Comments

Hi Matt, One very late comment. It has to be noted that ever since 2009-2010, the government has been financing some of its expenditure through new domestic borrowing. This is reflected on the increase of 'RBV's claim on Government' (Table 1) and the increase in 'Outstanding Government Bond' (Table 25) in this <a href="http://rbv.gov.vu/attachments/article/299/Quarterly%20Economic%20Review%20March%202014.pdf" rel="nofollow">Quarterly Economic Review</a> by RBV. These are old data but the trend should be considered when analyzing the economic loss from Pam. Tanna Coffee is probably the major agricultural exportable products affected. -Simon

Ross and John, Thank you for the beautiful tribute to a remarkable man. This fills a gap for me having heard Ross speak of him in the past. Our University was blessed in those years.

This helps me for my homework that I have to do for social study's thank you. 🙂

Hi Matthew, The analysis is certainly useful. According to the Merchandise Trade Statistics (VNSO, 2015), Luganville contribute to 70 % of export and Port Vila 30% in 2014. Luganville represends the 4 northern provinces and Port Vila represents the 2 southern provinces. Pam damaged the 2 southern provinces. So the impact of Pam on agricultural export may be disqualified in your analysis. Tourism may be impacted. But tourism has is always been fragile. The inflow of Pam Aid should certainly alleviate some loss, at national level. -Simon Tiwok PS: I'm currently studying an MPP programme at VUW. I used to work at the Reserve Bank of Vanuatu. All views expressed here are my own.

Joel, good but depressing article, thanks. Luckily there are other countries interested in development in Africa - For instance, I am working on a Tanzania project (a study of illicit financial flows, for the central bank) funded by Norway. Australia does run a risk on missing out on an interesting and strong-growth future. Best, Alex

I am not convinced by the "long game" argument - it reaffirms that it is difficult in PNG and many other countries to get tangible results in the short term. I agree there must be policy reform and the political will to ensure an equitable distribution of the benefits of economic growth. Others are better qualified to comment on how best to do this? I also agree with the Australian aid focus on health and education. As the major development partner, we should be able to address both ie "walk and chew gum". However, aid often doesn't reach the grassroots, raising questions about its effectiveness over the past decade. My experience, based on nearly 15 years working at provincial level in PNG health, is that health indicators generally have not improved and the vast majority of Papuan New Guineans are no better off than they were a decade ago. For many, the situation has gotten worse.

Rest in peace, Mr Anthony Clunies-Ross. Thank you for your genuine work for the common good.

British and European history, colonial and trade, influences development assistance policy today. By virtue of its colonial and maritime trade history, and its position in the Bretton Woods institutions, Britain has several reasons to use development assistance for economic and public diplomacy. That national interest narrative is established ("punching above our weight", "influencing the global powers" etc.) and the 0.7% GNI policy justified by the narrative. Australia lacks such a narrative. There is an opportunity to develop one. If we are truly part of Asia, if we see Asia as a focus for economic diplomacy, trade and cultural exchange (the "what") then development cooperation could be woven into the narrative and policy responding to the opportunity (the "how"). That is missing. Perhaps the Development Policy Centre could work with other Think Tanks and private sector actors to start the process of building a narrative of Asian engagement and trade that includes a role for aid. We all have good reason to contribute to such a debate.

Thanks Ravi. I had relied on the bilateral aid figure for Cambodia provided in the budget highlights table <a href="http://dfat.gov.au/about-us/corporate/portfolio-budget-statements/Pages/budget-highlights-2015-16.aspx" rel="nofollow">here</a>, but the page to which you refer (<a href="http://dfat.gov.au/geo/cambodia/development-assistance/Pages/development-assistance-in-cambodia.aspx" rel="nofollow">here</a>) makes it clear that the $10 million is not regarded as part of the bilateral budget. It's unclear why, though. Presumably it is being drawn from the cross-regional allocation since it shows nowhere else.

Robin--excellent commentary. However, may I point out a minor factual error regarding aid to Cambodia. According to DFAT's Cambodia country page ' An additional $10.0 million will be provided in 2015-16 in line with Australia and Cambodia’s agreement on refugee resettlement.'

Rest In Peace Anthony and May God bless your family.

Thank you all for this useful summary. I'm glad that DFAT aid staffing has not been cut at this stage as it will require significant staffing numbers and skilled staff to ensure that the massive cuts within countries preserve the most effective poverty reduction programs.