DPA Discussion Papers

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/1885/292044

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Open Access
Navigating Pacific Futures: Intersecting Traditional Knowledge with Contemporary Challenges for Sustainable Development
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-09-06) Aqorau, Transform
This keynote speech was delivered on 3 September 2024 as the 2024 ANU Pacific Institute Annual Lecture, held at The Australian National University in Canberra.
Open Access
Going Elsewhere: Oceania’s Globalism and the Gulf States
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-06-17) Szadziewski, Henryk
Open Access
K.L. Gillion and the Making of Fiji’s Indian Migrants
(Canberra: Dept of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Studies, The Australian National University, 2024-03-07) Munro, Doug
One of the legacies of Indian indenture is literary, whether fiction, poetry, contemporary eyewitness or participant accounts and, not least, the corpus of academic writing on the subject. Among the latter is K.L. ‘Ken’ Gillion’s Fiji’s Indian Migrants, which concerns the 61,553 indentured labourers (girmitiyas) who went from India to Fiji between 1879 and 1916. Contracts of indenture varied over time and place; in the case of Indians in Fiji, the labourers were bonded ‘for five years at a wage of 1s. [shilling] per day, with penal sanctions to enforce the contract; and … entitled to an optional free return passage after spending another five years in the colony’ (Gillion 1962:16, 105, 210–12). Published in 1962, Fiji’s Indian Migrants traverses a broad canvas: the rationale for Indian indentured emigration to Fiji, the administration of the system at both ends, the voyages and plantation life, the settlement of Indians in Fiji and repatriation, finishing with the campaign against the indenture system and its abolition in 1917. Previously, the scholarship relating to overseas Indians was largely the preserve of anthropologists. Historical studies, such as they were, focused on the administration of the indenture system within colonial contexts and barely touched upon the experiences of the Indians in their new places of abode.
Open Access
Competing Regional Visions and Incompatible Priorities: The Blue Pacific and Indo-Pacific in the Age of AUKUS
(Canberra, ACT: Dept of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-03-04) Louey, Philippa
As two distinct visions of regional order and identity, the Blue Pacific and Indo-Pacific have been pursued with increasing vigour over the last five years. On the one hand, the Blue Pacific is championed by Pacific Island leaders as a framework for Pacific Islands regionalism founded on shared values, a common Oceanian identity and a commitment to collective action (PIFS 2022). Its insistence on Pacific selfdetermination has seen the Blue Pacific described as a strategy and narrative for assertive diplomacy that resists attempts to draw the Pacific Islands region into intensifying geopolitical power struggles between China and the United States and instead positions the Pacific as independent in its navigation of global politics (Kabutaulaka 2021). The Indo-Pacific, on the other hand, emerges as a product of these geopolitical power struggles. It projects a vision of democratic regional order stretching across the vast expanse of the Indian and Pacific Oceans and provides a policy platform for security collaboration between its member nations to advance such ambition. Promoted by the US and its allies, this second regional mapping seeks to counter China’s growing presence across this extended maritime region and secure what is commonly referred to as a ‘free and open Indo-Pacific’ (Biden et al. 14/3/2023).
Open Access
The Presentation of Academic Identity at a Papua New Guinean University: Agency and Liminality in Postcolonial Higher Education
(Canberra, ACT: Department of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-02-22) Nasale, Peter; Baird, Jeanette
Awareness of one’s academic identity, and the confidence to actively shape this identity, are pivotal in navigating careers in higher education. In this Discussion Paper, we explore the struggles of presenting and communicating an academic identity for lecturers in a young faith-based university in Papua New Guinea (PNG). In doing so, we aim to showcase the voice of academics who are under-represented in traditional accounts of academic identity, which mostly have focused on academics in developed nations of the Global North and an implied universalisation of academic identity. We argue that the formation of academic identities among Papua New Guineans may be hindered as much as it is helped by unrealistic expectations to conduct research (Breier et al. 2020; Chipindi and Vavrus 2018; Yang et al. 2021). More generally, this paper reinforces a need for government and institutional policies to support academic identities that are proudly ‘place-based’ (Nordbäck et al. 2022), and responsive to local contexts and needs, while acknowledging international conventions of academia.
Open Access
Zapping the Yo-Yo Man: OLIPPAC and the Consolidation of Executive Power in Papua New Guinea
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2024-01-22) Fraenkel, Jon
In the early years of the new millennium, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) government introduced major reforms intended to promote greater parliamentary stability. The Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) sought to regulate the post-general election process of selecting prime ministers, increase women’s representation and establish or reinforce the ‘integrity’ of the political order, both in a structural engineering and a moral sense. Most controversially, it aimed to regulate member of parliament (MP) votes on the floor of parliament so as to discourage defections on issues of confidence and to tie pro-government MPs to prime ministers.
Open Access
Post-referendum Decision-making on Bougainville’s Future Political Status: Two Policy Statements
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2023-11-13) Himata, Shadrach; Pomaleu, Ivan; Regan, Anthony
The two speeches that make up most of this publication were presented as keynote statements in the opening session of the State of the Pacific Conference, conducted in Canberra, Australia, on 29 September 2022, by The Australian National University’s Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA). They present the respective positions, late in 2022, of the Papua New Guinea government (Go-PNG) and the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) on key issues arising in the post-referendum decision-making process mandated by the August 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) and Part XIV of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) constitution which gave effect to the BPA.
Open Access
Mapping PRC Companies in the Pacific
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2023-11-10) Smith, Graeme; Impiombato, Daria; Kabutaulaka, Tarcisius; Szadziewski, Henryk
The role of companies from the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in shaping the development and the political economy of Pacific Island countries (PICs) has been the subject of increasing academic and media interest. Reflecting both the infrastructure needs of Pacific Island nations and the domestic politics of the PRC, China's construction companies have come to dominate the construction and real estate sectors of many PICs. Such has been the concentration of investment in the construction sector that as early as 2019 an investment guide published by China’s Ministry of Commerce (responsible for regulating and assisting PRC companies abroad) bluntly warned that 'homogenous' construction companies had saturated the market in Papua New Guinea (Smith 2019). Other researchers have noted that in many Pacific markets, PRC companies' main challenge is competition with each other, leading some companies to 'make lowball offers to win the bid and substantially increase the cost afterwards' (Zhang 2023a:96). PRC investments in the region have increased in volume and value, adding up to US$2.72 billion by the end of 2021 (MFA 24/5/2022).
Open Access
Oceanic Diplomacy: The Kéamu Accord, Kastom and Maritime Boundaries
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-10-20) Maclellan, Nic
In July 2009, delegations from the Government of Vanuatu and New Caledonia’s independence movement Front de Libération Nationale Kanak et Socialiste (FLNKS) met on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu’s Tafea Province. Together with customary leaders, they signed the Kéamu Accord, described as: "a solemn commitment between the Kanak people and the people of Vanuatu that whatever the political and institutional future of New Caledonia, Matthew and Hunter islands will always remain the property of the people of Vanuatu (UPM 2009)". This paper discussesthe Kéamu Accord, outlines the historic dispute over Matthew and Hunter islands, then introduces the role of kastom (custom), legend and oral history in Melanesian societies. Given the complexity of the international Law of the Sea, the paper only briefly touches on the legal issues around territorial disputes and maritime boundaries in the Pacific
Open Access
Getting to ‘Oui’ in the Nouméa Accord’s Final Status Talks
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-08-25) Morini, Daryl
Behind a façade of stability, New Caledonian politics is shifting away from its long-established bipolar structure. While there is no chance the deep schism between supporters and opponents of independence from France will suddenly dissolve, it is being gradually eroded by ongoing cultural and political trends. Even if glacially slow, this change is becoming increasingly noticeable. Observers of New Caledonian politics have a similar tendency to assume, that its current two-bloc structure is an unshakeable law of nature and that no solution to the country’s five-decade independence struggle is in sight, much as people once thought the Berlin Wall insurmountable. But behind the illusion of a static and eternal order, New Caledonia is entering warning time of a potential strategic shock. This paper argues that, in part because bipolar politics is fraying under intensifying centrifugal pressure, a new grand bargain is likely by 2024.
Open Access
News Coverage of Fiji’s 2018 General Election Campaign: Insights from a Content Analysis of the National Print and Broadcast Media
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-07-28) Singh, Shailendra; Lal, Nilesh
This landmark study examines how Fiji’s national news media reported the 2018 Fiji election based on an analysis of the coverage of the six competing political parties: the incumbent FijiFirst party and the challenger parties — Social Democratic Liberal Party (SODELPA), National Federation Party (NFP), Unity Fiji, Fiji Labour Party (FLP) and Humanity Opportunity Prosperity Equality (HOPE).
Open Access
Managing Worker Wellbeing during COVID-19: Pacific Seasonal Workers in Australia and New Zealand
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2022-07-26) Bailey, Rochelle-Lee; Bedford, Charlotte
The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic early in 2020 and associated border closures worldwide were accompanied by unprecedented disruptions in the flows of temporary labour between sending and destination countries. As with elsewhere in the world, in the Pacific region, countries including Australia and New Zealand closed their international borders, bringing an abrupt end to existing patterns of mobility. Measures such as border closures, quarantine and travel restrictions enacted by countries to control COVID-19 transmission disrupted transport networks and people’s ability to move. For some migrant workers, border closures meant they were unable to enter a destination country for work. For others, travel restrictions meant they were stuck in a host country and unable to return home. The implications for migrant workers and their families have been significant, as many rely on incomes earned overseas and remittances to support livelihoods at home (Moroz et al. 2020). This paper focuses on the disruptions to the flows of seasonal labour between Pacific island countries (and Timor-Leste) and Australia and New Zealand under their respective seasonal work schemes during 2020 and the first half of 2021. New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, introduced in 2007, and Australia’s Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP), implemented in 2012, allow workers from eligible Pacific island countries to enter each year for short-term seasonal work, mainly in horticulture.
Open Access
Getting In: College Choice for Pacific Islander High School Football Players
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2017) Kukahiko, Keali'l
Pacific Islander (PI) communities are underrepresented in US higher education, and hold bachelor’s degrees at rates lower than the national rate (US Census 2012). Empowering Pacific Island Communities (EPIC and Asian Americans Advancing Justice 2014) reported that Guamanians (13%), Samoans (11%), Tongans (11%), Fijians (10%), and Micronesians (4%) all hold bachelor’s degrees at less than half the rate of the national population of the United States (28%). As college tuitions continue to rise (Mumper and Freeman 2005; Schoen 2015), and meritocratic aid (Perna and Titus 2004) replaces need-based aid, there is the possibility that PI participation in higher education may be hampered even further. This research on ‘college choice’ for PIs entering college athletics is an attempt to study alternative pathways to higher education. This research should inform policymakers, staff, faculty and administrators about the goals and expectations that PI student-athletes bring with them to college, in order to better serve and support this population.
Open Access
Papua New Guinea under the O’Neill Government: Has There Been a Shift in Political Style?
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2017) May, R.J.
In 2011–12 Papua New Guinea suffered its most serious constitutional crisis since independence, when the incumbent prime minister, Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare, was effectively removed from office in a ‘political coup’ by members of parliament whose actions were subsequently ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. The political impasse of this period, in which two people laid claim to the office of prime minister, was finally resolved in mid-2012 following a scheduled national election. But it is arguable that the damage done in 2011 to the institutions of Papua New Guinea’s democratic system was not entirely undone in 2012 and that political developments since 2012 give some cause for concern. This paper briefly recounts the events of 2011–12 and looks at political developments under the O’Neill government which came to power following the 2012 election.
Open Access
Gender Challenges to Financial Inclusion in Papua New Guinea
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2017-08) Eves, Richard; Titus, Asha
This paper draws on research undertaken in 2015 among coffee smallholders in Eastern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea (PNG), focusing specifically on some of the challenges faced by women coffee farmers in accessing financial services. Considering the importance given to financial inclusion in women’s economic empowerment programming by donors and other development practitioners, this research highlights that attention is needed to increase women’s literacy and numeracy. However, other factors play an important part, such as local gender norms which constrain women’s decision-making and movements.
Open Access
Chiefly Leadership in Fiji: Past, Present, and Future
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2015) Lawson, Stephanie; Lawson, Elizabeth Hagan
This Discussion Paper provides an account of the rise and fall of chiefly leadership and the apparent ebbing of a longstanding ideology of traditionalism among indigenous Fijians in the context of national politics and of the claims made in the name of indigenous nationalism. It begins with abrief survey of Fiji's colonisation in the late nineteenth century; the establishment of the GCC and the role of chiefs in the British colonial regime;and their domination of national politics, despite some challenges, up until 1987. The second section reviews the political dynamics surrounding chiefly leadership from 1987 until the Bainimarama-led coup of 2006. The final sections examine the nature of chiefly involvement in national politics in the lead-up to the 2014 elections and prospects for the future of traditional chiefly political leadership.
Open Access
Restricting Party Hopping in Papua New Guinea’s Parliament
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-11-12) Pumuye, Glen Mola
This paper argues that legislative initiative is needed to control party hopping by members of parliament (MPs), especially during the constitutional period for the moving of a motion of no confidence in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates (OLIPPAC) governs political parties in PNG. In 2003, certain amendments were made to OLIPPAC to control party hopping. However, the provisions were challenged in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court nullified those amendments on the basis that they restricted and infringed the constitutional rights of MPs and were unconstitutional. The political conditions following the court’s decision contributed to the constitutional crisis/impasse of 2011–12 and, later, the constitutional confusion of 2020. The Supreme Court’s expectations for MPs to act in an orderly way through education have not been achieved. The challenge is to construct the OLIPPAC legislation in conformity with the court’s deliberation. Rather than infringing and restricting MPs’ rights, the balance should be to regulate those rights for a certain amount of time. The current crisis and confusion being faced should prompt the relevant law reform institutions to tailor a possible legislative solution.
Open Access
Uncertainties as New Caledonia Prepares for Its Final Independence Referendum
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-10-18) Fisher, Denise
Open Access
Leftemap olgeta: Seasonal Work, Women and Leadership
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2021-09-27) Howard, Elise
The potential for seasonal work opportunities in Australia and New Zealand to influence attitudes towards gender relations in Pacific Island countries has been the subject of interest by policymakers, employers and scholars for quite some time. While women participate in seasonal work programs in small numbers, when they do, the economic gains that women make are assumed to provide the potential for women to transform their lives and social status on their return home. This paper shares experiences of ni-Vanuatu women who participated in a training program that focused on their leadership development during their engagement in seasonal work in New Zealand.
Open Access
Political Leadership in Papua New Guinea: Three Women Parliamentarians Defeated in the 2017 Election: Part One
(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Research School of Pacific and Asian Studies, The Australian National University, 2021) Yangin, Russel
The three women parliamentarians who were elected in the 2012 Papua New Guinea (PNG) election failed to win re-election in the 2017 general election. Their electoral defeats only deepen the concern for gender representation in parliament. However, an analysis of their short-lived political careers reveals that their conduct in the 9th parliament is consistent with the demands and expectations made of the Papua New Guinean politician. In PNG there are two arenas in politics a member of parliament (MP) must contend with to ensure survival: the first, naturally, is electoral victory; the second is the politics of electoral development — when elected, an MP is expected to successfully deliver development to their electorate.