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, according to this report.

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.

Nearly two decades since the Bougainville Peace Agreement ended almost a decade of violent conflict, there has been significant progress towards peace. But legacies of the conflict still present challenges for former combatants and the communities they live in.

This paper provides a high-level but comprehensive review of the status, as of mid-2016, of the artisanal and small-scale mining industry in post-conflict Bougainville, drawing on extensive fieldwork conducted during 2014–16.

This discussion paper is based on a public speech delivered by the Hon. Patrick Nisira MHR, the Vice-President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville.