Comments

Hi Paul, All Australians can be proud of Herb Feith's approach to volunteering. Those volunteering with Palms Australia are prepared to approach it in the same way as you describe. We find that not paying the volunteers more than the equivalent of their local counterparts also assists to make the relationships so much more mutual. I think it helps to create a greater interdependence. We see so many "volunteers" from elsewhere dining out on their well paid allowances. Not many are unwrapping the banana leaves, even where locals still do so, nor are many seen eating with the locals. Locals notice, which can impact the trust and respect that Herb and local counterparts built, as it tends to create a power imbalance. Has AVI or the Australian Volunteer Program ever considered bringing the Volunteer living allowance back into line with local income?

Congratulation, it's a good blog. I didn't read the entire blog but, I noted the issue of MPs deflecting from embracing party policies on basic services such as health and education and pursuing DSIP/PSIP and privileges that accompany portfolios in the government camp. Many of them claim that they moved in the best interest of their people but fail to deliver during their term. The data presented says it all. Keep publishing and exposing these realities. Some day, some body will use this factual data to get things right for PNG.

Hi KC This is a similar comment I have made a number of times in the past. People move from outer islands to the larger island/town of the country much as they do with internal movement from smaller to larger towns in most countries as they 'develop'. Then the next step for small countries is the movement to larger countries/towns in their region and beyond. An interesting opposite movement is older people moving back to their country of origin as they reach retirement age. Some set up business others just live off pensions. This is a reason for small island countries to keep links with their diaspora. There is also some movement of foreigners to small island countries - to "a warmer less complicate place" for their retirement. But these numbers are probably still relatively small. It would be interesting to have some further study on this. A couple of immediate policy issues I can identify: 1. keep close links with your diaspora; 2. encourage Australia, NZ, USA etc to provide full portability and maintenance of pension payments for these people moving. Currently NZ allows it for some countries. Australia is more strict. I am sure others can think of more. Peter Poulsen

Thanks for this piece State building does not necessarily translate or automate into provision of basic public services like education, health, transport or security. It does at the first instances expand and strengthen state functional institutions to have the governance and institutional capability to effectively deliver basic public services. When state building failed to translate functional institutions into effective governance and institutional capability, then state would failed to deliver its basic primary function of providing public services. This is tantamount to fragile state. How aid is directed into state building is a technical calculation. Is it state building at effecting functional state institutions in governance or institutional capability to deliver basic public services (improving poverty) or is it just state building as the expense of aid is a cause for concern and is evident in fragile state. Therefore, the politics of aid is another important calculation that recipient nations and aid donor needs to understand and reflect on the real purpose of aid. Otherwise donor nation only looking to enhance its political agendas while recipient nation embrace the aid without reflecting on the real purpose. In the end, we see fragile state in heavily aid depended nations without a single improvement in the poverty line. Understanding the politics of aid is important than relying on the value of aid itself.

It strikes me that Tonga faces challenges similar to those that many rural/country towns in Australia and elsewhere face - that the young prefer to live in bigger cities.

I believe we can get it down. - The one belt road and the recent interest in Africa by Europe should drive the world economy. - Growth in the world economy from reduced energy costs in solar as well as competition due to merged trans-continental energy distribution and electrical networks. - Expansion of global markets due to online and mobile ecommerce platforms, crypto-currency as well as the improved global logistics for the distribution of goods and services. - Most importantly world changing events such as the creation of new industries such as space exploration. - AI, cheaper more powerful chips, robotics and the blockchain

Apropos my argument above is this article in the Australian press: '$15b European trade deal doomed if Australia dodges Paris pledge' https://www.smh.com.au/politics/federal/is-this-a-red-line-for-us-15b-european-trade-deal-doomed-if-australia-dodges-paris-pledge-20180831-p50109.html

Thanks Garth - your comment about "saying next to nothing positive" about Australia's aid achievements did remind me. Neither Senator Ferrovanti-Wells nor Ms Bishop ever attempted to persuade that feared "community" that aid is a good thing. And that we get results amongst the poorest of the world's poor. Anyone remember the 2005 International Year of Microcredit, explicitly endorsed by Prime Minister Howard ? Aid can take years to demonstrate its effectiveness. And DFAT has external and internal evaluation capacity to demonstrate that. Their reports never seemed to receive the Ministerial attention they deserve.

Thanks Grant for your blog. Your research is a high value contribution to understanding this public policy challenge for PNG. Like anything, if we don't even understand the disease, how can we hope to find a cure? Your research has illuminated that we may have, in the early years of anticorruption policy in PNG and elsewhere in the developing world, significantly misdiagnosed corruption in PNG. Deeper understanding will allow PNG policymakers and citizens to improve the efficacy of the response. This is an ongoing challenge in all polities - this article about the Malaysian experience is relevant and interesting (https://www.straitstimes.com/asia/se-asia/cash-handouts-for-malaysias-needy-must-be-stopped-has-elements-of-corruption-minister) Francis Fukuyama has written a recent article about his mixed views of the Huntington legacy. I suspect Fukuyama would agree with the approach that we should focus on ideas, not personalities, and would include himself and his own work record in that. https://www.the-american-interest.com/2018/08/27/huntingtons-legacy/ He says, "Samuel Huntington was not right about everything. Rather, his greatness lay in his ability to conceptualize big ideas in a wide variety of fields."

While it may be a new Prime Minister for Australia, the Liberal party's policy would still be the same, even for Pacific or matters on regional developments. The leadership change in the Liberal party does not automate into a complete or gradual change in the way Liberal party's foreign or regional policies stand. Scott Morrison is not a new person, he is the old same person in the top echelons of power in the Liberal party and Australia ruling government. Pacific countries can stand on their own now and review their foreign policies and regional development. Apart from Australia and New Zealand, other countries stand ready to answer their calls and currently its happening now over the oceans.

You just knew it was going to end badly well before the 2013 election with Julie Bishop: - calling for a review of the aid program - saying Australian aid to Africa was just a Labor bribe to get into the Security Council - calling for vague and undisclosed benchmarks to be met by AusAID before aid would be increased - refusing to give a target date to reach 0.5% - saying aid had to serve our national interests - repeatedly talking about a lack of support in the "community" - expressing concerns that the aid program had grown too quickly and was not sufficiently focused on the Pacific and on trade, and - saying next to nothing positive about what the program had ever achieved. Add LNP policy to increase defence to 2.0% of GDP, Labor leaving the budget in deficit and with growing expenditure and the rest is history.

Sorry Ashlee - the optics of any Minister's occupancy of a position should not be the performance indicator. Andrew Peacock dressed very well, always went to the right meetings and spoke the right words. He was - eventually - derided as a show pony. Going to the right meetings in the Asia-Pacific area does not mean long-term beneficial outcomes for the local recipients of Australia's aid. The amount and professional delivery of that aid was significantly diminished during Julie Bishop's tenure. As just one example, where we committed Australia's troops to defend the Afghan people. Despite Afghanistan’s unpromising future, Australia’s help for its civilians has been steadily declining: from A$131 million in 2014-15 to A$87 million in 2015-16 and currently A$80 million. The linking of aid and Australia's foreign policy was not a good look, either.