To sustain geo-political relations with French-speaking Pacific nations in the future, we need to change the way French is taught to young Australians.
Changes to Australian immigration law have resulted in a sharp increase in deportations, particularly among New Zealanders of Maori and Pacific Island descent.
Australia has long been concerned about foreign powers gaining influence in the Pacific, but China’s involvement in the region may not be as nefarious as it fears.
New Zealand’s plan to create the world’s first humanitarian visa for climate refugees has to consider ways people from Pacific Island nations actually want to be assisted.
Scientists call large marine protected areas effective tools for conserving sea life. But do they benefit countries that create them? Scholars explain how Palau’s huge marine protected area seeks to protect resources for Palauans.
Although climate change threatens the world’s small island nations, many can find ways to adapt and preserve their homes and cultures – especially if wealthy countries cut emissions and provide support.
To many people, island nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands are synonymous with climate catastrophe. But prophesies of doom aren’t all that helpful.
In 1850, the Micronesian island of Nahlapenlohd was the scene of Pohnpei state’s first battle involving cannons and muskets. Less than two centuries later, it has sunk beneath the waves.
Steven Cork, Australian National University et Kate Auty, The University of Melbourne
Australia is good at ‘hard hat’ responses to crises such as cyclones. But a new environmental declaration on the Pacific Islands points out that the best approach is more well-rounded and subtle.
After making worldwide headlines with the story of the Pacific “garbage island”, researchers were sent a photo of the same beach, white sand free of litter, as recently as 1992.
Robert Edis, Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research; Geoff Dean, University of Tasmania et Graham Lyons, University of Adelaide
We set out to discover whether it’s possible to reduce the alarming rates of non-communicable diseases in Pacific nations while improving nutrition security and income.
What does God have to do with climate change? A lot, if you want to engage with communities in the Pacific Islands, where almost everyone goes to church and religious leaders are hugely influential.
Sport migrations emerge within a general migratory context. In some societies, like the Pacific Islands, adulthood, particularly for men, cannot be completed unless one migrates.
This week’s Pacific Islands Forum is the region’s premier multilateral summit. But members have begun turning elsewhere out of frustration with Australia’s climate negotiation tactics.
In the 1960s, with the phosphate boom over and Nauru’s economy in ruins, Australia offered to move the entire nation to Queensland’s Curtis Island. But with no sovereignty on offer, the deal collapsed.
Nauruans used to be some of the richest people in the world, before their mining industry imploded. Now, as the island aims to develop sustainably, there are signs of the green shoots of recovery.
Benny Giay, Sekolah Tinggi Teologi Walter Post Jayapura
Solving the problem of West Papua in a dignified manner should involve not only Indonesian authorities but also Papuans and the international community.
Faculty Member, Asian Studies Program, Georgetown University; Visiting Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, Australian National University., Georgetown University