Comments

Scott, I fully agree with you. The DevPolicy blogs on the Pacific Labour Scheme all seem to be arguing that the needs of the Pacific Island Countries must be subservient to the needs of Australia (and New Zealand). This is part of a larger development picture that also needs to be better understood, as David Abbott and I argue in the following blogs: https://devpolicy.org/mired-in-mirab-migration-and-remittances-20200302/ and https://devpolicy.org/mired-in-mirab-aid-and-bureaucracy-20200303/

Stephen, we already have an inherently racist system. That is why 417 and 462 holders are encouraged to work in agriculture but have total freedom of movement and why those from the Pacific, PNG, and T-L are forced onto SWP visas and tied to employers.

So the myopia continues: `Australia needs more Pacific mid-skill migration'. And the needs of South Pacific countries? Certainly not economists funded by DFAT. Couldn't possibly be these needed in SP countries either: `Sustained economic growth requires highly educated workers, who in turn require fundamental workers to do their jobs. In a hospital room, for example, the surgeon works together with a nurse’s assistant, a building cleaner, a food service worker, and an electrician to bring the patient back to health. No hospital room could function without the labour of all of these, and other, workers.' Try telling this to Goroka hospital and others in PNG battling an epidemic clearly out of control. When will the DevPolicy Centre turn its analytic skills to investigating the human capital conditions in SP countries, including what part international policy has played in the non-development that has reigned over the last forty or so years in the region? Does development policy mean litle more than advocating out-migration to Australia and New Zealand?

Very important point. As a Pacific Islander, the impacts in temporary loss of human capital to PLS and related schemes are immense. For example, in rural villages, traditional laborious activities such as gardening and small livestock rearing normally for men, is now being left to women and the elderly, as the menfolk are away from home for lengthy periods of time, especially now in this COVID19 era. As to your question of unemployment in PICs, this may be a question of countries not investing enough in job creation particularly in the informal rural sector. I also reiterate the need for more research into this topic. Tankio tumas.

Thanks for this Desmond; lovely to hear this description of such an interesting part of POM. I did some work at Sabama market 2014-2015, and all the things you say about transformation ring true. The presence of able mediators and a well functioning village court, and to some extent the leadership of the Badili police, all contributed, it seems. So too, many people told me, did the presence of Highlands families and some business people, who together seem to have suppressed previous gang activity. The pastor of a mainstream church there related stories of how Highlands families rallied to protect him and his family, and reportedly displaced some of the local gang folk who had come in earlier waves of migration from locations including Gulf and elsewhere. But it is also true of course that the original gang leaders - who were heavily involved with politics in the time of Bill Skate - grew older, and established families and businesses of their own. The gangs failed to institutionalise, and reproduce themselves across generations. Troublemakers were chased out (some, it was said, only as far as Badili!!). Youth, as you say, were involved by churches and sports and work. I would be very interested to hear more of your perspective on this.

Thanks Mike and Brendan and devpolicy for this. Mike is one of the global health thinkers and actors I admire most. But I do have to offer my honest reflections. It is a useful report but it unfortunately a bit anodyne and measured. There was an opportunity to be bolder and to call out the status quo systems that led to this global inequity. And while calling for more money and some useful approaches, it is not nearly as bold as it could be. For example, the call for Australia to support vaccine production in the region is a bit bland: supporting WHO efforts on vaccine technology transfer. Australia is trying to build its own mRNA capacity with large investments and states jockeying for position and funding. What if we were to commit to a beyond-aid partnership with Indonesia or Vietnam that twinned Australian mRNA production capacity with the equivalent in one of those two countries. It would be about scientific partnership, technology transfer, economic development, soft power - not just about aid and giving money. It would represent an ASEAN partnership - one more impactful than submarines. It is a bolder vision than requesting the Australian government give more money or work with WHO. The report is useful as a political nudge but it is a missed opportunity to advance the agenda for global equity and partnership.

COVID 19 and Cancer on this past 2 years of pandemic... Its flagship programs include cervical and breast cancer screening trainings for rural health units, mass cervical and breast cancer screening, cancer treatment patient assistance, and establishment of cancer patient support groups. In 2019, the center trained 17 rural health units and screened 6,210 patients. A total of 94 patients were given financial assistance for their cancer treatment. https://rafi.org.ph/focus-areas/rafi-eduardo-j-aboitiz-cancer-center-rafi-ejacc/

Mauritius will soon be another Fiji as the minority ethnic groups are doing their best to take over the majority ethnic group and to put their laws and way of living. And all this backed by some living room media and some toilet activists as if peace wasn't good for them.

For aid to be most effective, Australia must focus its development efforts in areas where it has a clear, unique value proposition. Financing physical infrastructure is far from unique to Australia; a multitude of donors finance physical infrastructure, while very few provide high-quality technical assistance in specialized areas.

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.