DPA In Briefs (previously Briefing Notes)

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

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Open Access
Community Governance in Melanesia: The Impact of Long-Range Leaders
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-10-23) Forsyth, Miranda; Dinnen, Sinclair
It is becoming increasingly hard to understand local level governance in Melanesia without attending to the role played by ‘long-range leaders’. We use this term to refer to members of a village community who are living permanently or periodically outside their community, usually in a larger town or city. Unlike their Polynesian and Micronesian neighbours, few Melanesian countries (with the exception of Fiji) have significant overseas diasporas, so we are concerned primarily with incountry long-range leadership. Long-range leaders can be elites such as politicians, businessmen/women or senior bureaucrats. In some contexts, they can simply be individuals with a regular pay-packet living in an urban area. Their leadership claim may stem from their standing in the village including customary title, or status gained through education or employment. In recent fieldwork in Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea (PNG), we have become increasingly struck by the profound influence exercised by such leaders.
Open Access
Addressing Criminal Deportations to the Pacific Islands
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-10-01) McNeill, Henrietta
In the last decade, criminal deportations from Australia, New Zealand (NZ), and the United States (US) to Pacific Island countries (PICs) have substantially increased, driven by domestic politics securitising migration and crime. Deportations have raised regional concerns, including fears of potential transnational and domestic criminal activity if there is no formal reintegration support for returnees. Deporting states are key development and security partners to PICs, and should bear responsibility for the consequences of their deportation policies. Most people deported to Samoa, Tonga and Cook Islands for criminal activity are males aged 25–35.1 Returnees have been prosecuted, sentenced and incarcerated for their crime(s) in the deporting state, and would otherwise be released as free — if it were not for their non-citizen status. Each deporting state has different criteria and thresholds for criminal deportation, although there are shared features of the overall process. Key problems around criminal deportations are a lack of support prior to deportation; poor information sharing; a lack of financial support for reintegration; and the diplomatic repercussions of deportation policies. This In Brief discusses each of these problems, and summarises policy recommendations for Australia, NZ and the US as major deporting states based on a recent extensive study into criminal deportations to PICs (McNeill 2024).
Open Access
Deepening Men’s Engagement with Supporting Women in Leadership Part 2: Approaches for Male Allyship in Bougainville
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-09-24) Masta, Mercy
This is the second instalment of a two-part In Brief series drawing on the authors’ doctoral research conducted in Melanesia between 2016 and 2019. Part one discusses how men are essential to women’s leadership success in the Pacific, especially in elections. However, shifting men, particularly those with societal privileges, from passive supporters to active advocates or allies for women’s social justice can be challenging. In this piece, I explore effective strategies for engaging men in supporting women’s leadership and combating violence, drawing on interviews with male allies from the Nazareth Centre for Rehabilitation (NCfR) in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea. I observe NCfR as a model of successful approaches to fostering male allyship and advancing gender equality by selecting allies, providing training and dedicating spaces for men.
Open Access
Deepening Men’s Engagement with Supporting Women in Leadership Part 1: Men’s Supporting Roles in the Political Sphere
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-09-24) Meki, Theresa
In the last 20 years, gender and women’s leadership in particular has been a priority of international development in the Pacific region. This is an important agenda, particularly as women’s representation in Pacific parliaments continues to lag compared to other regions. While the primary focus is on improving women’s access to leadership positions and addressing patriarchal norms and structures, men’s involvement and participation is equally important, if not essential. This In Brief is the first in a two-part series drawing on findings from both authors’ doctoral fieldwork conducted in the Melanesian context between 2016 and 2019. These discussions aim to highlight the importance of men’s involvement in women’s leadership journeys and emancipation. This In Brief argues that men’s support is crucial in order for women to succeed in national politics, specifically men’s foundational role in the success of women’s political campaigns.
Open Access
Key Findings of the Pacific Attitudes Survey: Vanuatu
(Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-09-03) Mudaliar, Christopher; Leach, Michael; Baker, Kerryn; Barbara, Julien; Vaha, Milla; Kotra, Krishna Kumar; Leodoro, Trevor
The Pacific Attitudes Survey: Vanuatu gauges the views of a nationally representative sample of ni- Vanuatu across a range of thematic topics, including how citizens engage with and trust their political institutions; their understandings of democracy and tradition; and attitudes towards key issues like climate change and labour mobility. This is the second Pacific Attitudes Survey (PAS), following the first survey in Samoa.
Open Access
What is Distinctive about Vanuatu’s Foreign Policy?
(Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-09-02) Firth, Stewart
Vanuatu has just produced its first ever Foreign Policy Paper, entitled National Foreign Policy: A Foreign Policy for Vanuatu and its People (Republic of Vanuatu 2024), which gives expression to longstanding principles of the way Vanuatu engages with the world. Among these are support for nonalignment, UN peacekeeping, denuclearisation and decolonisation as well as a commitment to the region’s 2018 Boe Declaration and 2022 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent. Above all, Vanuatu has sought to avoid being a mere satrapy of more powerful states such as Australia.
Open Access
Language Endangerment and Sustainable Futures in Solomon Islands Part 1: Preserving and Promoting Linguistic Diversity
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-08-29) Terrill, Angela
This In Brief forms the first part of a two-part series looking at language endangerment and loss in Solomon Islands, and ways to mitigate this. Melanesia has some of the most linguistically diverse nations in the world. Amid this massive linguistic diversity, how does Solomon Islands deal with preserving its rich linguistic and cultural heritage? In the context of the new Solomon Islands Education Act, the issue of vernacular languages and mother-tongue education is particularly in focus.
Open Access
Language Endangerment and Sustainable Futures in Solomon Islands Part 2: The Kulu Language Institute
(2024-08-29) Zobule, Alpheaus Graham
This In Brief forms the second part of a two-part series examining language endangerment in Solomon Islands. The first part situated language endangerment in Solomon Islands in the context of broader issues of language and cultural endangerment in the Pacific. It sought to show that languages and cultures are being lost at a rapid rate, and that while top-down government policies are often inadequate to stem the tide of loss, grassroots developments may hold the key to long-term language and cultural survival. The second part of this series examines one such grassroots development in Solomon Islands: the Kulu Language Institute. It presents the institute and discusses ways forward from here.
Open Access
Unravelling the Black Wednesday Riots: Precarious Masculinity and Civil Unrest in Port Moresby
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 0003-07-24) Masta, Mercy
On 10 January 2024, residents of Port Moresby and other major centres in Papua New Guinea (PNG) witnessed civil disobedience, mostly carried out by men, expressed through looting, vandalism and arson targeting commercial property, in what is now referred to by locals as Black Wednesday. These events, starting with opportunists taking advantage of a police protest over a pay cut, sparked riots across the country. The government of PNG swiftly disseminated messages on social media refuting claims of a new tax levied on the police force, attributing the discrepancy in pay to a computer ‘glitch’. A 14-day state of emergency was declared, accompanied by the suspension of numerous senior government officials. The violence resulted in the loss of more than 20 lives, the displacement of hundreds of jobs, and adverse impacts on businesses and farmers. Although women participated in the riots, they were greatly outnumbered by men. This In Brief explores challenges to the manifestations of masculinity when urban men in particular encounter precarious situations such as those observed during the events of the Black Wednesday riots in Port Moresby.
Open Access
Developing a Home-Grown Independence Constitution in Bougainville: Part One — Context and Process
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-06-18) Regan, Anthony J.; LeRoy, Katy
On 6 May 2024, the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) released the first draft of its proposed independence constitution. The ABG is a highly autonomous sub-national government in Papua New Guinea (PNG), with strong aspirations for Bougainville (population about 350,000) to soon become the first independent country since South Sudan in 2011. This two-part In Brief analyses the political and constitutional context, Bougainville’s prior constitutionmaking history, the current constitution-making process (Part One), and key features of the content of the draft (Part Two).
Open Access
Developing a Home-Grown Independence Constitution in Bougainville: Part Two — Key Features of the Draft Constitution
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-06-18) Regan, Anthony J.; LeRoy, Katy
This is the second part of a two-part In Brief concerning the history, context and key features of the proposed independence constitution that is in the process of being developed for Bougainville.
Open Access
Funding Equality: Reimagining Fiji’s Political Landscape through Gender-Inclusive Political Party Funding
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-05-20) Kant, Romitesh
Recent reforms in political party funding by Fiji’s new coalition government have reignited crucial discussions about the foundations of democratic participation and representation. With increased financial allowances for members of parliament and substantial annual grants for political parties, these reforms are intended to strengthen the structural framework of Fiji’s political landscape. However, they glaringly overlook a critical dimension: the promotion of gender diversity in the political arena. The 2022 general elections have highlighted a significant regression, with a decrease in women’s representation in parliament and their continued underrepresentation in appointments to statutory boards. This In Brief argues that the financial reforms, while structurally significant, represent a missed opportunity, in failing to address the underlying gender disparities that inhibit women’s political participation. The paper instead proposes targeted reforms that align Fiji’s political financing mechanisms with its commitments to gender equality and social inclusion (GESI). By examining effective legislated and non-legislated measures from various global contexts, the paper makes recommendations aimed to bridge the gap between Fiji’s democratic aspirations and the lived reality of Fijian women, ensuring a more inclusive political landscape that reflects the diverse makeup of Fijian society.
Open Access
Settler Colonialism in New Guinea: Or Why Australia, not Indonesia, Set Papuans Free
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-05-17) McNamee, Lachlan
Juxtaposing the modern history of West Papua and Papua New Guinea forces us to confront an uncomfortable question: why did Indonesia and not Australia fulfil the colonisation of New Guinea? Or, put differently, why has Australia but not Indonesia set Papuans free? The standard answer to this question is ideology. Indonesia sees West Papua as a ‘core’ part of their nation-state, whereas the same was not true for Australia in PNG. This answer, however, is wrong, because it misunderstands the initial intentions of Australian officials in New Guinea. Just like Indonesia, Australia’s leaders initially saw New Guinea as an inalienable part of their new nation-state. And just like Indonesia, Australia’s leaders sought to secure control over New Guinea by settling large numbers of farmers there. Unlike in Indonesia, however, these efforts failed. To understand why Australia and not Indonesia ended up decolonising New Guinea, this In Brief, which draws upon a larger study (McNamee 2023), examines why Australia’s settler colonial project there failed whereas Indonesia’s succeeded.
Open Access
Tuvalu’s Response to Climate Change
(Canberra, ACT: Dept of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-05-13) Firth, Stewart
Tuvalu is among the Pacific nations most threatened by the steady rise in sea levels. Most people in Tuvalu do not want to lose their country to the man-made forces that are damaging the planet, and the Tuvalu government is doing something about it. A minor destination for traders and missionaries in the nineteenth century, Tuvalu — previously known as the Ellice Islands — became part of the British protectorate of the Gilbert and Ellice Islands in 1892, then of the British colony of the same name in 1916. Tuvalu broke away from Kiribati in 1975 before proceeding to independence in its own right in 1978. Tuvalu — three reef islands and six atolls — now faces possible physical extinction as a territorial state.
Open Access
Diverging Resilience Realities: Reflections on Conceptual Differences of Climate Resilience Building in Aotearoa New Zealand and the Pacific
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-04-17) Bland, Lauren
Resilience has become a prominent concept in development policy, describing the intersection between climate, disaster risk reduction and development (Bahadur et al. 2013). However, resilience lacks a universal definition, meaning it is often applied differently across disciplines and contexts. This In Brief reflects on differences in conceptual understandings of resilience using the case of Aotearoa New Zealand’s (henceforth Aotearoa) Resilience Approach in the Pacific. It ultimately highlights the need for deeper intercultural dialogue to bridge conflicting worldviews for more coherent and contextually grounded resilience policy and practice.
Open Access
Promoting Government Transparency in PNG: Freedom of Information and the Seabed Mining Case
(Canberra, ACT: Dept of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-04-02) Walep, Anthony; Yayabu, Renata; Kama, Bal
On 29 November 2023, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) Supreme Court made a landmark ruling on Section 51 of the Constitution of the Independent State of PNG, which guarantees ‘freedom of information’. The case concerned the now defunct Solwara 1 project, the world’s first licensed commercial seabed mining project, which sought to extract high-grade mineral deposits from the seafloor. The court’s ruling not only added to the controversies surrounding the Solwara 1 project but importantly provided a better understanding of the operations of Section 51 in enabling access to official information and the potential for improved transparency and accountability of government decisions. This In Brief discusses the issues in the Supreme Court’s judgment and its wider implications for governance and law reform in PNG.
Open Access
The Enduring Nuclear Legacy in the Marshall Islands: Recent Developments
(Canberra, ACT: Department of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-03-28) Firth, Stewart
This In Brief examines the recent renewal of the Compact of Free Association (COFA) between the United States and the Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), which was the site of the largest nuclear explosion in the United States (US) test series conducted from 1946 to 1958. Called BRAVO, the explosion at Bikini Atoll on 1 March 1954 spread radioactive fallout over Bikini and atolls to the east, leaving a legacy of contamination and injury that persists to this day. In a demonstration attended by the Pacific Islands Forum Secretary General Henry Puna, hundreds of people marched in Majuro, RMI, on 1 March 2024, marking 70 years since BRAVO became a defining event in the country’s post-war history.
Open Access
Madang-based University Students’ Perspectives on the Impacts of the Ramu NiCo Mine in PNG
(Canberra, ACT: Dept of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-03-04) Yegiora, Bernard Singu; Zhang, Denghua
In 2023, as a pilot research project, the authors surveyed 114 current and former students of Divine Word University in Madang Province, Papua New Guinea (PNG), where the Ramu NiCo mine project is located. A total of 33 questions were asked, covering the participants’ background information, especially in relation to the mine project, and their views of Ramu NiCo’s corporate social responsibilities (CSRs) and PNG–China relations. The survey was conducted online via SurveyMonkey and the students were granted anonymity to protect their privacy. Currently, Western powers are competing with China for influence in the Pacific, and Pacific Island states are also closely watching China’s activities in their region. This research aims to contribute to the debates on China. It reveals some local concerns about Ramu NiCo’s CSRs and the limited benefits local communities have received so far.
Open Access
Foreign Actors, Geopolitics and Riots in the Pacific
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-02-13) Ride, Anouk; Zhang, Denghua
Incidents of collective violence that include targeted violence against migrants or outsiders are a growing concern in parts of the Pacific region. Urban riots targeting Asian businesses have occurred in three Pacific countries since 2006. The most recent example involved Port Moresby, Lae, Goroka and some other locations of Papua New Guinea (PNG) in January 2024. Focusing on interactions between Chinese migrants and Pacific Islanders, this In Brief outlines how competition between these two groups, and geopolitical competition more broadly, can inflame domestic politics, unrest and insecurity in the Pacific. There are, of course, many factors contributing to or associated with particular riots, as shown in recent analyses of PNG’s riots. This paper outlines two examples of Pacific riots, each with its distinct characteristics and background, in order to highlight some key security considerations. The two cases presented are from Tonga and Solomon Islands.
Open Access
Indonesia’s 2024 Simultaneous Elections from a Papuan Perspective
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-02-06) De Fretes, Diego Romario; Korwa, Johni R. V.
In 2024, Indonesia will hold elections in a new format, involving the simultaneous conduct of elections in all provinces and regencies/cities. Over the last few years, Papua has experienced a high level of electoral volatility compared to Indonesia’s other regions, primarily as a result of horizontal conflict stemming from political contestation between Papuan factions. The Papua Regional Police (Polda) have indicated that at least 12 Papuan regencies are likely to experience volatility during the 2024 election, partly as a result of the continued use of the noken system.