The Pacific step-up turns four

Australia’s much vaunted South Pacific ‘step-up’ has reached its fourth birthday and it remains an ambitious work in progress.

Six inquiries on Australia’s South Pacific step-up

Australia is doing a lot of thinking about what steps to take in the South Pacific, but how high does the ‘Pacific step-up’ have to go?

From invasion to independence

Cruel ironies and strange mirror effects mark Australia’s performance in the lead-up to Indonesia’s invasion, in 1974–75, and East Timor’s independence vote in 1999.

2020 in the Asia Pacific

Pundits across the region have different views about the new year’s prospects for the Asia-Pacific, but all agree that great changes are afoot, with growing dangers to the established international order.

Press freedom under threat in the South Pacific

Journalism has always been a tough trade in the South Pacific but growing pressure from China is threatening to make the situation worse.

Canberra’s secrecy obsession feeds on security fears

Australia remains the only democratic nation without strong national protection for freedom of speech and of the press and journalists are calling for reform in the face of Canberra’s assault on press freedom.

Britain left bereft by Brexit

Whatever sort of Britain emerges from the other side of Brexit, it’ll have a reduced role and reputation in Europe and perhaps the world.

Family and foreign policy in the South Pacific

Australia’s pivot to the South Pacific talks up both personal connections and foreign policy interests. but these different elements can repel as well as attract.

From construction to confrontation in the “Indo-Pacific”

‘Indo-Pacific’ has shifted from a geographic construct to an arena for mounting contest—and the label for a US strategy.

Australia’s election silences call for mandatory debates

A federal election debates commission should be created to ensure debates become a permanent, scheduled element of every federal election.

Hail, the President of Parliament

Australia’s Prime Minister won re-election with a Presidential approach, but he will still have to negotiate a careful path in power given his razor thin margin of victory.

The telling silences of this election campaign

Political parties try to choose the ground on which they fight, but amid the hustle and bustle of the election campaign there are some tricky issues which neither party wants to face.