DPA In Briefs (previously Briefing Notes)
Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/292043
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Publication Embargo Assessing PNG Youths’ Knowledge about Mental Health Issues, Substance Abuse, and Gender-Based Violence(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-19) Zuhukepe, Aileen; Yembinaro, JamesonYouth in Papua New Guinea (PNG) face serious challenges including mental health issues, substance abuse, and gender-based violence (GBV). In PNG, 67% of the population is under 35 (National Statistical Office 2021). However, only 10% of young people graduate from recognised tertiary institutions (colleges and universities) and gain employment each year (Napitalai et al. 16/4/2024). Youth crime is increasingly viewed as a major social issue, often linked to unemployment, limited access to higher education, and exposure to drugs, violence, and mental health struggles. Awareness remains a critical first step in addressing these issues. This In Brief presents findings from a larger study assessing youth awareness of mental health, alcohol abuse, and GBV in the National Capital District (NCD).Publication Open Access Educational Policies in Vanuatu and New Caledonia: Challenges for Indigenous Languages(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-18) Pradeau, CoralineThe world currently faces a significant loss of linguistic diversity. The Pacific region home to nearly 20 per cent of the world’s languages, many of them highly endangered is at the forefront of this challenge. Vanuatu and New Caledonia are two emblematic territories in Melanesia where educational language policies intersect with colonial legacies, political aspirations, and initiatives to safeguard indigenous languages and cultures. There is robust evidence that ensuring every child has access to education in their mother tongue reduces inequalities, fosters inclusion, and improves basic skills such as reading and writing (Hélot and de Mejía 2008). This In Brief examines how schools and universities in Vanuatu and New Caledonia support linguistic diversity despite the complex web of historical legacies and institutional obstacles. The analysis is based on interviews with 31 stakeholders from ministries, curriculum departments, universities, and teacher training institutions in both places (2022–23). This qualitative approach revealed the ideologies, resistances, and aspirations that shape the implementation of language policies.Publication Open Access Establishing and Strengthening a Culture-Sensitive Peacebuilding Strategy for Papua New Guinea(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-18) Kuman, GabrielThis In Brief is adapted from my presentation to a panel with the theme of ‘Dialogues for peace: Is there a need for a national peace strategy?’ at the 2025 PNG Update conference. My response to this question is ‘Yes’. Given the current situation, the intergroup conflicts, crimes, violence, and killings in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have reached epidemic proportions. The presentation was based on my knowledge of local content as a Papua New Guinean. I am the voice of my people, as I am part and parcel of the conflict. As a Papua New Guinean, I realise that one of the root causes of many problems in PNG is culture and the associated beliefs and values. I will discuss the influence of culture and religion, with a special focus on developing and strengthening a culture-sensitive peacebuilding strategy for PNG.Publication Open Access Records of Pacific Languages: Where Are They and Who Can See Them?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-05) Thieberger, NickAustralian researchers have a long tradition of working in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea. University-based linguists in particular have been travelling since the 1960s to remote parts of the region to learn some of the nearly 2,000 languages spoken there. Most of these languages continue to be spoken, in defiance of the colonial monolingual enterprise that considers them an impediment to progress. A language may provide a source of identity, but multilingualism, the ability to speak or understand other languages, is normal, and is valued. Despite this value, rising rates of migration and urbanisation are contributing to the decline in use of local languages. This increases the urgency of creating records for future reference, and of preserving existing records where they exist. Since early this century our project, PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures), has been locating tape recordings made in the region by Australian linguists, musicologists, and anthropologists, but held in Australia. PARADISEC is a collaboration between three Australian universities: the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and The Australian National University. We have been working to find relevant analogue records and to digitise them, putting them into an online system that makes them discoverable, joining increasing numbers of born digital field recordings. Depositors specify what kind of access and use can be made of the materials; we always aim to make items as accessible as possible, but we also use a takedown principle in case we are advised of inappropriate content.Publication Open Access Between the Lines: Pacific Cultural Adoptions in Australia(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-21) Tualima, Solamalemalo Hai-Yuean; Fainga‘a-Manusione, Inez; Faleolo, RuthMany Pacific families involved in the adoption process are torn between established Western legal principles and desiring recognition of Pacific ways of being and practices in the Australian system. Balancing Eurocentric legal systems and Pacific customary practice requires consideration of both mechanisms to navigate the best interests of the child. When Western legal frameworks are imposed upon cultural adoptions, without acknowledgement of context, the best interests of the child can be distorted. This In Brief examines Samoan and Tongan adoptions from the points of view of the Samoan and Tongan authors. It does not elaborate on the legal aspects but focuses on Pacific worldviews. Cultural adoption remains a common practice within Pacific families in Australia, reflecting enduring kinship-based caregiving traditions. We aim to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the ‘Pacific Cultural Adoptions Expert Report’ (Fainga‘a-Manu Sione et al. 2024), highlighting the importance of having a Pacific perspective that is conscious of custom and customary law. The report, commissioned by the presiding judge, discusses a case concerning the adoption of a Samoan child to a relative and his Tongan wife in Australia.Publication Open Access Are Pacific Labour Schemes Creating a Culture of Migration in Vanuatu?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-15) Bailey, RochelleOver the last decade, both New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE) and Australia’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility scheme (PALM)1 have contributed to the creation of a culture of international migration in Vanuatu. This In Brief examines the concept of a culture of migration, drawing on research into ni-Vanuatu participation in these since 2007, highlighting changes in attitudes towards those participating in these programs. As one of the largest sending nations over the past 18 years, there are lessons to be learned from this Pacific Island nation for other participating countries. Issues include how participation affects community and cultural expectations and obligations, and the potential growth of intergenerational migration.Publication Open Access Mirroring Our Struggles: Nuclear Legacies in Oceania and Central Asia(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-13) Szadziewski, HenrykSemey, in eastern Kazakhstan, is approximately 2,800 kilometres from the nearest ocean. It sits on the West Siberian Plain, and the temperatures in January average around −15 degrees Celsius. Downstream from Semey, along the Irtysh River, which cuts through the city, the plains give way to an arid steppe landscape of grasses and shrubs. The population of Semey is approximately 350,000 and majority Kazakh — a Turkic and predominantly Muslim people — with a significant minority of Russians. A former resident is 19th century novelist Fyodor Dostoevsky. There’s little to suggest a connection with the Pacific Ocean, except that Semey, formerly known as Semipalatinsk, was the site of 456 nuclear tests between 1949 and 1989. This nuclear legacy links Kazakhs to I-Kiribati, Mā‘ohi Nui, and Marshallese, whose homelands and oceanscapes the United Kingdom, France, and the United States (US) considered similarly ‘remote’ for the purpose of weapons testing. The unaddressed legacy of testing in Oceania and Central Asia has given way to strong antinuclear movements in both regions — often led by younger persons — seeking colonial states to remediate harmful environmental and health outcomes. This In Brief outlines the bilateral relations between states in Oceania and Central Asia, then moves on to the shared histories of nuclear testing. Lastly, I examine civil society responses in both regions, their alliances, and the broader impact of these connections.Publication Open Access PNG’s Local-level Government Elections: Causes of the Delays(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-11) Oppermann, Thiago CintraPapua New Guinea is due to return to the polls in 2025 — this time for Local-level Government (LLG) elections. Or at least, this is the ambition. Writs for the election were issued on 24 April. This was against the advice of the Papua New Guinea Electoral Commission (PNGEC), which requested a delay for a range of operational reasons. Instead of a delay, a very long campaign period was announced, with polling scheduled to begin on 12 July. Serious procurement and organisational issues identified by the PNGEC would have to be addressed after the issue of writs. This carried risks: all PNG elections are complex, they rarely run smoothly, and LLG elections are in some ways the most complex. There are 6,916 wards in 374 LLGs. Each ward is a separate electoral race, with a total of over 30,000 candidates. In 164 LLGs, the president is elected on the floor of the assembly by the ward members, while in others, there are direct elections and hence different counting procedures and ballot requirements. For 2025, the PNGEC also has to carry out five national by-elections alongside the LLG elections, as well as elections for the 17-member Motu-Koita Assembly (MKA), further complicating preparations.Publication Open Access How Women in the Pacific Perceive and Reduce the Risk of Crime Victimisation(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-07-25) Putt, Judy; Kaur, Jasbant; Calabrò, Domenica Gisella; Amin, Sara N.; Malungahu, Gemma; Meki, Theresa; Alex, Cathy; Bailey, Rochelle; Watson, Amanda H. A.In criminology, there is a strong body of literature that examines risks of crime victimisation and fear of crime. Conducted primarily in high-income countries and drawing on the analysis of crime and safety surveys, the research shows that fear of crime is often not directly associated with actual risk, and that there are gendered and age dimensions to the risks of victimisation and to fear of crime (e.g. Stanko 1997; Walklate 2017). A pilot study (Putt et al. 2025) conducted in 2024 in five countries in the Pacific region aimed to explore how women perceive their risk in terms of physical and online safety, including financial safety. In this In Brief, we summarise the main themes that emerged from the pilot study in relation to how women seek to protect themselves (and whether this seems to differ from men’s behaviour).Publication Open Access Cook Islands–China Relations and Implications for the Pacific(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-07-21) Zhang, Denghua; Gorman, Hilary; Tuari‘i, MeritaThe great power competition between China and traditional powers is intensifying in the Pacific region. China is looking for opportunities to increase its engagement with Pacific Island countries, including the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands is a self-governed Pacific Island country in free association with New Zealand (Government of the Cook Islands and Government of New Zealand 2001; Firth 1989). This relationship has continued to evolve and generate tensions, particularly regarding Cook Islands’ sovereignty. It became more complicated after the visit to China by Cook Islands’ Prime Minister Mark Brown in February this year where he held a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang and attended the closing ceremony of the Asian Winter Games. This In Brief will discuss the controversies of the visit, perceptions in the Cook Islands of the visit and, briefly, the implications for the Cook Islands and the Pacific region at large.Publication Open Access Autonomy for East New Britain, Independence for Bougainville: Identities and Subnational Governance in Papua New Guinea(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-06-20) Stiefvater, JamesDynamics between Indigenous identities and government development practices play a key role in understanding provincial politics in Papua New Guinea (PNG) and are especially salient when examining efforts for political restructuring at the subnational level. In East New Britain (ENB), this aspiration is found in the quest for special autonomy, a unique constitutionally guaranteed political status that would grant the province substantial control over administrative, financial, and political affairs. In the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (ARoB), autonomy is perceived as a means to an end: independence from PNG a goal since at least the 1960s. Understanding how local groups coexist, comingle, and contest their visions for governance arrangements can shed light on why some provinces like ENB strive for greater administrative powers but opt to stay in the colonially created bounds of PNG, while the ARoB and its people are ready to move on. This In Brief is based on PhD research in ENB and the ARoB. Using relational tok stori methodology to centre Indigenous voices, it seeks to understand the meaning of Indigenous identities, their dynamics with state-led development, and how they shape political aspirations.Publication Open Access An Innovative Golden Passport? Exploring Nauru’s New Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-06-05) Jiang, NingningIn November 2024, at COP29, Nauru launched the ‘Nauru Economic and Climate Resilience Citizenship Program’ (NECRCP), becoming the first Pacific Island state to explicitly link a citizenship-by-investment (CBI) program with climate adaptation finance. With fees starting at US$105,000 for a single applicant, NECRCP presents citizenship both as a mobile asset and as a financing tool for coastal restoration, water security, and environmental recovery. This In Brief draws on early insights from my PhD research on investor-citizenship in the Pacific region, focusing on structural and symbolic factors rather than personal motivations. NECRCP serves as a pilot study showing how island states reshape citizenship programs under pressures of climate risk and economic instabilityPublication Open Access Intergroup War Prevention Strategy — Can It Work in Papua New Guinea?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-30) Kaiku, Patrick; Kola, Molly; Injo, ZaffoccaThe Counter-Terrorism Act 2024 (CTA) was unanimously passed in Papua New Guinea’s (PNG’s) parliament on 28 November 2024. It repealed the Internal Security Act 1993 (ISA), which was enacted to prevent acts of terrorism and through which government could designate ‘proscribed organizations’. The ISA was never enforced, because the Supreme Court found it inconsistent with due process provisions of section 42 of the Constitution of the Independent State of Papua New Guinea. The CTA created an entity called the Counter- Terrorism Joint Security Taskforce and expanded the surveillance powers of law enforcement. Under section 17 of the CTA, the Commissioner of Police can direct telecommunication providers to supply intelligence to prevent or respond to potential offences. Social media platforms and telecommunication devices are now used by criminals to coordinate crime. Hence, the CTA focuses on the surveillance capabilities of law enforcement through telecommunication providers. When Prime Minister James Marape introduced the bill in October 2024, he touted it as ‘a tough law that allows police to be proactive rather than reactive’ (Post-Courier 24/10/2024). This In Brief critiques the CTA and proposes instead that stakeholders make a collective effort towards addressing intergroup warfare as a matter of national importance.Publication Open Access Why Some Community By-Laws Stick and Others Slip Part 2 — An Adaptive Cycle Explanation(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-21) Forsyth, Miranda; Dinnen, Sinclair; Tuhanuku, Ali; Roberts, AntheaAs explained in Part 1 of this In Brief series, our research comprises a multi-country comparative analysis of community rule-making in Melanesia. Across the region, people are actively participating in the shaping and reshaping of order in their communities, rather than being the passive subjects of state or customary forms of governance. We have found some examples of real success — where by-laws have helped transform once violent and unsafe neighbourhoods into more peaceful and vibrant places where residents can sleep at night and commercial activities occur without disruption. We also found examples where these local innovations can contribute to normative changes, such as around the acceptability of family violence or violence more broadly. On the other hand, there are many examples of by-laws reinforcing the patriarchal authority of older male leaders, suppressing other voices, such as those of women and youth. By-laws often start as promising initiatives but then slowly grind to a halt as momentum runs out or obstacles are encountered.Publication Open Access Community Order-Making in Melanesia Part 1 –Empirical Findings(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-21) Forsyth, Miranda; Dinnen, Sinclair; Tuhanuku, Ali; Roberts, AntheaGreen Valley, an informal settlement in the midst of the urban sprawl of Solomon Islands’ capital, Honiara, was formerly known as a difficult place to live. Nighttime brawls, the sale of home-brewed kwaso and rampant petty theft regularly kept families awake and forced small shops to close before dusk. Women felt unsafe walking around, taxis and buses were reluctant to drop people off in the settlement, and the police were not responsive when called. During past episodes of urban unrest, the residents from Green Valley were often the first ones on the frontline. However, during Solomon Islands’ last major riots in 2021, the Green Valley ‘boys’ did not attend. These days, local shops stay open later and people quieten down by 10 pm. Local community members attribute this transformation to new community by-laws that were introduced around 2020. Formed from a combination of strong community leadership and processes of dialogue and collaboration, the by-laws are administered by a committee of volunteers and supported by a local ‘taskforce’ that conducts patrols every evening. Green Valley is just one of many communities we visited over the past four years as part of our research into community laws, often called by-laws in Papua New Guinea (PNG), Bougainville, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Fiji. We have found a spectrum of formality in these laws: some are broad principles prominently displayed on village billboards, some are circulated solely within the community, and yet others are ‘checked’ and signed by state officials. We view this production of by-laws as part of an efflorescence of local-level order-making aimed at reinvigorating community governance in the face of multiple stresses.Publication Open Access Vanuatu’s First National Referendum Part 2: Management(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-21) Naupa, AnnaThis In Brief is Part 2 in a series marking the first anniversary of Vanuatu’s first ever national referendum in May 2024. Part 1 describes the political significance of the referendum and its outcome. Here, Part 2 describes the referendum management process.Publication Open Access Vanuatu’s First National Referendum Part 1: The Political Significance(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-21) Naupa, AnnaVanuatu held its first ever national referendum on 29 May 2024. Part 1 of this two-part In Brief series summarises the significance of the referendum as part of the country’s political integrity reforms. Part 2 details the legal and electoral dynamics that guided the conduct of this referendum. The In Brief series provides a Vanuatu case study that can inform future studies of Pacific Islands referenda and democratic processes.Publication Open Access Fijian Foreign Policy or Australian?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-05-13) Waqavakatoga, WilliamA document articulating Fiji’s foreign policy priorities and guiding its international engagements in the next decade was launched in September 2024 by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka. This first Foreign Policy White Paper (FPWP) is centred on the three pillars of sovereignty, security and prosperity and shows how Fiji views the region, the world and its ambitions in foreign policy.Publication Open Access What Should Australian Aid in the Pacific Look Like after the Retreat of USAID?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-04-07) Moore, LiamThe 2025–26 budget delivered by Australia’s Labor government is one of the first tangible pieces of evidence of how Australia plans to counter the much-publicised revision of the United States’ (US’) international aid program under the Trump administration and the reduction in foreign aid by the United Kingdom (UK). As the US is only the sixth largest contributor in the Pacific — with $1.1 billion dollars from 2018 to 2022, as opposed to Australia’s $4.8 billion — this move alone ‘won’t break the Pacific’. What it will do is raise questions about what Australia should be doing in the region and how it should do it.Publication Open Access Papua New Guinea’s Diplomacy in Managing Neighbourly Cooperation: A Personal Reflection(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-04-04) Age, BarbaraPapua New Guinea’s foreign policy since independence from Australia 50 years ago evolved from ‘universalism: friends to all and enemies to none’, to ‘active and selective engagement’, in its first Foreign Policy White Paper (FPWP) in 1982, reflecting PNG’s strategic position as a bridge between Asia and the Pacific. In 2017 the government initiated a review of its foreign policy and endorsed the theme ‘Connecting for peace and prosperity in a changing world’ (DFA 2017). PNG will launch its second white paper on foreign policy in 2025. This In Brief proposes small state diplomacy — focused on how small states can effectively respond to and influence international affairs and contribute to global stability and development — as a broad framework for analysing PNG’s subregional cooperation. PNG’s small state approach to diplomacy is shaped by its geographic location, colonial history, limited resources and diplomatic leverage, and the need to balance bilateral relations with broader regional interests.