DPA Research Reports

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/292220

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  • PublicationOpen Access
    Unspoken Rules of Politics: Uncovering the Motivations of Voters in Vanuatu's Elections
    (Balance of Power, 2024-11) Toa, Wilson; Telstar, Jimmy; Saraken , Seman Dalesa; Tevi, Alira; Nailumu, Vani; Doan, Jennifer Kalpokas; Palmieri, Sonia
    This research project was undertaken during a period of significant political, economic and social turmoil in Vanuatu.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Pacific Attitudes Survey: Vanuatu
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-04-04) Mudaliar, Christopher; Leach, Michael; Baker, Kerryn; Barbara, Julien; Vaha, Milla; Kotra, Krishna Kumar; Leodoro, Trevor
    The Pacific Attitudes Survey: Vanuatu is the second large-scale popular political attitudes survey conducted in the Pacific region, following the first survey in Samoa conducted in late 2020 and early 2021 (Leach et al. 2022). Comprising 191 questions set out in 21 thematic modules, it covers a broad range of topics including attitudes to democracy, national identity, tradition, leadership, governance, development, climate change and international relations. The survey was nationally representative and conducted between August and October 2023, coinciding with a period of political instability for Vanuatu in which two successful votes of no confidence took place.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Safety and wellbeing in Australia’s Pacific labour mobility scheme
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2023-10-31) Kanan, Lindy; Putt, Judy
    Australian industries have used labour from the Pacific Islands in different forms since the late 1800s. The Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme was announced in 2021 and combined two previous schemes, the Seasonal Worker Program and the Pacific Labour Scheme. The PALM scheme allows eligible Australian businesses to hire workers from nine Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste when there are not enough local workers available. The number of PALM scheme workers in Australia rapidly increased following the COVID-19 border closures in 2020, and as at January 2023 there were over 35,000 workers in Australia. Internationally, there are concerns about how guestworkers are treated in host countries so it was timely to examine the safety and wellbeing of PALM scheme workers in Australia, and whether the arrangements currently in place adequately support and protect workers.
  • ItemOpen Access
    The Vanuatu-Australia Policing and Justice Services Study
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2023-05-31) Putt, Judy; Dinnen, Sinclair
    Australia has provided assistance to the Vanuatu Police Force (VPF) since the early 1990s and to the justice sector since the mid-1990s. The two programs were combined in 2014, and the current program — the Vanuatu-Australia Policing and Justice Program (VAPJP) — is in its second phase, with the design updated in 2020 to map out Australia’s continued support. The end of program outcomes for the VAPJP are: improving the quality and reach of justice and policing services; women, children and youth increasingly accessing state policing, justice and community services; and policing and justice agencies continuing to maintain public security and the rule of law. As a baseline study for the VAPJP, a telephone based survey of 1016 adults and nine focus groups with 91 participants was conducted in 2022. The key results from this study form the body of this report, along with key implications and recommendations that emerged from the study.
  • ItemOpen Access
    Family protection orders in the Pacific region - Report from a symposium held in December 2021
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2023-01-05) Putt, Judy; Kanan, Lindy
    On 9 December 2021, the Pacific Community (SPC) and The Australian National University (ANU) co-convened a virtual ‘Symposium on family protection orders in the Pacific region’. The symposium brought together expertise from across the region, including from the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Palau, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Timor Leste, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The chapters of this publication are based on the presentations that were given at the event, and provide insightful accounts of how family protection orders and domestic and family violence (DFV) response systems are working across the Pacific. The speakers contributed a rich array of expert perspectives and included lawyers, judicial officers, academics, police officers, government officials, and representatives from specialist DFV services, regional bodies and aid projects.
  • ItemOpen Access
    ‘When I go back’: Experiences and expectations of PNG women scholarship graduates on return home
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-08-02) Lovai, Betty; Palmieri, Sonia; Milli, Geejay
    Supporting education through scholarships has been a long-term development strategy of the Australian Government, including in the Pacific region, most notably through the Australia Awards Linkages Framework (DFAT 2020). This sustained investment has been regularly monitored and evaluated with tracer studies of Australia Awards alumni undertaken through DFAT’s Global Tracer Facility (GTF). These studies consider alumni perceptions of their relationships with Australia, and the extent to which alumni consider they have made a development contribution on return home (Edwards et al. 2020). In contrast, there is a more limited academic literature on the experiences of Pacific scholars once they have returned home from overseas, and more particularly, the gendered nature of those experiences (Howard 2019, Howard et al. 2019). This research aims to fill this knowledge gap and asks three interrelated questions: 1.To what extent do alumnae (that is, women scholarship graduates) expect, andfeel they are able, to act as agents of change on return home? 2.What factors either support or hinder alumnae approaches to facilitate changeon return home? 3.What are the consequences of alumnae attempts at – and/or achievement of –change? In answering these questions, a small-scale pilot study was conducted with a group of women who were not only recipients of an Australia Award (AA), but had also participated in a niche enrichment program known as the Women’s Leadership Initiative (WLI). Since its inception in 2017, almost 130 Pacific women scholars have participated in the WLI, with half of these from Papua New Guinea (PNG), reflecting the larger pool of AA recipients from PNG.
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    Women's political and administrative leadership in the Pacific
    (Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, 2016) Haley, Nicole; Zubrinich, Kerry
    Improving women’s leadership and political participation has proved to be a key developmental challenge for Pacific Islands Countries, particularly the Melanesian countries (Barbara and Haley 2014:48). Since its inception the Australian Aid Program’s flagship gender equity initiative – Pacific Women (AusAID 2012) – has supported a range of activities aimed at improving and better understanding women’s leadership and decision making in the region (Pacific Women 2015). 1 Drawing upon this objective, and the available research and analytical work, this paper provides an overview of women’s political and administrative leadership in the Pacific. It has been prepared to inform forthcoming design work being undertaken by Pacific Women. The paper incorporates and expands upon an earlier concept note we prepared to inform the original Pacific Women design (Haley and Zubrinich 2012), and considers women’s leadership and participation as it relates to formal institutions and processes, including national and subnational government, the public sector and civic engagement (c.f. Domingo et.al. 2015; and McLeod’s (2015) political, administrative and civil society leadership)
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    Pacific Attitudes Survey: Samoa
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-04) Leach, Michael; Barbara, Julien; Mow, Loana Chan; Vaai, Sina; Mudaliar, Christopher; Amosa, Patila; Milo, Louise Mataia; Tauaa, Susana; Imo-Seuoti, Taema; Heem, Vernetta
    The Pacific Attitudes Survey: Samoa is the first large scale popular political attitudes survey conducted in the Pacific region. Comprising 181 questions set out in 26 thematic modules, it covers a broad range of topics including attitudes to democracy, national identity, tradition, leadership, governance, development and international relations. The survey took place in late December 2020 and January 2021, and was conducted in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and in the lead up to what would prove an historic election.
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    Small-Scale Mining in Bougainville: Impacts and Policy Responses
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2016-05) O'Faircheallaigh, Ciaran; Regan, Anthony; Kikira, Dennis; Kenema, Simon
    New report released presenting interim findings from research project on small-scale mining in Bougainville
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    Chega! Ten Years On: A Neglected National Resource : The Fate of the CAVR Final Report in Timor-Leste
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2016) Kent, Lia; Kinsella, Naomi; Tchailoro, Nuno Rodrigues
    It is now 10 years since the publication of Chega! (the final report of the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation, known by its Portuguese acronym, ‘CAVR’). The CAVR was tasked with documenting human rights violations committed throughout Timor-Leste’s 24-year-long armed conflict and making recommendations on how to address the negative impact of the conflict, including measures to prevent its recurrence. This report presents the key findings of a project that assesses some dimensions of Chega!’s impact in Timor-Leste.1 The project consisted of two components. The first component examined how ‘key actors’ — defined as prominent figures in the government, parliament, education sector, Catholic Church, media and civil society organisations — perceive and utilise Chega! The second component assessed different programs designed to disseminate and ‘socialise’ Chega! amongst Timorese. The methodology involved a desk review of publicly available speeches and documents, interviews with 28 key actors, interviews with students exposed to Chega!-socialisation programs and an analysis of students’ written responses to such programs.
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    Experiencing the Public Sector: Pacific Women's Perspective
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2009) Haley, Nicole; Zubrinich, Kerry
    This report contains the findings arising from a short study undertaken to examine the experiences of women in the public sector across the Pacific. It is part of a much larger initiative aimed at improving the public sector capacity of Pacific Islands’ countries. One hundred women from six Pacific Island counties: Kiribati, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga and Vanuatu were invited to participate, 40 responded. All were senior or middle level public sector employees. Each respondent completed a short questionnaire concerning their: educational background; work history/career path; experiences in the workplace; domestic responsibilities and work/life balance; factors related to success; and leadership aspirations. Of the 40 respondents, 19 worked in central agencies (Treasury, Finance and Planning, Prime Minister and Cabinet, National Executive Council, and Justice) while 21 worked in line agencies. The youngest respondent was 26 years and the oldest was 59, with an even spread in between. Twenty three of the respondents were currently married, nine were divorced or separated, four were widowed and four were single. All but four (36/40) had children, and all but one (39/40) said they had additional dependents, with three quarters of the women surveyed (29/40) having more than 5 dependents. Every woman who participated was well educated and well qualified. They were all at least bi-lingual (often multi-lingual), well travelled and have attended international workshops, conferences, and short courses in order to enhance their skills and knowledge base. Some have travelled to Europe, Asia and the sub-continent in their capacities as senior public servants. In short they are bright, articulate and have a good understanding of what is happening around them (at work and at home). The real value of this study lies in the insight it provides into the working and home lives of female public sector employees across the Pacific. It provides a solid starting point in understanding just how women experience their workplaces and domestic situations and the challenges they face on a day to day basis. It paints a fairly grim picture of life in the public sector. For example the study reveals that female public sector employees are exposed to a range of abuses in the workplace, including verbal abuse, threats of violence and sexual harassment, as well as harassment from the wives and girlfriends of male colleagues. Many also grapple with political interference. The study also revealed women experience day to day difficulty at the interface of home and work. Travelling to and from work safely is an issue, and most find they are working two jobs – doing their paid work and maintaining their households with little domestic assistance. Many women reported that they are closely scrutinised by husbands and boyfriends and that they have experienced domestic violence because of the difficulties involved in balancing work and domestic responsibilities. Certainly being well educated and having good jobs had not protected this cohort of women from domestic violence. On a more positive note the study identifies factors that have contributed towards women’s success in the public sector. When asked about the most significant factors in their success, women listed: education, hard work, persistence and perseverance, supportive bosses and families, and Christian faith. In view of this and the other findings contained within this report we offer suggestions for further research. Entry points for donor engagement also emerge out of the key findings. These are outlined in the recommendations that follow.
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    New Zealand's Recognised Employer Scheme (RSE): 10 Year Longitudinal Case Study
    (Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University, 2019) Bailey, Rochelle-Lee
    This research stems from a 10-year longitudinal study of 22 ni-Vanuatu temporary migrant labourers participating in New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) established on 30 April 2007. The RSE scheme was a grower-initiated policy and the objectives were two-fold: to fill the chronic shortfall of available labour in the horticulture and viticulture sectors and at the same time, New Zealand (NZ) government officials promoted the RSE as a way forward for economic development in the Pacific region, via remittances sent home. With a lack of waged employment opportunities in their home countries, many families in the Pacific region perceive labour mobility opportunities as an additional source of income that can meet individual and community needs. The positive economic and social outcomes from the RSE makes it attractive for governments, industries and Pacific workers alike, and is the reason why the scheme has seen continued expansion. The study has focused on three main areas: »» Identifying the various social and economic impacts for employers, RSE workers, their families, workers’ communities, as well as New Zealand communities in which workers reside. »» Knowing more about the interactions between seasonal workers, their employers and local NZ communities. »» Tracking how the program has changed and expanded over time, monitoring the challenges and strengthening the positive impacts while mitigating negative unintended consequences.
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    Mapping Security Cooperation in the Pacific Islands - Research Report
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Wallis, Joanne; McNeill, Henrietta; Batley, James; Powles, Anna
    In the 2018 Boe Declaration on Regional Security, Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) leaders recognised that the Pacific Islands region is facing ‘an increasingly complex regional security environment driven by multifaceted security challenges’. This raises the question of how Pacific Island states and territories will respond to these wide-ranging, but frequently interconnected, challenges, including what role regional security cooperation can play. The purpose of this paper is to identify and map the various cooperative security agreements, arrangements and institutions between and among states and territories in the Pacific Islands region, and their partners.
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    Domestic violence, the law and related services in Papua New Guinea: A survey of young adults in Port Moresby and Lae
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Putt, Judy; Milli, Geejay; Essacu, Francis
    A survey of young adults was conducted in Port Moresby and Lae towards the end of 2019 and in early 2020 as part of a larger study on the use and efficacy of family protection orders (FPOs) as a key response to domestic and family violence (DFV) in Papua New Guinea (PNG). This report presents the results from all 180 participants in the survey, of whom 95 were interviewed face to face in Port Moresby, 27 completed the survey online and 58 were interviewed face to face in Lae. The results are presented under the headings found in the questionnaire: characteristics of participants, perceptions of domestic violence, attitudes to gender and violence, knowledge of PNG family violence law and FPOs and recommended sources of help for victims. As this was an exploratory survey rather than a representative sample, a final section on the findings examines a limited number of independent variables — gender and place of residence — for the significance of their impact on key dependent variables.
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    Domestic Violence and Family Law in Papua New Guinea
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Kanan, Lindy; Putt, Judy
    This paper arose from a research project on family protection orders (FPOs) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), during which it became apparent that many matters being brought to the police and courts involved both domestic violence and family law issues. It also became clear that there was a lack of current information available regarding family law in PNG, with the only comprehensive textbook on the subject last updated over 25 years ago. This paper seeks to provide an overview of PNG’s family law architecture, explain how it is administered by PNG courts and discuss the interaction between family law and domestic violence matters. It concludes with some suggestions that could make the system easier to navigate for PNG citizens.
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    Family Protection Orders: Court Processes in Papua New Guinea
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Kanan, Lindy; Putt, Judy; Opur, Philemon
    This report outlines some findings and observations about how courts in Papua New Guinea (PNG) handle the family protection orders (FPOs) introduced under the Family Protection Act 2013. It is based on direct observations of 33 court hearings in Port Moresby and Lae conducted between 28 January and 24 March 2020. These findings and interpretations of the court observations are informed by a larger study on FPOs that included interviews with stakeholders across seven locations: Port Moresby, Lae, Popondetta, Buka, Arawa, Mount Hagen and Minj.
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    Family Protection Orders in Papua New Guinea: Summary Report
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Putt, Judy; Kanan, Lindy
    The aim of the research project on which this summary report is based, was to investigate whether the family protection orders (FPOs) introduced under the Family Protection Act 2013 (FPA) were being accessed by, and improving the safety of, domestic and family violence1 (DFV) survivors. The Act, as well as the introduction of civil restraining orders specifically targeted at preventing and reducing DFV, represented a significant milestone in efforts to address in DFV in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The project was undertaken from late 2019 to August 2020. It was a collaborative project that involved researchers based in Australia and PNG, local researchers in various communities and several non-government organisations (NGOs). More than 25 people assisted with the research activities, which occurred in seven locations across PNG — Minj, Mount Hagen, Lae, Port Moresby, Popondetta, Buka and Arawa. This is a summary of the the larger and more comprehensive report which can be found here.
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    Family Protection Orders in Papua New Guinea - Main Report
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021) Putt, Judy; Kanan, Lindy
    The aim of the research project on which this report is based, was to investigate whether the family protection orders (FPOs) introduced under the Family Protection Act 2013 (FPA) were being accessed by, and improving the safety of, domestic and family violence1 (DFV) survivors. The Act, as well as the introduction of civil restraining orders specifically targeted at preventing and reducing DFV, represented a significant milestone in efforts to address in DFV in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The project was undertaken from late 2019 to August 2020. It was a collaborative project that involved researchers based in Australia and PNG, local researchers in various communities and several non-government organisations (NGOs). More than 25 people assisted with the research activities, which occurred in seven locations across PNG — Minj, Mount Hagen, Lae, Port Moresby, Popondetta, Buka and Arawa. The findings from the research are synthesised and summarised under the headings implementation and impact.
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    Papua New Guinea's Primary Health Care System: Views from the Frontline
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2020) Wiltshire, Colin; Watson, Amanda H A; Lokinap, Denise; Currie, Tatia
    This report aims to provide insights into how recent PNG government reform efforts are impacting on the primary health care system. These include the introduction of a free primary health care policy, national grants to provinces for recurrent health expenditure, changes in medical supply policies, and development funds allocated to members of parliament for health infrastructure in their electorates. It presents illustrations of how PNG’s primary health care system functions, drawing mainly on the perspectives of health administrators and frontline workers on the ground. The findings detailed in this report set out the realities of providing frontline health services to communities at the local level. This provides some insights into health system operations and reveals how different provincial contexts influence the implementation of health reforms, the utilisation of available health funds and the performance of health facilities.
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    Improving the Electoral Chances of Pacific Women through an Evidence-based Approach
    (Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2016) Barbara, Julien; Baker, Kerryn
    This report draws on discussions that occurred at a three-day workshop hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions (CDI) and State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM) at the Australian National University in Canberra in June 2016. The purpose of the workshop was to review the evidence base regarding lessons learned about successful campaigning, how women are positioned to run successful campaigns, and how development partners might enhance the effectiveness of support provided to women candidates by drawing on and responding to this evidence base. While the workshop focused on the Melanesian context — and Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, in particular — it drew on lessons from other parts of the Pacific islands region and the findings of this synthesis report may be applicable more widely. The workshop was attended by a broad range of stakeholders, including campaign activists, women candidates, former and current sitting members of legislatures, development partners, NGOs, policymakers and academics from Melanesia and Australia. An annotated copy of the three-day workshop program is provided at Appendix A, with speaker names excluded. Discussions at the workshop were held on a Chatham House basis to encourage frank discussion. While the synthesis provided in this report draws on those discussions, this report reflects the analysis of the authors and should not be taken to reflect the views of attendees at the workshop. This report is supplemented by a series of framing papers which were presented at that workshop to inform focused workshop discussions and have been published as SSGM In Briefs in tandem with this report.
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