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Papua New Guinea
Report
Papua LNG project: financiers taking the risk
The author of this report argues that the sum of the financial, environmental, political and legal risks facing the Papua LNG project are issues that financiers to the project must carefully consider.
Report
PNG voices: listening to Australia's closest neighbour
This report outlines findings from the first major study of the attitudes of Papua New Guinean citizens toward PNG society and the bilateral relationship with Australia. The research captures a wide cross-section of perspectives and experiences from ordinary PNG citizens, including those living in a...
Book
Papua New Guinea: government, economy and society
Papua New Guinea, a nation of now almost nine million people, continues to evolve and adapt. Edited by Professor Stephen Howes and Professor Lekshmi N. Pillai, this book is highly recommended for students, policy-makers and anyone interested in understanding this complex and fascinating country.
Report
Health security in the Pacific: expert perspectives to guide health system strengthening
This report seeks to identify and prioritise health system strengthening initiatives that prevent impacts of health security threats and strengthen the ability to respond to these threats in the Pacific region.
Report
Time to ‘step up’ the tempo: Australia’s answer to Beijing in Papua New Guinea
This paper argues that the opportunistic nature of Chinese foreign policy demands vigilance from Australian policy-makers. It recommends some ways Australia can use its tools of statecraft to mitigate China’s influence and competition.
Briefing paper
Bridging Papua New Guinea’s information divide
In the lead-up to the 2022 national election, Papua New Guinea must address its information gap by investing in the public broadcaster, writes Lowy Institute's Media and Communications Manager, Shane McLeod.
Report
Family Protection Orders in Papua New Guinea
The purpose of this research project was to investigate whether the family protection orders (FPOs) in Papua New Guinea, introduced under the Family Protection Act 2013, were being accessed by, and improving the safety of, domestic and family violence survivors.
Report
Papua New Guinea's primary health care system: views from the frontline
This report aims to provide insights into how recent PNG government reform efforts are impacting on the primary health care system. Overall, the findings suggest that major health policies and broader reforms implemented under the O’Neill Government to strengthen the health system were struggling to...
Discussion paper
Politics in Papua New Guinea 2017–20: from O’Neill to Marape
This paper traces the end of Peter O’Neil’s tenure as PNG Prime Minister, and the change of political leadership to James Marape. The paper poses the question: has there been a shift in political style in PNG since 2017?
Report
Demanding the future: navigating the Pacific's youth bulge
This analysis identifies the wide-ranging potential impacts of a surging youth population in the first half of this century. They include increased poverty, persistently low literacy levels, and intense competition for educational opportunities.
Working paper
Improving tax compliance without increasing revenue: evidence from population-wide randomized controlled trials in Papua New Guinea
This paper studies the impact of “nudges” on taxpayers with varying tax compliance histories in Papua New Guinea.
Report
Procurement of garrison support and welfare services
The audit objective was to assess whether the Department of Homes Affairs has appropriately managed the procurement of garrison support and welfare services for offshore processing centres in Nauru and PNG (Manus Island).
Report
It’s time for a culture change
This report proposes that the current Australian government should adopt the Whitlam Government’s general policy direction to enhance its cultural engagement with Papua New Guinea.
Briefing paper
Coronavirus COVID-19 in Papua New Guinea
This briefing paper examines two previous epidemics in PNG and then describes the population and the movements of people who will carry the COVID-19 virus with them, to suggest how this epidemic will develop.
Report
ICT for development in the Pacific islands
This report reaches five main conclusions for the implementation of e-government and digital government initiatives, and it concludes with four recommendations for future programming of international support in the area of ICTs and e-government.
Article
Explainer: the medevac repeal and what it means for asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru
After much negotiation, the Morrison Government has secured the repeal of the medical evacuation law – known as “medevac” – after making a secret deal with Senate cross-bencher, Jacqui Lambie.
Report
The Bougainville referendum and beyond
As Bougainville prepares for a referendum on independence, Australia must navigate a policy response that acknowledges the history of conflict and colonialism there, Bougainville nationalism, PNG sensitivities, the principles of the guiding Bougainville Peace Agreement and new geostrategic realities to help forge a lasting solution...
Book
The Bougainville referendum: law, administration and politics
This book presents an analysis of legal, administrative and political issues arising from the complex arrangements for the conduct of the Bougainville referendum. In doing so, the book responds to a gap in the growing literature on Bougainville.
Report
Papua New Guinean agriculture: significant opportunity and much peril
PNG Prime Minister, James Marape, has a vision of turning PNG into the “food basket of Asia.” While PNG has developed palm oil, coffee, cocoa and copra export industries, this report argues that expanding into the production of other export commodities is likely to be...
Report
Unseen, unsafe: the underinvestment in ending violence against children in the Pacific and Timor-Leste
Violence against children is at endemic levels across Pacific island nations and Timor-Leste. Millions of children experience exceptionally high levels of physical, emotional and sexual violence, as well as neglect.
Report
The PNG–Australia development partnership
In this ASPI Strategic Insight, Stephanie Copus-Campbell describes her personal history with a key neighbour to Australia’s north and examines the complex and difficult challenges that PNG faces.
Case study
Promoting cultural heritage for sustainable tourism development: Madang, Papua New Guinea
Tourism has been identified as an important economic industry for Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including Papua New Guinea (PNG). One of the important niche markets for tourism is cultural heritage, which involves “travellers seeing or experiencing built heritage, living culture or contemporary arts” (Timothy...
Evaluation
Formative evaluation of Business Link Pacific
Business Link Pacific (BLP) is a multi-country small-to-medium enterprise (SME) development activity funded by MFAT at NZD$10m over five years. The goal is to build the market for business advisory services in participating Pacific Island Countries (PICs) and to enable SMEs to access services that...
Report
Exit from aid: an analysis of country experiences
This report looks systematically at the impact on development financing of countries’ transition from low- to middle-income status. It includes eight case studies: Egypt, Ghana, the Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Sri Lanka and Vietnam.
Blog post
Governance, ethics and leadership in Papua New Guinea – a personal perspective
This two part blog post revolves outlines the personal and practical experiences acquired over the years in the author's capacities as a public servant and private citizen in Papua New Guinea.