in 2002. As outlined below, Papua New Guinea has made a smooth transition to preferential voting, although a number of issues need to be addressed before the next election in 2012.
Open Access
The 2013 Survey on HIV in Tanah Papua: Gender, Ethnicity and 'Casual Partners'
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2015) Munro, Jenny
In November 2014, Dr Arnoldus Tiniap from the West Papua provincial health department presented some of the results of the 2013 Integrated Bio-Behavioural Survey (IBBS), which is the most recent Tanah Papua–wide survey of HIV indicators, including HIV prevalence, knowledge of HIV, sexual behaviour and condom use. His presentation was a key component of the workshop 'Developing an HIV Prevention and Control Strategy for Papuans in Tanah Papua' (see Munro 2015).1 It has been seven years since the last IBBS was conducted in Tanah Papua, and the results were greatly anticipated by those in attendance. The results have yet to be made available beyond certain organisations in Indonesia, but this In Brief presents a recap of Dr Tiniap's workshop presentation to facilitate access to this important new data, and to encourage further research on particular themes.
Open Access
The 2019 National General Election in Solomon Islands - A Personal Perspective: Navigating a Maze of Challenges
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2019) Aqorau, Transform
On 3 April this year, the people of Solomon Islands will go to the polls to elect their representatives in the national parliament for the next four years. The term ‘representatives’ is used loosely here as the typical member of parliament (MP) is elected with just over a third of the votes, meaning the majority of the electors did not in fact choose the winning candidate to represent them. This will be the tenth election since 1978 when the country gained full independence from the United Kingdom.
Open Access
The 2020 Autonomous Bougainville Government General Election: Part 1
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2021-07) Kolova, Steven
This two-part In Brief explores the 2020 Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) general election. This part provides a background to the election, including the postreferendum timing and issues about constituencies and candidates. Part 2 discusses the results and briefly presents some of the challenges in the conduct of the election. The papers draw on some of the findings of research conducted by the author, who interviewed various scrutineers and observers in Buka between 12 August and 23 September 2020.
Open Access
The 2020 Autonomous Bougainville Government General Election: Part 2
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2021) Kolova, Steven
This second In Brief in a two-part series on Bougainville’s first general election after the 2019 referendum examines the election results as well as some issues surrounding the conduct of the election. The election was generally accepted to have been well-planned and successfully administered despite limited resources and COVID-19 pandemic restrictions. That said, a few matters remain before the court of disputed returns regarding allegations of misconduct. These In Briefs are based on the author’s interviews with scrutineers and observers in Buka between 12 August and 23 September 2020.
Open Access
The 2020 Vanuatu Elections: How Did Women Fare?
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2020-04) Howard, Elise
In the Vanuatu national elections held on 19 March 2020, voters elected their third consecutive all-male parliament. Across 10 of Vanuatu’s 18 constituencies, only 18 women contested the elections and were significantly outnumbered, representing only six per cent of all candidates.1 Women have been absent from national parliament since 2012, and only five women have held a position in parliament since independence.
Open Access
Access to Justice in Post-RAMSI Solomon Islands Part 2: Perceptions of Access to Justice
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-09-13) Sloan, Tom; Dinnen, Sinclair; Rowe, Mark
This is the second part in a series of three In Briefs highlighting findings from the Solomon Islands Access to Justice Survey commissioned by the Solomon Islands government and supported by the Australian government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP 2019a). The findings are drawn from the Survey Summary Report (UNDP 2019b). The survey assessed justice needs and barriers to effective dispute resolution, particularly among groups recognised as having unmet justice needs, including women and people with disabilities. This In Brief highlights key survey findings concerning perceptions of access to justice. Interested readers should consult the main study reports.
Open Access
Access to Justice in Post-RAMSI Solomon Islands Part 3: Pathways to Dispute Resolution
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-09-13) Sloan, Tom; Dinnen, Sinclair; Rowe, Mark
This is the final in a series of three In Briefs highlighting key findings from the Solomon Islands Access to Justice Survey commissioned by the Solomon Islands government and supported by the Australian government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP 2019a). The findings presented are drawn from the Survey Summary Report (UNDP 2019b). The survey assessed justice needs and barriers to effective dispute resolution in Solomon Islands, particularly for groups with recognised unmet needs, in the period following the withdrawal of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). This In Brief summarises the survey findings relating to pathways to dispute resolution. Interested readers should consult the main study reports.
Open Access
Access to Justice in Post-RAMSI Solomon Islands Part I: Common Conflicts and Disputes
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-09-13) Sloan, Tom; Dinnen, Sinclair; Rowe, Mark
Solomon Islands’ law and justice sector has received substantial donor support in the two decades since the end of the civil unrest known as the Tensions. Building capacity and coordination across key agencies was an integral part of the Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). International development partners acknowledge the importance of access to justice for successful peacebuilding. The Australian government views its commitment to the Solomon Islands justice sector as a ‘30-year plus engagement’. Since RAMSI’s departure in June 2017, there has been considerable interest in evaluating progress and addressing ongoing challenges in this area. This is the first in a series of three In Briefs drawing on findings from the Solomon Islands Access to Justice Survey commissioned by the Solomon Islands government and supported by the Australian government and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP 2019a). The findings presented in this series are from the national survey reported in the Survey Summary Report (UNDP 2019b). The survey was designed around closed-response questions with preset response options — including a free-text response — that were developed, tested and validated in Solomon Islands prior to their application. Interested readers should consult the main study reports. This In Brief examines the types of disputes commonly reported, who experienced them and their impacts. The following In Briefs in this series examine perceptions of access to justice and pathways to dispute resolution.
Open Access
After the floods: Urban displacement, lessons from Solomon Islands
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2016) Keen, Meg; McNeil, Alan
This In Brief documents the challenges government authorities — the Honiara City Council (HCC) and the Ministry of Lands, Housing and Survey (MLHS) — faced when they created a new subdivision for the displaced, April Ridge, and considers the lessons for more responsive planning.
Open Access
Alcohol, gender and violence in Bougainville
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2016) Eves, Richard
This In Brief reports on research undertaken in Bougainville in October 2015 (Eves and Crawford 2014).1 Unlike previous studies, this research specifically explored the relationship between women’s economic empowerment and violence against women through in-depth qualitative interviews. Interviewees included business women in the urban context of Arawa (Kieta District) and rural women involved in informal marketing and alluvial mining (Panguna District) and in informal marketing and cocoa farming (Tinputz District).2 Preliminary analysis reveals a strong connection between men’s excessive alcohol consumption and violence against their intimate partners.
Open Access
Alternative Development Paradigms in Vanuatu and Beyond
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2014) Forsyth, Miranda
Vanuatu held a week-long public forum in June 2014 as a step towards creating its National Sustainable Development Plan 2016–2030 (NSPD). The development of the NSPD reflects a shift in development thinking away from the heavy emphasis on economic growth that dominates the current development framework — the Priorities and Action Agenda 2006–2015 (PAA). The PAA in turn follows the spirit of the economic restructuring initiated by the Asian Development Bank–sponsored Comprehensive Reform Program (CRP) of the late 1990s (Gay 2004). This In Brief discusses the ongoing development of the NSPD and positions it within a number of similar regional and global developments. It suggests that a number of Pacific islands seem poised to engage in some bold new experiments in building home-grown development frameworks rooted in their own unique cultural values and geographical context. This in turn should signal to development partners a real need to engage in conversations about alternative development pathways in the Pacific islands and take seriously the emerging critiques of the problems occasioned by a previous narrow neoliberal economic focus.
Open Access
American Strategic Considerations Drive Compact Negotiations in Micronesia: Part 1
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2020) Firth, Stewart
In a flurry of activity over the last nine months, the United States has rediscovered the strategic value of the freely associated states in Micronesia. This In Brief is in two parts: in the first Stewart Firth examines the geopolitical context of the United States’ relations with the freely associated states, including China’s interest in the region; in the second he describes how the United States is updating its Pacific Islands policy, both in the freely associated states and in the region more generally.
Open Access
American Strategic Considerations Drive Compact Negotiations in Micronesia: Part 2
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2020) Firth, Stewart
In a flurry of activity over the last nine months, the United States has rediscovered the strategic value of the freely associated states in Micronesia. This In Brief is in two parts: in the first Stewart Firth examines the geopolitical context of the United States’ relations with the freely associated states, including China’s interest in the region; in the second he describes how the United States is updating its Pacific Islands policy, both in the freely associated states and in the region more generally.
Open Access
And Then There Were Three: A New Chinese Miner in Papua New Guinea
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2015) Smith, Graeme; Dinnen, Sinclair
Barrick Gold Corporation announced on 26 May 2015 that it had sold a 50 per cent stake in Barrick Niugini Limited to Zijin Mining Group, one of China’s ‘big four’ state-owned gold mining companies, for US$298 million in cash (BGC 26/5/2015). Barrick owns 95 per cent of the Porgera gold mine, Papua New Guinea (PNG), with the remaining five per cent in the hands of the Enga provincial government and landowners. The deal was part of a broader ‘strategic partnership’ between Barrick and Zijin, and is in line with Barrick’s new approach of deleveraging and reducing exposure to legacy assets outside North America (Hill and Campbell 2/12/2013).
Open Access
Anti-Retroviral Therapy and Social Danger in Papua New Guinea
(Canberra, ACT: State, Society and Governance in Melanesia (SSGM) Program, The Australian National University, 2017) Eves, Richard; Kelly-Hanku, Angela
Open Access
Anticipation and Apprehension in Fiji’s 2022 General Election
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-06-27) Singh, Shailendra
In Fiji’s politically charged context, national elections are historically a risky period. Since the 2022 campaign period was declared open on 26 April, the intensity has been increasing. With three governments toppled by coups after the 1987, 1999 and 2006 elections, concerns about a smooth transfer of power in 2022 are part of the national discourse.
Open Access
Appointing Governments in Timor-Leste: Politics, the Constitution and the National Interest
(Canberra, ACT : Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, College of Asia and the Pacific, The Australian National University, 2015) Ingram, Sue
Open Access
Approaches to the COVID-19 Pandemic in Papua New Guinea: Government Measures and Public Responses
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2020) Yakam, Lorelle Tekopiri
This In Brief captures the general perceptions and mood of a sample of Papua New Guineans during the state of emergency (SOE) imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Papua New Guinea (PNG). A short questionnaire was sent to 19 Papua New Guineans using an online survey platform (Survey Monkey) during the height of the lockdown in mid-2020. This In Brief describes some of the measures taken by the PNG government in response to the pandemic and, through the survey, offers insights into the impact of the pandemic on citizens and how they interpreted the government’s measures.