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A female career diplomat who has served the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade for the past 14 years has been appointed as Solomon Islands’ next ambassador to Indonesia. Gladys Kamia Isihanua was officially commissioned this morning by Governor General Sir David Tiva Kapu to take up the post. She…
Major change is on the way for Pacific seasonal workers and, possibly, the Australian government’s flagship Pacific visa should Peter Dutton take office on May 3. The coalition has pledged to bring back a dedicated agriculture visa and review – and likely axe – minimum weekly hours for visiting Pacific…
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape has stood strong in the face of a no-confidence motion in parliament, winning the vote without even debating it. As was predicted by political analysts leading into Tuesday’s vote, Marape easily survived despite the best efforts of the opposition. After a rambunctious debate,…
Travellers from Pacific Island nations will find it easier to travel in New Zealand after changes to visa rules. Movement from much of the Pacific to either Australia and New Zealand is currently expensive and onerous, with most citizens of most countries required to apply for visitor visas, and wait…
CANBERRA, AAP – Pacific island nations will get a larger chunk of Australia’s foreign aid as spending is refocused after the United States slashed its aid agency. Foreign Minister Penny Wong asked her department to compile a list of aid programs across the Pacific and Southeast Asia that would be…
Leaders of Papua New Guinea and would-be nation Bougainville are holding moderated talks this week in Port Moresby to clarify the province’s pathway to independence. Bougainville, an autonomous region in Papua New Guinea’s east, has long sought independence, even declaring as much without success in 1975. In 2019, 98 per…
by Ben McKay of AAP Australia and other development partners are moving to cover gaps across the Pacific as the United States under Donald Trump retreats from foreign aid. Top of mind for Australia is gender equality and protecting reproductive rights, dealt a major blow through an early order from…
Pacific island workers in Australia under a working visa scheme will have to wait nine months longer for changes that would boost their wages. Workers from 10 countries can come to Australia and be employed across a range of sectors including agriculture and meat processing to fill labour gaps under…
Brisbane, AAPÂ –Â A warm embrace has marked defence treaty talks between Australia and Papua New Guinea, giving the cold shoulder to China’s Indo-Pacific influence. Deputy Prime Minister Richard Marles got up close and personal with PNG Defence Minister Billy Joseph in Brisbane on Thursday, starting negotiations that look set to…
Australian First Nations musician and artist Kuku-Yalanji man Mr Jeremy Donovan has concluded his visit to Solomon Islands. Over 9-days, he visited nine schools, five marketplaces, a church and a hospital across Central, Makira-Ulawa and Guadalcanal Provinces. An internationally famous Aboriginal musician and artist, Jeremy Donovan has performed all around…
