Comments

Job requirements are the confusion we are creating. All successful applicants, their names are already registered in the Centrelink. They need to apply for visa without job offer.

PNG is not like Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Fiji or Marshall Islands. PNG has a big land mass with over 10 million people of cultural diversity. You confined yourself in one out of 22 provinces, Goroka town in the Eastern Highlands province. Could you make a second and visit all the provinces and redo the judgment? And what do you mean by Pacifica?

Hoping there a lessons learnt from this year to better the process next year with both the PEV Support Team and DHA. Seems many have or will miss the opportunity due to the delay in visa grants.

Ashlee - since writing my response late last night I've been kicking myself for not remembering all the wonderful feminist playbooks re: how to progress social inclusion. You're right that we don't just hide it - we do all of it. Some parts of the sector clearly and actively set out why inclusion is central to development; other parts of the sector quietly work on inclusion issues in ways that keeps it away from the parapet; others protest; others use the legal system to push for change; and so on. We need an all-hands-on-deck and spreading our bets approach to keep that work alive under many different guises. Thanks for prompting me to remember that!

“I also think telling the stories of how aid supports local people to solve their own problems is a good approach” Frankly, I think it is the only approach that makes sense. Almost everything else has a habit of looking like paternalism, saviour complex, is demeaning or outright insulting. “Development” itself is a loaded term. In four decades of exposure to communities in Melanesia I have yet to meet one that was not supremely capable of solving almost any issue confronting them, albeit with a little assistance to get started. It is noticeable that post-independence narratives around the delivery of health, education and law and order have without exception been top down. Never bottom up or more appropriately “we will meet you, half-way.” I believe I can safely say that almost without exception the inherited approach has failed everywhere. IMHO development assistance should be anchored around empowering local actors, women, men and children to lead the effort to solve the issues that matter to them, be it around economic empowerment, health or education services. Sadly, the AID game has become just what you would expect. What’s the latest buzz word and how do we make a fortune tapping into that zeitgeist? I challenge any contractor to go to locations where women do not get antenatal services and tell that community they are doing everything in their power to work with the “government” to strengthen services. I have stood in communities in western PNG that have angrily proclaimed that if they want health services, they carry their sick over the border into Indonesia. Further that they have never had a visit from a PNG government officer and if they did it might not end well. This is the grim reality to the immense treasure expended over the decades and all the pearl clutching over what has happened recently comes as no surprise. While ever we conflate human capital development with ‘State Craft” nothing will change.

Thanks Lisa -- I couldn't agree more re strong and clear messaging (perhaps not surprising given my comms obsession!) and being strategic about the way we talk about our work. The sector has not been the best at this. I'm not sure it is the time just yet to hide inclusion programming (...maybe SRHR...) but it definitely needs strong supportive narratives around it that are not seen as just being 'woke', particularly around the economic/human development/human capital angles. And honestly, we have practice in doing this... under the last Coalition government climate change was a dirty word for a long time (this shifted a bit towards the end of their term), and lot of mitigation and adaptation work was 'hidden' as resilience, DRR, livelihoods, etc. There are ways to construct pro-aid messaging that align with bipartisan values and priorities, and this is an important protective approach in these dangerous times. For example, I liked the effective core message that the FM delivered with the gender strategy launch: "Gender equality is not a 'special interest'. Gender equality is a matter of national interest." Direct and to the point. I also think telling the stories of how aid supports local people to solve their own problems is a good approach -- unfortunately there still seems to be a lot of mainstream appetite for 'white saviour' type aid narratives, which is hard to shift. But the USAID purge tells us that it doesn't matter who is delivering aid when it is all thrown together in a basket and labelled as waste, so perhaps this is an opportunity to make a strong effectiveness and efficiency argument about localised aid delivery. I agree with you that it is less about evidence and more about effective, strong and consistent messaging. Disinfo isn't based on any kind of truth and it cuts through, so how can we ensure our messaging cuts through? I am always saying the risk of not communicating is usually greater than the risk of communicating, and I think this is a time where the risk of silence is especially high.

Thanks for the thoughtful comment Ashlee. I certainly think you're right to be concerned. And don't get me wrong - the push for localisation is hardly going to come from the MAGA movement. But I think that 1. Those not working immediately in the US system (ie: many working for DFAT, FCDO and others) can make a real shift in what development assistance is and looks like that gets on the front foot of what may well be attacks that emerge on aid elsewhere. And where there is still political space to carve that out currently. 2. I wonder if those in the know about what good support to locally led processes of change needs to look like can be strategic in packaging and framing that in ways that speak to conservatives. I'm nervous about that and share your concerns about whether in being strategic we pander to loud voices. But, for instance, rather than talking about decolonisation and locally led development; can we talk about local leaders solving their problems - maybe even entrepreneurially - with peer learning from 'donor' countries? Do we hide gender and inclusion in other issue-based programming (parts of the sector have been doing that increasingly on governance and justice for instance). There are absolutely risks but I think those conversations need to be had and that there's an opportunity to really push for change, rather than defending 'aid' territory and the status quo. It strikes me that other sectors do better than aid at repackaging themselves for different political narratives and the aid community need to get better at that if they don't want it to forever be a pet issue of the 'left'. Scarily, I don't think more evidence is going to help us here - for just the reasons you highlight. I think the story and the narrative matter more - which is certainly new and uncomfortable ground for me and likely many of us!

Thank you for sharing your research on this topic.

Hi Faith, Thank you for sharing your experience. Remain optimistic and perservere. I will reach out to you separately. Regards, Natasha

Hi Izzidore, It seems that the selection period is open until 28 Feb so they can "conduct further selections to fill country allocations if any selected participants do not proceed with an application." Any re-draw dates before 28 Feb will be announced on the social media platforms so it's best to monitor those sites and your immi account and email should you also receive a notification for a change in your visa status from "Received" to "Selected" Regards, Natasha

Hi Vina, Congratulations on your selection and thank you for your comments, I will reach out to separately on email. Regards, Natasha

Hi Jimmy, Sorry to hear of your challenges. The best thing to do is to keep the PEV Support Service updated on your circumstances. They are tasked to connect PEV applicants to employers and where there will be any risk of losing job offers, they should be made aware of this so they can support you with the visa application. It's very important that applicants document all correspondence with the PEV Support Service in the event that they ask for evidence or proof of your efforts in completing the visa application with that job offer. Even if you don't get a response from the PEV Support Service or DHA, a "no response" is also evidence to support your case for special consideration. I hope that was useful. Best, Natasha