DPA In Briefs (previously Briefing Notes)
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Publication Open Access Legacies of Conflict in the Pacific: Why the Past Matters Now(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2026-01-28) Masta, MercyIn July 2025, Conciliation Resources published a report titled Legacies of Conflict in the Pacific: Dealing with the Past, co‑authored by Mercy Masta and Kate Higgins, with contributions from peacebuilding practitioners across Fiji, Papua New Guinea (PNG), Solomon Islands, Bougainville, and other Pacific contexts. Launched at ANU in September 2025, the report emphasises that conflict in the Pacific is not merely historical — its legacies continue to shape the political, social, psychological, and cultural life of communities. This In Brief examines the lasting impact of past conflict and emphasises the importance of history, memory, and local agency in peacebuilding. Drawing on the compendium, it advocates for inclusive, culturally grounded, and locally led approaches that combine oral and documented histories, support indigenous practices, and prioritise marginalised groups. It also offers practical recommendations for policymakers and peacebuilders to advance long-term reconciliation, justice, and sustainable peace in the Pacific.Publication Open Access Intergenerational Migration in Pacific Labour Schemes(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2026-01-19) Bailey, RochelleThis In Brief reports on a longitudinal case study documenting the stories of ni-Vanuatu who follow their parents into cross-border migration, either participating in Australia’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme or New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme. As children of the initial cohort of the RSE longitudinal study have reached adulthood, many have opted, like their parents, to participate in seasonal work abroad.Publication Open Access Are there biometric solutions for Papua New Guinea’s electoral roll problems?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2026-01-08) Oppermann, Thiago CintraPapua New Guinea (PNG) has long had serious difficulties with its electoral roll and voter identification practices. Recently, there has been a flurry of proposals for introducing biometric technology into this faltering system. A balanced assessment of the issues suggests caution should be taken. There are no quick fixes for PNG’s electoral roll woes, and while biometric technology could have a positive impact in some respects, there are substantial costs.Publication Open Access Insiders and outsiders in politically sensitive Pacific research(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-12-10) Nailumu, Vani; Palmieri, SoniaAs a Fijian and an Australian, we have been working since 2021 on a politically sensitive research project investigating aspects of the parliament of Fiji related to gender equality, undertaking some parts of this project together and some separately. In this In Brief, we explore our divergent positionalities, and the strength each has brought to different aspects of this political research.Publication Open Access The Fourth National Goal of Papua New Guinea’s Constitution and the Frieda River Mine Project(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-12-04) Kuman, Gabriel; Solongo, Faith AbigailThe Frieda River mine project is currently at the final approval stage. The developer presented the proposal as a potential nation-building project for Papua New Guinea (PNG). While the proposal is before the Conservation and Environment Protection Authority (CEPA), debates are intensifying among politicians, local communities, and international observers as to whether the project should continue. Recently, seven Sepik members of parliament (MPs) signed a letter to the prime minister urging the development of the mine. In contrast, other MPs — such as East Sepik Governor Allen Bird and Yangoru-Saussia MP Richard Maru — strongly opposed it, highlighting the serious environmental risks involved (Kanu 11/11/2025). We join in this debate to examine the proposed Frieda mine project and raise questions surrounding the underlying values enshrined in the Fourth National Goal of the PNG constitution, concerning natural resources and the environment. We explore how the Frieda mine project contradicts the fourth goal, undermining the eco-spiritual values that underpin it, and we make three recommendations regarding the project.Publication Open Access Where Are Our By-Laws? Community Innovation and Lost Opportunities in Urban Fiji(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-28) Dinnen, Sinclair; Forsyth, MirandaJittu Estate is one of Suva’s oldest and largest informal settlements with population estimates ranging from 3,500 to 10,000, the higher figure being offered by community leaders and officials that we spoke with. Despite congested living conditions and challenges around basic utilities, the settlement’s central location makes it an attractive destination for low-income households and recent migrants to the nation’s capital. Over the years, the settlement acquired a reputation for social order problems including disorderly conduct, family violence (Khan 2010) and petty crime. It has also been seen as a haven for stolen goods and, more recently, drug dealing and abuse. As a result, the police classified Jittu Estate as a ‘Red Zone’, denoting a high crime area. This reputation followed residents when they ventured outside the community, such that they were often the first to be blamed when something went missing.Publication Open Access Department of Pacific Affairs In Briefs: A Snapshot(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-26) Terrill, Angela; Dinnen, Sinclair; Carter, George; Le Bourhis, JonathanRecently, the Department of Pacific Affairs (DPA) conducted a survey of our readership to evaluate the relevance, quality and impact of our In Briefs.1 In Briefs are the DPA’s flagship publication series, aimed at enhancing understanding of the Pacific, building research capacity and amplifying voices from the region. The survey sought to systematically capture data about how our publications are being received and used by readers as well as readers’ topic preferences. This data was intended to complement quantitative download metrics and periodic feedback from individual readers. Based on the survey responses, this In Brief reflects on the impact and value of our series and provides insights into its reach and how this is changing over time, and the topics highlighted by our survey respondents in the region. We begin by discussing the role, intention and format of the series. We then discuss the survey we conducted to gauge our readership’s engagement. Finally, we consider who is writing DPA In Briefs. Moving forward, our intention is to conduct regular readership attitude surveys to gauge changes over time. This will enable appropriate adjustments to our editorial approach.Publication Open Access Community Governance and Justice in Solomon Islands Part 3: Lessons and Areas for Improvement(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-13) Oakeshott, David; Wiltshire, ColinThe first two parts of this In Brief series told the story of a model intervention with strong support from the people it was intended to serve. There is no denying that by deploying Community Officers (COs), the Community Governance and Grievance Management (CGGM) Project in Solomon Islands improved most of the local justice systems it engaged with. It was not perfect, however. It was difficult to meet its intention to improve the connections between the key justice actors on the ground and formal government institutions. In the language of the project, these were a community’s ‘vertical linkages’. The project also struggled to fully incorporate women into its operations.Publication Open Access Community Governance and Justice in Solomon Islands Part 2: Signs of Success in the CGGM Project(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-13) Oakeshott, David; Wiltshire, ColinIn Part 1 of this three-part In Brief series, we established that the design of the Community Governance and Grievance Management (CGGM) Project met the needs, both historical and contemporary, of rural Solomon Islanders as they saw them. In Part 2, we look more closely at what ‘success’ meant for the the citizens of the 25 jurisdictions that participated in the impact assessment. We show that while citizens in only three of these jurisdictions were near unanimously supportive of the project, there were also notable changes in the local justice situation in participating communities in the other 22 locations, whose citizens showed less enthusiasm for the project.Publication Open Access Community Governance and Justice in Solomon Islands Part 1: From Community Officer Pilot to CGGM Project(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-13) Oakeshott, David; Wiltshire, ColinPart 1 of this three-part In Brief series introduces a seven-year project that successfully supported community-level justice in Solomon Islands from 2015 to 2021. It was called the Community Governance and Grievance Management (CGGM) Project, and it sat at the margins of the far larger Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI). In contrast to RAMSI, a Honiara-centric state-building mission, the CGGM project focused on rural areas and rural Solomon Islanders’ own desires for local justice. It involved appointing one individual to serve as a Community Officer (CO) in each participating jurisdication, an intervention that resonated strongly with the communities the COs served. In Part 1, we tell the origin story of the project, which is essential to understanding the project’s successes and ongoing challenges, which we take up in Part 2 and Part 3, respectively.Publication Open Access Disability Equity in Politics and Elections in Solomon Islands(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-11-03) Baker, Kerryn; Kelly, EllenahDisability equity is a stated priority area for the Solomon Islands government and its key international development partners, including Australia. Around 16 per cent of men and 17 per cent of women in Solomon Islands live with a disability. Older people and rural residents report higher rates of disability, with the most prevalent disability reported being difficulty seeing (SINSO 2017). People with disabilities face widely acknowledged barriers to accessing education, healthcare and employment (PDF 2018). Less explored, however, is the underrepresentation and underparticipation of citizens with disabilities in politics and elections.Publication Open Access Peacebuilding to Prevent Violence in Papua New Guinea(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-10-31) Witne, Bomai D.This paper was originally presented to a panel ‘Dialogues for peace: Is there a need for a national peace strategy?’ at the 2025 PNG Update conference held at the University of Papua New Guinea, 21–22 August 2025. While the causes of some conflicts in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are common to other countries, many are shaped by its unique sociocultural and development context. Conflicts range from interpersonal to intergroup violence and civil wars waged with high powered weapons, to conflict associated with climate change refugees and sorcery accusation-related violence (SARV). These conflicts call for active and effective solutions to ensure people and communities are guaranteed peace and freedom. Community initiated peacebuilding in different parts of PNG has met with varying levels of success and differing challenges. These peace initiatives have demonstrated the resilient spirit of local people who are united by a common resolve that violence should never be part of a peaceful and progressive community.Publication Open Access Papua New Guinea’s Borders: A Retrospective(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-10-14) Firth, StewartPapua New Guinea (PNG) is an ‘artificial state’, that is to say, a state that did not exist either legally or in the minds of people before the arrival of Europeans. The modern country emerged in the 1970s from a long process of the drawing of its borders by foreigners: Dutch, German, British and Australian. The fundamentals of stable nationhood — a strong sense of nationality — were therefore missing at independence and still are.Publication Open Access Starlink’s Entry into Samoa(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-10-02) Watson, Amanda H A; Tuiloma-Lafaele, Fiafaitupe; Chan Mow, Ioana; Deejay, AleksandarIn January 2025, a licence was issued for Starlink to offer internet services in the Pacific nation of Samoa. The announcement followed a year-long period during which government regulation of Starlink received media attention and generated much interest. This In Brief examines Samoan media coverage during the period leading up to the announcement in order to gauge levels of public communication regarding policy shifts in a period of heightened interest. We document the extent to which the public was informed and find that communications could have been more effective.Publication Open Access Assessing PNG Youths’ Knowledge about Mental Health Issues, Substance Abuse, and Gender-Based Violence(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-19) Zuhukepe, Aileen; Yembinaro, JamesonYouth in Papua New Guinea (PNG) face serious challenges including mental health issues, substance abuse, and gender-based violence (GBV). In PNG, 67% of the population is under 35 (National Statistical Office 2021). However, only 10% of young people graduate from recognised tertiary institutions (colleges and universities) and gain employment each year (Napitalai et al. 16/4/2024). Youth crime is increasingly viewed as a major social issue, often linked to unemployment, limited access to higher education, and exposure to drugs, violence, and mental health struggles. Awareness remains a critical first step in addressing these issues. This In Brief presents findings from a larger study assessing youth awareness of mental health, alcohol abuse, and GBV in the National Capital District (NCD).Publication Open Access Educational Policies in Vanuatu and New Caledonia: Challenges for Indigenous Languages(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-18) Pradeau, CoralineThe world currently faces a significant loss of linguistic diversity. The Pacific region home to nearly 20 per cent of the world’s languages, many of them highly endangered is at the forefront of this challenge. Vanuatu and New Caledonia are two emblematic territories in Melanesia where educational language policies intersect with colonial legacies, political aspirations, and initiatives to safeguard indigenous languages and cultures. There is robust evidence that ensuring every child has access to education in their mother tongue reduces inequalities, fosters inclusion, and improves basic skills such as reading and writing (Hélot and de Mejía 2008). This In Brief examines how schools and universities in Vanuatu and New Caledonia support linguistic diversity despite the complex web of historical legacies and institutional obstacles. The analysis is based on interviews with 31 stakeholders from ministries, curriculum departments, universities, and teacher training institutions in both places (2022–23). This qualitative approach revealed the ideologies, resistances, and aspirations that shape the implementation of language policies.Publication Open Access Establishing and Strengthening a Culture-Sensitive Peacebuilding Strategy for Papua New Guinea(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-18) Kuman, GabrielThis In Brief is adapted from my presentation to a panel with the theme of ‘Dialogues for peace: Is there a need for a national peace strategy?’ at the 2025 PNG Update conference. My response to this question is ‘Yes’. Given the current situation, the intergroup conflicts, crimes, violence, and killings in Papua New Guinea (PNG) have reached epidemic proportions. The presentation was based on my knowledge of local content as a Papua New Guinean. I am the voice of my people, as I am part and parcel of the conflict. As a Papua New Guinean, I realise that one of the root causes of many problems in PNG is culture and the associated beliefs and values. I will discuss the influence of culture and religion, with a special focus on developing and strengthening a culture-sensitive peacebuilding strategy for PNG.Publication Open Access Records of Pacific Languages: Where Are They and Who Can See Them?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-09-05) Thieberger, NickAustralian researchers have a long tradition of working in the Pacific and Papua New Guinea. University-based linguists in particular have been travelling since the 1960s to remote parts of the region to learn some of the nearly 2,000 languages spoken there. Most of these languages continue to be spoken, in defiance of the colonial monolingual enterprise that considers them an impediment to progress. A language may provide a source of identity, but multilingualism, the ability to speak or understand other languages, is normal, and is valued. Despite this value, rising rates of migration and urbanisation are contributing to the decline in use of local languages. This increases the urgency of creating records for future reference, and of preserving existing records where they exist. Since early this century our project, PARADISEC (Pacific and Regional Archive for Digital Sources in Endangered Cultures), has been locating tape recordings made in the region by Australian linguists, musicologists, and anthropologists, but held in Australia. PARADISEC is a collaboration between three Australian universities: the University of Sydney, the University of Melbourne, and The Australian National University. We have been working to find relevant analogue records and to digitise them, putting them into an online system that makes them discoverable, joining increasing numbers of born digital field recordings. Depositors specify what kind of access and use can be made of the materials; we always aim to make items as accessible as possible, but we also use a takedown principle in case we are advised of inappropriate content.Publication Open Access Between the Lines: Pacific Cultural Adoptions in Australia(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-21) Tualima, Solamalemalo Hai-Yuean; Fainga‘a-Manusione, Inez; Faleolo, RuthMany Pacific families involved in the adoption process are torn between established Western legal principles and desiring recognition of Pacific ways of being and practices in the Australian system. Balancing Eurocentric legal systems and Pacific customary practice requires consideration of both mechanisms to navigate the best interests of the child. When Western legal frameworks are imposed upon cultural adoptions, without acknowledgement of context, the best interests of the child can be distorted. This In Brief examines Samoan and Tongan adoptions from the points of view of the Samoan and Tongan authors. It does not elaborate on the legal aspects but focuses on Pacific worldviews. Cultural adoption remains a common practice within Pacific families in Australia, reflecting enduring kinship-based caregiving traditions. We aim to provide a ‘snapshot’ of the ‘Pacific Cultural Adoptions Expert Report’ (Fainga‘a-Manu Sione et al. 2024), highlighting the importance of having a Pacific perspective that is conscious of custom and customary law. The report, commissioned by the presiding judge, discusses a case concerning the adoption of a Samoan child to a relative and his Tongan wife in Australia.Publication Open Access Are Pacific Labour Schemes Creating a Culture of Migration in Vanuatu?(Canberra, ACT: Dept. of Pacific Affairs, Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs, The Australian National University, 2025-08-15) Bailey, RochelleOver the last decade, both New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer scheme (RSE) and Australia’s Pacific Australian Labour Mobility scheme (PALM)1 have contributed to the creation of a culture of international migration in Vanuatu. This In Brief examines the concept of a culture of migration, drawing on research into ni-Vanuatu participation in these since 2007, highlighting changes in attitudes towards those participating in these programs. As one of the largest sending nations over the past 18 years, there are lessons to be learned from this Pacific Island nation for other participating countries. Issues include how participation affects community and cultural expectations and obligations, and the potential growth of intergenerational migration.