Comments

Sophia, thanks for this contribution. I couldn't agree more with your assessment. One area that I have long felt required further exploration is the possibility of employment in the aged care sector. Many I-Kiribati and Tuvaluans in New Zealand do this work, and consider themselves extremely fortunate to have a job where they get to spend their days with the elderly, who hold a special place in both cultures. I-Kiribati and Tuvaluans (particularly the women) have a natural and cultural affinity for this kind of work, which is often shunned by Australians and New Zealanders. With ageing populations in both countries, there will be increasing demand for aged care workers, and I think that Kiribati and Tuvalu can help meet this demand. KANI was intended to go some way to satisfying demand, particularly in rural and regional Australia, but the numbers are small, and not every person working in aged care requires nursing training. I look forward to seeing more from the PCCM Project.

Dear Eddie, thanks for your comment. Averaged across Australians, donations to aid NGOs equal approximately $40 per person per year (see <a href="https://devpolicy.org/the-other-scale-up-australian-public-donations-for-development-over-the-last-decade-20130829/" rel="nofollow">here</a>) given that the average Australian <a href="http://www.news.com.au/finance/money/do-you-consider-yourself-a-struggling-comfortable-or-rich-australian/story-e6frfmcr-1226910189131" rel="nofollow">earns nearly</a> $60,000 40 dollars does not strike me as generous. Thanks for your comment about aid agencies needing to try and avoid "poverty porn". I agree that this is a good idea, and I hope that all people (regardless of religion) can be motivated to generosity without negative images, although I think we have a lot to learn about how to do this. Terence

I disagree with your statement that "Australians, like most people, are not generous givers..." Studies have shown that poorer people give more than wealthy people comparatively. I guess it needs to be defined what generosity looks like. Christians give not so much from the graphic images you have described but motivated by generosity. As Christians we recognise God's generosity to us and his blessings to us in a spiritual sense. This is the motivation for Christian giving and service. Christian agencies of all agencies should avoid the "poverty porn" which in used and remain true to a sense of promoting giving as a response of God's intervention in their own lives. Good blog and I will be posting to Facebook to share.

I predict Dame Meg Taylor will be appointed Secretary General of the PIFS. Oh hang on....

Thanks Chris for the suggestion. I read the ODI paper and I am not sure that I am persuaded. Of course the SDGs can just be a norm-setting exercise, but then I wonder what new they bring to international norms that is not already embodied in various international declarations, agreements, and laws. If ODI is right that this is the way to go, then much of the focus on setting goals and targets for the SDGs is misplaced as there is not much point in getting the rate of progress right, as the point is to simply reinforce the norms, and then allow diffuse mechanisms to pursue progress at whatever pace works best in the context.

Thanks Terrence, and hope you are doing well. Yes, this is a plausible way of setting poverty lines. But then the question is whether the poverty line is needed at all, if you are really interested in the outcome indicator. For the SDGs, your suggestion might suggest that for the various dimensions that will be measured in the post 2015 framework, the relevant inflection points should be sought out as benchmarks. But of course if these turn out to be 'high sufficiency' points, I might still argue in favor of focusing lower on the distributional curve. Best, Scott

Thank you Jonathan, this is raising an important issue. Of course the additionality question is important but we must not use this as an excuse for missing the leveraging opportunities that the German experience illustrates. I agree that there is some potential for this in the Pacific but I doubt there would be sufficient Australian private sector interest without some institutional support. However, in some of the Asian countries with large populations in Australia, together with some of the mining companies in Africa, this is an area with rich potential.

A great read! Thanks for your insights.

Hi Shailendra The point that you raise is an important and interesting one. Looking around the region we can see numerous instances of 'stability' being prioritised (both in terms of rhetoric and practice) and one of the ways this plays out is in relations between the state and the media - both mainstream media and online spaces such as blogs and Facebook groups. My feeling is that development is a process not a product so all countries are always developing and the roles played by the media are a part of that journey. Thanks for adding your thinking to this discussion

Thanks for this item which provides some interesting insights. I was particularly struck by the last point about the opportunities for donors (including but not limited to Australia) improving their coordination in this area. This is a key point especially when it comes to working with the private sector in the Pacific island region. One of the biggest challenges to this type of activity is the high transaction costs and if donors can innovate to share knowledge, resources and expertise, there is the potential for these to be reduced. I have examined this point (and others) in the following items for those who would like to see more: <a href="http://www.lowyinterpreter.org/post/2014/04/14/Pacific-Private-Sector-Engagement-where-to-begin1.aspx" rel="nofollow">'Pacific Private Sector: Where to Begin?'</a> <a href="http://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/role-private-sector-promoting-economic-growth-and-reducing-poverty-indo-pacific-region" rel="nofollow">'The Role of the Private Sector in Promoting Economic Growth and Reducing Poverty in the Indo-Pacific Region'</a>

My research interest is the relationship between media, politics, social conflict and development in the Pacific. The discussion about political stability likely to be the stand-out issue in 2015 caught my attention. Instability and violent conflict are rightly seen by some as a major threat towards the achievement of millenium development goals, and a drawback for Australia's $1billion regional aid program, especially in Melanesia. Fiji is curbing the media in the name of social stability, with other island nations showing a keen interest in how this pans out, before following suit. Depending on how things unfold, there could be short and long term repercussions for good governance and development. Some believe in, 'development first, media freedom later', but the link is fuzzy at best, and may not be sound doctrine for the region.

Hi Paul You make a good point and I think we will see more this year that will illustrate that in terms of establishing, embedding and maintaining democratic culture in the states of the Pacific, elections are necessary but far from sufficient