The Pacific water shortage

Hydrology experts at Flinders University are calling for urgent investigations into the operation of bore-fields that access fresh groundwater on Pacific islands, including Kiribati, where rising sea levels are already putting local water supplies at risk.

Propaganda in the Pacific

Disinformation from hostile foreign states aims to influence opinions foreign policy in the Pacific, and there are signs it is working.

Protecting gender equality

Women’s rights and protections are regressing on the international stage, from the Taliban’s erasure of women from public life to US President Donald Trump’s misogynistic rhetoric and decision to suspend USAID, and Australia should play its part in protecting women’s interests in the Indo-Pacific.

The Pacific, fishing, and regional security

Fishing remains core to Pacific security, yet, like climate change, its importance is often overlooked or has become subject to geopolitical tensions. If Australia wants to continue its good security relations with the Pacific, it must take the sustainability of fishing seriously.

Saving the sea

Australia can uphold the rules-based order of the law of the sea and enhance the ecological security of our oceans by investing in key UN institutional mechanisms to ensure a more sustainable and secure Indo-Pacific region.

Safeguarding Pacific tuna

A transformative US$107 million grant has been secured by Conservation International and the Pacific Community to support 14 Pacific Island countries to safeguard the economic and social benefits they receive from tuna against the impacts of climate change.

Boosting Pacific cyber-security

Australia needs to gather like-minded partners, such as Japan, France and India, to coordinate investment in Pacific cybersecurity and ensure the region is equipped with the necessary tools and expertise to counter the growing sophistication of cyber adversaries.

Debt and democracy in the Solomon Islands

Political strife, corruption and a fast-growing population mean a rocky road may lie ahead for the Solomon Islands.

Open the embassies

The Trump administration should restructure the American diplomatic effort across the Pacific to boost the President’s stated aims of increasing both strategic influence and administrative efficiency.

Pacific security in 2025

2025 will be a big year for Pacific security as Pacific island nations grapple with upcoming elections, disaster recovery, watching the situation in New Caledonia and navigating geopolitical tensions.

Albanese drops the ball on rugby league diplomacy with PNG

Papua New Guinea will have its own team in Australia’s national rugby league competition from 2028, but questions around its finance and implications remain.

Sharing the cake

While strategic alliances appear to offer significant advantages, the tangible impacts for Pacific nations remain negligible, so unless these partnerships are grounded in good faith and genuine sustainable development, the grassroots consequences of geopolitics-as-usual will not change.