Comments

Mauri Ten Amota - thanks for your article, and perspectives. I am interested to see your use of the word 'Tungaru'. Are you able to comment and explain why the leaders decided not to use the name Tungaru when the country became independent? It would be an interesting blog topic. Incidentally, as a staff member of NZ MFAT, I went to Nikunau with President Tabai when he was making a farewell visit to the southern islands at the end of his last term as President, in 1991.

Great piece to read! The number of male and female representatives in Papua New Guinea’s Parliament has fluctuated unpredictably over the years. Since 2000, many women have contested seats nationwide, but only a small proportion have been elected. In the current parliamentary term, three women serve as representatives. In the 2027 election, the number of women contesting seats may rise or fall, yet few—or perhaps none—may be elected. The outcome will largely depend on two key factors. The first factor is the ability of sitting representatives—including the three women currently in Parliament—to deliver services and earn voters’ confidence. Their performance will strongly influence their prospects for re-election. The second factor is the alleged increase in misconduct during polling and counting. Ballot papers may be marked or manipulated by a small number of people to favour particular candidates, often men, while genuine voters are excluded. Similar interference during counting and elimination could disadvantage women candidates and redirect votes towards their male opponents. Under the LPV system, women candidates may survive elimination by gaining second- and third-preference votes. However, they remain vulnerable to the two challenges outlined above. In a male-dominated society, female candidates continue to face strong and highly competitive contests in every election, and this trend is likely to persist for the foreseeable future. This challenge is particularly evident in the Highlands region, where women candidates encounter significant barriers to electoral success. In contrast, female candidates generally experience a more favorable political environment in many coastal regions. As the evidence presented indicates, most past and current women representatives have originated from coastal areas, highlighting the relatively greater opportunities available to women candidates in those regions. In the coming 2027, the 3 female representatives will face strong battle, and the outcome is still unpredictable.

At 51, PNG continues to shy away from electing women representatives to parliament. There were strong women who believed in equal gender representation in parliament and succeeded in elections and inspired past and current women leaders. I hope PNG votes more women into parliament in the 2027 elections.

I am not in contact with many former colleagues of Brian Scoullar. I suggest that you contact Ric Caven who may be able to assist. Another possibility is to write to the editor of PNG Kundu (the journal of the PNG Association of Australia) with a letter to be published which asks for contacts. The email address for the journal is: editor@pngaa.net. Good luck with this, Mike

Thank you, Australian Government, for the opportunity given to come work and live in Australia.

Thank you, Stephen Howes and Finn Clarke, for another useful contribution to the discussion on the Pacific Engagement Visa. The quota-adjusted analysis provides an interesting perspective on relative country performance and highlights important differences in visa outcomes across participating countries That said, I think it's worth interpreting the rankings with a degree of caution. Countries with smaller quotas can achieve very high utilisation rates from a relatively small number of successful applicants, so percentages don't always tell the full story. I'd also be interested in seeing success measured beyond visa grants alone. Over time, it would be valuable to understand employment outcomes, income gains for migrants and their families, and longer-term settlement experiences in Australia. What I find most interesting is the "why" behind the numbers. Factors such as English proficiency, diaspora networks, awareness of the PEV, access to documentation, digital connectivity, employer links, and government support systems may all influence outcomes. From a Samoan perspective, some of the strong results may reflect foundations built over many years, including established communities in Australia, extensive migration experience, strong family networks, and well-developed labour mobility systems. If so, Samoa's performance may be telling us as much about these longstanding advantages as it does about the PEV itself. I look forward to seeing future research unpack the drivers behind these outcomes, as those lessons could be just as valuable as the rankings themselves.

What is LNG levy for two quarters 2026?

Hi all, I am just letting you know that based on farmer feedback in PNG, we have completely redesigned the PNG cocoa app to be easier to access, include more videos and audio. The updated app can be downloaded here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.boss.pngcocoa Tom

This is a very interesting and difficult issue - not always a problem, but always there in the wings. Way back, in the day, I had several conversations with Hammer DeRoburt and the Chief Justice Ian Thompson during the drafting phase of Ian's work on the court system. Pre-Independence and for a short time afterwards there were Nauruan magistrates, but Hammmer wanted the system changed. Hammer was adamant that there were to be no Nauruan magistrates and there would be no jury system. Hammer believed there were too many avenues for corruption and favouritism. Family and tribal ties were as much a problem as family and tribal feuds (for some, the events of the mid-nineteenth century were still to be brought to mind on occasion) were not uncommon and would threaten any system of law. One solution Ian wrote into legislation was the ability to have courts include expert lay members who could impart their knowledge to the judge. The idea has never been put into effect. Hammer had a strong belief in the rule of law and the constitution - something that has been lost over the years. I have always felt that one of Hammer's mistakes (one taken on board around the South Pacific) was the requirement that the courts adopt the formal dress of the English Courts: a practice that, in my opinion, borders on the insane - but there you go - who doesn't like dressing up in fancy clothes with full bottom wigs (and the rest) to impress.

Great article and such welcome support for all.

Great work in building your professional skills, few thoughts here! It would be interesting if you build in a hypothetical premise basing on the PNG past 50 years or the next 50 years and collect informant interviews to attest/confirm the premise would be a better way to gauge UNI students understanding and knowledge. For Example, what would be their take from the last 50 years in development, or a piece of valuable tradition/practice that may/likely to disappear in the next 50 year (your research should frame that way). It would be more interesting, if you have done or propose to do baseline data collection of gender-based violence or how gender related diversities is understood in a learning institution like UPNG, and if resources allow extend to other tertiary institutions and compare. (Your professional area of interest). The studies would cover, how students understand relevant government approaches and policies, pathways and how it affects development. The concern now is that many educated professionals after they left schools and find employment, they quickly ended up in multiple cases of gender based violences, even to the stage where lives were lost (am sure you will recall some cases). If recent graduates learned and understand something on GBV and the rippling effects, they would live within sound gender-based disciplines in the working fields. The above proposition is something that you may like to consider going forward, you can seek support beyond the ANU-UPNG initiative to undertake such research.

Hi Koivi, Nice to hear from you. As a start, you can download the app for free from: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.boss.pngcocoa I would recommend contacting the Cocoa Board of PNG for agronomy and cocoa growing advice! Tom