Convincing the Pacific on fossil fuels

Long a regional laggard on climate action, Australia must convince Pacific leaders it’s serious about moving away from fossil fuels.

Closing the Pacific’s gender gap

Closing the gender gap in the Pacific Islands is an ambitious task, but there are concrete, practical steps that can be taken to accelerate progress.

Bank on the Pacific

Bendigo Bank, Westpac and ANZ are the latest Australian banks to begin their exit from the Pacific Islands, opening the door to Chinese competitors.

Empowering Pacific women

The plight of women in the Pacific is well documented but a recent conference in the Pacific has made important forward strides.

PNG for the ADF?

The $600 million that Canberra plans to spend on establishing a team from PNG in the Australian Rugby League competition would be far better spent on ADF recruitment in the country.

Beanz meanz Bougainville

PNG tends to be in the news for gang violence, murder and political turmoil, but there is one success story in the autonomous region of in Bougainville.

The Pacific Banking Forum

The first Pacific Banking Forum in July 2024 sought to enhance banking relationships in the Pacific but efforts to reduce reliance on Chinese banking influence in the region are complicated by the exploitative economic ties between Pacific Island Countries and China.

Young people are key to Pacific prosperity

Young people in the Pacific are vital to the continuing development of their nations’ environments, economies, society, and cultures.

Tackling Pacific misinformation

There needs to be stronger communications between governments and media across the Pacific to reduce the spread of misinformation.

Fixing the Pacific’s debanking crisis

The withdrawal of major banks from Pacific islands poses significant socio-economic risks to the region, prompting intervention by Australia, the US and New Zealand.

Women and development in the Pacific

Progressing gender equality and Indigenous advancement share common themes around agency, leadership, and shared decision-making—but better connections can be made between these two priority areas of Australia’s international engagement.

We must defend Taiwan

A clear commitment by the West to defend Ukraine would have spared Europe three years of war, and its time for a similar pledge to protect Taiwan from China’s imperial ambitions and deter a war in the Pacific.