29 Sep 2020
Evaluating aid in the Pacific
A common rating system could make aid evaluation less opaque. Better yet, it could deliver more bang for precious bucks.
-
-
9 Sep 2020
Debunking the myth of China’s “debt-trap diplomacy”
Never attribute to malice what can be explained by incompetence. -
27 Aug 2020
Australia needs the workers, the Pacific needs the jobs
Striking the right balance between backpackers and the seasonal workers is key to Canberra’s neighbourhood ambition. -
5 Aug 2020
The way to post-Covid recovery in the Indo-Pacific? Act now
If Australia wants to see future stability in the region, it needs to find ways to help today, not down the track. -
30 Jul 2020
Pacific islands: The cost to tomorrow of the crisis today
The brunt of the Covid-19 recession will be borne by developing nations, where youth populations are dominant. -
30 Jun 2020
Chequebook diplomacy in the Pacific: Not just the big fish
Small donors seeking UN Security Council seats are providing more aid to Pacific nations. -
23 Jun 2020
Culture, constitution and controversy in Samoa
What’s behind the proposed bills to codify Samoan customs in law? -
18 Jun 2020
Hard knocks at University of the South Pacific
Claims and counter-claims of corruption have cast a pall over the management of a key regional institution. -
4 Jun 2020
Aiding the Pacific during Covid – a stock-take and further steps
Money is flowing, but the proportion of support is well below amounts advanced economies are deploying for themselves. -
29 May 2020
COVIDcast: Dame Meg Taylor on keeping Pacific Islands safe
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region and the world. -
28 May 2020
Can Pacific airlines pull out of the dive?
National carriers, many already struggling, have been hit hard in the Covid-19 crisis and will need to adapt to survive. -
20 May 2020
West Papua: Looking for an opening
Allowing more access would be an important first step to ending human rights abuses in the troubled Indonesian province. -
15 May 2020
COVIDcast Episode 11: Dave Sharma MP on COVID-19 and Pacific relations
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world. -
8 May 2020
Samoa’s constitutional crisis: Undermining rule of law
Amid the Covid-19 emergency, a set of legal amendments threatens judicial independence and human rights. -
7 May 2020
Creating a Pacific bubble
Australia’s special ties with Pacific Islands and New Zealand offer a chance to ensure mutual safety and prosperity. -
6 May 2020
Discontinued: America’s Continuous Bomber Presence
Ending a long-standing program, the US shows its commitment to defending friends in the Western Pacific is on the wane. -
5 May 2020
Debating constitutional change in Samoa
Critics claim Covid-19 is used as a cover, but proposed changes to raise the status of custom have a long history. -
30 Apr 2020
Winds of change: Rethinking disaster relief after Cyclone Harold
Local response teams and demand-driven solutions are key to climate change aid in the Pacific. -
23 Apr 2020
Statesman Turnbull steps up: Secret letters, taming Trump, due credit
Business with Donald, shared history with Xi and a Pacific ploy are revealing of the former PM’s foreign ambition. -
20 Apr 2020
Australia needs a comprehensive plan for Covid-19 in the Pacific
A region of great power rivalry and critical to Australia’s physical security – that gave help when we needed it, too. -
16 Apr 2020
How much is too much? Covid loans for the Pacific
Not all regional nations are overloaded by debt. There is some scope to lend sustainably. -
15 Apr 2020
Covid-19 and Pacific labour
Visa extensions keep an essential financial lifeline open – but the challenge to help seasonal workers has only begun. -
3 Apr 2020
Covid-19: Averting economic disaster in the Pacific
Australia should urgently switch is infrastructure lending facility to a broader fund to help keep the region solvent. -
3 Apr 2020
COVIDcast Episode 5: Pandemic in the Pacific
The latest episode in a podcast to discuss the implications of coronavirus for Australia, the region, and the world. -
27 Mar 2020
No planes or cruise ships – a crucial regional industry will need aid
Tourism is a massive employer in countries where Australia gives aid and will need a lot of extra help after the virus. -
16 Mar 2020
Anticipating Covid‑19 in the Pacific
While Australia prepares its domestic interventions, it needs to spare some thought for the Pacific as well. -
4 Mar 2020
Pacific links: Covid-19 precautions take hold, Ardern in Fiji, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
27 Feb 2020
Economic diplomacy: Mahathir’s APEC gamble, and aid corruption
When is a loan not a loan, and should Australia really be propping up neighbours with a cash injection? -
19 Feb 2020
Pacific links: aid value, PNG’s Exxon woes, and nuclear compensation
Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region. -
7 Feb 2020
Brexit and the Pacific: Sink or swim?
Growing UK presence in the Pacific Islands aims to boost prosperity, but a range of factors could tip the balance. -
5 Feb 2020
Pacific links: Coronavirus consequences, climate costs, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
22 Jan 2020
Pacific links: China’s “common interests”, bushfire relief, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
21 Jan 2020
Pacific development outlook for 2020
Following on last year’s growth, the region will continue to see both challenges and cause for optimism. -
8 Jan 2020
Pacific links: A regional step-up for Australia’s bushfire recovery
Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region. -
20 Dec 2019
Little to gain from linking Australia’s aid with China in the Pacific
Canberra is the biggest donor in the neighbourhood and has regional goals very different from Beijing. -
13 Dec 2019
Pacifying Australia-China relations
Cooperation in the Pacific Islands would be valuable precisely because it is difficult. -
3 Dec 2019
Renting influence: China in the Pacific
In Episode 15 of the Rules Based Audio podcast, we explore China’s interests, influence and intentions in the Pacific. -
27 Nov 2019
Pacific links: Bougainville votes, royal region, let them eat cake
How much for a baguette in French Polynesia? Plus more stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
25 Nov 2019
Stepping up in the Pacific at the expense of Pakistani women and girls
Cutting aid has a cost – and Australia should be embarrassed to take aid from other countries to give it to the Pacific. -
21 Nov 2019
Economic diplomacy: Australia’s BRI, aid revamp, and integrating Asia
The now snappily rebranded Export Finance Australia is becoming the go-to agency in the era of geo-economic competition. -
20 Nov 2019
China, media freedom in the Pacific, and the great Australian silence
Media freedom issues bedevil the region, but it’s the dwindling number of Pacific-based journalists that carries a cost. -
13 Nov 2019
Pacific links: Peter O’Neill speaks, a new volcanic island, media bans
Links and stories from across the Pacific Islands region. -
4 Nov 2019
Kinship is vital to Pacific disaster response
As the Pacific cyclone season looms, Australia should look to those already stepping up – the Pacific diaspora. -
31 Oct 2019
Chart of the week: Australian versus Chinese aid in the Pacific
By the numbers, while China promises a lot to the region, it actually delivers far less. -
30 Oct 2019
See you in court? A rising tide of international climate litigation
Vanuatu is pushing for international courts to tackle the climate crisis in a move that could put the heat on Australia. -
30 Oct 2019
Pacific links: donors jostle for influence, maddening Maseratis, more
Links and stories from the Pacific Islands region. -
24 Oct 2019
ABC: Australia’s waning soft-power star
The public broadcaster alone cannot be responsible for Australia’s international voice, so more need to be heard. -
23 Oct 2019
China, the Pacific, and the “debt trap” question
Charges of saddling Pacific countries in debt may be overstated, but China’s lending practices still pose risks. -
16 Oct 2019
Pacific links: dividends of a diplomatic switch, O’Neill warrant, more
Taiwan looks to shore up support in the region, plus other stories from across the Pacific Islands. -
15 Oct 2019
“Accepting the science”, rejecting the action
If the Morrison government is on board with reducing emissions, as it seems to claim, it needs to step up its policies.