Comments

Speaking from his vast experience in the Public Service

Thanks Dan for your article and more generally to all the others providing updates around the region. In terms of the Solomon Islands, I think there is more that can be said about the country at this time. 1. On 1 April 2020, the Government announced a reduction in budgeted expenditures of $209.2 million. This was done by a combination of a 50% reduction in non-essential and discretionary expenditures (ends up with a 11% across the board cut in the budget), a freeze in recruitment and a 15% reduction in the Development budget. 2. Economic growth has been revised to 1.8% in 2020 (but I think this will again be revised in coming months). The Solomon Islands main economic partners are expected to report weaker growth (ADB in early April has revised China’s GDP growth to 2.3% in 2020) and continue facing increases in unemployment and the effects of weakened supply-chain connections due to disruptions in global transport and storage connectivity. This will affect the availability of many capital, intermediate and consumption items in the Solomon Islands. 3. The shutdown in all air passenger traffic and refusal to allow cruise ships to dock has meant that all tourism revenues have fallen to zero. Accommodation in Honiara is now at around 18-20% occupancy and is expected to fall further by May. Overall, weaker exports markets, lower global prices for commodities and falls in tourism will see a decrease in export and import duties and foreign earnings. The Solomon Islands currently has enough foreign reserves to cover over 11 months of imports, which is at a healthy level. But a prolonged period of weakness will see that fall further. There is a also a lack of information on what is happening outside of Honiara and how the economic and social effects of the current economic situation will affect people in the provinces. Kind regards and stay safe, Scott Hook

I just read this <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-04-07/coronavirus-government-covid19-modelling-experts-on-response/12128950" rel="nofollow ugc">article</a> and understand that everything will be fine!

G'day Carolyn, I am in Vanuatu and saw the results of Cyclone Pam and even though my home was safe the devastation made my heart bleed. I am appalled by the housing here. In Australia you would not keep your chickens in such places in case it collapsed and fell on them, but families live like that. I am not a charity but I wanted to do something so when I could not get much interest from the Government I decided to build a "proof of concept" display so that they could touch and see what I think is a perfect cost effective solution where I can train the locals in a whole new way of construction using reinforcing that has never been in the South Pacific before which will allow me to build concrete domes structure that are totally cyclone proof , earthquake safe, fire proof, termite proof and will never suffer from concrete cancer. The life expectancy of the buildings should be measured in hundreds of years. The cost will be very, very competitive and the VALUE FOR MONEY unbeatable. I have run into a brick wall, the Government says that because my cyclone shelters CAN BE TURNED INTO A DOMESTIC DWELLING as a foreigner I am not allowed to build them and no one else in the country has the equipment and knowledge to do it either. The story is far too long to post here, but you can look at my website www.pacificoceandomes.com for details and pictures. I have never done anything in the way of dealing with a government for something like this and after 3 years I seem to be getting nowhere . Everyone who has visited my display loves them and only two Government Ministers have been to the site. I don't like imposing on you but from what I read you seem to be on the same page in regards to not getting value for money for the $billions of Australian taxpayers money. I do not want to walk away as I am fully committed to improving the housing situation here for safety reasons but at 77 I worry that I will run out of time if something doesn't happen soon. I would love to hear from you by e-mail , the contact details are on my web page.

Well explained. Thank you

Dan, you say, "The old tactic of flooding the zone with technical advisors won’t work either. Nobody wants to be separated from their family at a time like this, and few would dare to bring them here. Moreover, every single skill set required to combat disaster in the Pacific is already required at home."and I can mostly agree with that, but there is a case that I am currently dealing with and that is multi purpose life saving cyclone shelters. I have spent a considerable part of my life savings building a proof of concept display of such structures at Erakor Bridge, Tassiriki. I already live here, and have imported from America, the equipment to build them. They are basically concrete domes with new technology basalt reinforcing that has higher tensile strength (stronger) than steel and will NEVER RUST, this means they will never get concrete cancer, one of the most destructive problems when building with concrete. These building are multi purpose, they can be a gazebo, a kava bar, a health clinic, a roadside market stall, a shed in the backyard, a home or many other uses. The most important thing is THEY WILL SAVE LIVES. I realise that a lot of people would like to convert the cyclone shelter into a domestic dwelling, but that is their business , not mine, I do NOT intend to fit them out as domestic dwellings, but just empty shells which once form ply is put over the openings will guarantee safety to several families during a cyclone. As a foreigner I am not, by law, allowed to build a domestic dwelling and I have no intention of ever doing it for a client. If my clients can't do the additional work to customise them for their chosen use they can employ a local builder. What I offer is training in a totally new system of building which has a disaster resilience factor far beyond and above anything done in Vanuatu before at a cost that is within reach of a considerable portion of the community. All I need is for the appropriate Government Department to recognise my structures for what they are, CYCLONE SHELTERS, and not domestic dwellings and not to include them in the incorrect list. Nothing more, just stop saying "but it can be turned into a dwelling", by saying that they agree with me that it IS NOT A DWELLING, but could be TURNED into one, the same as sheets of iron and sticks of timber can also be turned into a dwelling. Lets face reality having just seen the damage from Cyclone Harold and acknowledge the fear in the minds of it's victims, that cyclone safe structures are amongst the most important things needed in this country. Stop playing pedantics with words and let us get on with saving lives. My website is www.pacificoceandomes.com Regards . . . Daryll Kelly

Wow! The measures seem onerous but are totally necessary. I visited Funafuti with my partner for 5 days in early 2019 as tourists, and we are now in lockdown in the UK. Every day hundreds are dying here, and our own Prime Minister is in intensive care. If this virus gets to Tuvalu without the ability to contain it, it would be disastrous. My thoughts and prayers are with the citizens of Tuvalu.

Hi Michelle, goodness me! I meant to complete reading "No Friend but the Mountains" to do a review, but have become caught up in the mundane things. Definitely will not let your excellent review cloud my judgement. So far I have been reading with a poetic eye, rather than with a critical eye. Will use the "locked down" period to complete my reading of Boochani's book.

Hi Sadhana I find interesting your comment on political priorities; and I agree with your last statement on the call for bipartisanship. I wanted to vent a little about the attitude of some during this time. For those people who continue to defy the situational measures in place by our authorities, a reasonable conclusion that can be drawn is that they have not come to the full realization of the seriousness of this pandemic. This is surprising given all that is known, and unknown, about COVID-19. The known is primarily the loss of life and, for those who live on, the change in almost every aspect of life as they know it. But this is not the thinking for those who blatantly disregard health authorities’ advice for necessary isolation, do not practice physical distancing, break curfew and spread false information whether intending to create panic amongst the public or for whatever intentions; and attempt to use the situation to serve their political goals or at the very least take a shot at containment measures. Years prior, many experts predicted that no state would be ready for a pandemic; we only need to be responsible individuals to educate ourselves on the global experiences of COVID-19 to see that this is true. Fijians need to start with the obvious, the world’s ‘greatest’ are falling hard – the present participle is meant to capture the uncertainty of the far-reaching impact of COVID-19. So, people should be allowed to be upset and frustrated with any faults in our systems, that is human nature and the essence of democracy. Because if the ‘greatest’ are falling the hardest during this pandemic, then the weakest should spare no chance on half-measures. There is so much left to the unknown – the uncertainty of when a vaccine would be created or when we’d return to 'normal' life. Perhaps it could be the uncertainty of the extent of the worse yet to come, or not knowing the future impact on the world. Whatever view Fijians have on the situation, people cannot be excused or justified for being reckless when they, for example, fail to take precautionary measures to eliminate risk of exposure to the virus (especially when one is placed in a position to warrant such precaution), withhold information from medical authorities, disobey advice for self-isolation upon return from overseas, continue physical interaction like sharing grog (whether in isolation or not), disobey border protection measures in order to meet with a girlfriend, and so on. Confirmed cases of COVID-19 surpass one million, which is the population of Fiji and then some. There is no vaccine or particular treatment for COVID-19. Health systems from around the globe are struggling with their incapacity to treat victims and essentially to 'flatten the curve'. So the first step of any problem is always to acknowledge and realize the extent of the same. Actual realization involves understanding the situation and paying attention to our health advisors and our authorities. And for those who are sceptical of our advisors, like many were at the beginning of the outbreak in the US, fact check the information that is shared with you, research or read reputable sources, make the choice to share factual and useful material – this is a shared responsibility. We need to be educated and informed on the facts not only of the situation here in Fiji, but of Fiji in the global context. And only by really understanding the situation do we become responsible in our thinking and hopefully this translates into our actions. And so despite being frustrated, if we’re reasonably informed, we are able to direct that energy to asking intelligible questions of our authorities, sharing factual and useful information and following containment measures that are put in place. My two pennies worth. Regards Lisa

The public servants that are administering these programs are constrained by pre-COVID-19 rules and regulations and have not been given sufficient discretion or scope to adapt to meet the fast changing circumstances. I had hoped Home Affairs would announce a blanket extension of existing visas, but it appears the announcement on the weekend (that visas would be extended) referred to an extension of the term of bridging visas, not to a simpler process. Because their visas expired on 28 March, our six workers mentioned above have been unable to work for ten days, and Home Affairs have put them in a queue and advised they will be interviewed for their new bridging visas on 15 April. We don't know, and cannot find out, how long it will take after that to grant the visa. I am disappointed at their indifference to the plight and wellbeing of these workers who will be vital to ensuring Australia's fresh food supplies in the coming months. I'm reminded of a joke women passed around in the 70's about the famous dance couple, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers. Fred Astaire got much of the credit, but my female friends would remind me that Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards, and in high heels. Dancing to the tune of of the government regulations around seasonal workers and visas is hard enough in normal times, but suddenly COVID-19 has come along and we find ourselves dancing backwards and in high heels, but no one in government has told the DJ to change the dance steps or slow down the music.

The following documents informed this post: Falefou, T. (2020) Preparedness and Response Program Interim Report No. 1. National Covid-19 Taskforce, Government of Tuvalu. Tuvalu Government (2020) The Management and Minimisation of the Impact of Coronavirus Regulation 2020.

Thank you so much Anyonyi Octavian Jonathan for your comment. Knowing that people are thinking and talking about ways that we can work together more effectively across disciplines and sectors is really encouraging. Learning how multi- and inter-disciplinary teams are operating across different geographies will encourage and inform us all. Do please share the fruit of your discussions down the track and stay safe during these challenging times.