Comments

I wonder if the researchers are also going to look at the human capital implications for South Pacific countries of the PLS, as Minister Littleproud seems to have done https://minister.infrastructure.gov.au/littleproud/interview/minister-littleproud-interview-4ro-michael-bailey . If there is a permanent and not, as some have suggested, a temporary relative surplus population, I wonder what are the conditions in the SP countries that produce unemployed and under-employed people consistently? Seems a worthy research question now that the effects of enforced and prolonged family separation are on your radar.

Thanks for this informative article. I could not agree more. After 40 years I lost my CBA bank account because I have an Austrac license to send money overseas. This has been documented by the ABC TV, and I have complained to The Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA) and they could not help. I wrote to my local MP, Josh Frydenberg, and did not even get acknowledgment, even after sending a registered letter. So what to do?... following the senate inquiry into fintech, etc. and writing the odd piece, see below... https://www.linkedin.com/posts/mi2000_somalia-upu-cryptocurreny-activity-6850993907422126080-mjJE... and hoping that reason will prevail, the arrogance of local MP will diminish. So it is tough world. The irony, or should I say the unintended consequence is that money still gets sent out from Australia... because the remittance companies are licensed to do their business, so without bank accounts, it is hard to know who is sending what to whom... KYC/AML is hard to ascertain. Happy to share more on this. Thanks. Regards, Mohamed

The importance of understanding local context goes beyond the ability to speak the language (which is critical as noted above), cultural nuances cannot be understood if we do not spend enough time in a place hence long term relationships with the communities are critical beyond the research project - not just partnerships for research. Development research makes use of the knowledge shared by the local communities, and makes full use of their stories, without acknowledging their authorship. We take these stories and make these ours in some ways by claiming authorship of the published works. It is something that needs further examination, mere informed consent and acknowledgement is not enough.

I find this story very captivating in the sense that one has to experience the hustle of an ordinary grass roots Papua New Guinean life in order to project a realistic approach in life as far as social and development policy is concerned. Relatable.

Thanks for linking the piece here. I saw it earlier and found it very insightful!

Love to work on a New Zealand farm

Thank you for this moving and insightful account. Re vaccination, the initial wave of resistance, at least where I work is slowly receding (this is based on my personal interactions with colleagues). A 'soft lock down' has been implemented.

Thanks for the clarity of the PNG Constitution Section 45. Many have misunderstood and misrepresent the Sovereign State of Papua New Guinea.

Hi Katherine I think this is a really great point and one that I am also grappling with. In my experience, part of the issue is that the local leaders and reformists with whom I work do not have the same incentives and time on their hands as someone like me to be writing blogs and articles. They are too busy doing the real work of social change 😊 and the drivers of power that they are trying to influence in their political economies are not often ones that engage with these sorts of publications. But I do think there is a further secretarial/ ‘campaign manager’ role that outsiders can play here - write the abstracts to enable these leaders to present at learning conferences, draft up their ideas and advice into blogs like this one here (particularly again if English is not the first language). Would love to hear your ideas also though!

Thank you for this article. Five years ago, La'o Hamutuk wrote a brief report on street vendors in Timor-Leste. Although we didn't look into those who mainly sell pulsa, some of the information may be of interest: https://www.laohamutuk.org/misc/vendors/16StreetVendors.htm

Ron May, a towering figure whose intellect many of us have benefited from and many more will into the future. Thank you for your distinguished service to PNG and the Pacific at large.

Loved reading this Ron. A story better than fiction, and what a privilege to having known you and Patricia for the past two decades. Hope you continue to research and write about PNG and Australia.