Opening morning of the State of the Pacific 2018 conference held in the HC Coombs Lecture Theatre, Australian National University campus in Canberra.

For many women living in the Pacific, relationships, resilience and creativity underpin their strategies in addressing the cross-cutting challenges they experience. Family violence is a significant compounding factor, as surveys estimate that up to two-thirds of women living in the Pacific have faced some form of violence in their lives. This seemingly intractable level of gender based violence is being addressed through legal and policy instruments that seek to promote human rights, gender equity and empowerment. A number of specialist services have emerged over the past fifteen years, but both mainstream and specialist services are weakened by a range of structural governance constraints. The mainstay of women’s strategies and responses to violence remain their own informal coping strategies. A fine-grained understanding of how women cope in situations of domestic violence, the structural and personal constraints that affect their help-seeking; and the likely sources of intervention and protection is therefore necessary. The session on gender-based violence will focus on four in-depth qualitative research projects in Melanesia that have directly asked and discussed with women and other key stakeholders their experiences of domestic violence and their perspectives on all forms of assistance and support they have received. In addition to short overviews of the projects, there will be a panel discussion based on the research findings. Speakers include: Judy Putt, Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Mary Aisi, Deputy Head of Department, Department of Communication & Development Studies. University of Technology; Miranda Forsyth, Associate Professor, Centre for Restorative Justice, RegNet, ANU; Dora Kuir-Ayius, Lecturer in Social Work, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Papua New Guinea; Tracey Newbury, Director, Gender, Pacific and Capacity Support Section, Gender Equality Branch, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Anouk Ride, Solomon Islands-based researcher and writer; Michelle Rooney, Research Fellow, Development Policy Centre, ANU.

Through discussion of new investments and engagement, and presentation of new and long-term research, this session will explore opportunities and challenges for enhancing labour mobility in the Pacific. Through three new Australian-funded initiatives: the Pacific Labour Facility (PLF), the Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) and the Australia-Pacific Training Coalition (APTC3), Australia is increasing its support for Pacific labour mobility. This session will provide introductions to those investments and hear findings of current research with direct implications for their implementation and possible outcomes. In particular, the findings of an exercise to map the origins of ni-Vanuatu workers participating in both the Australian Seasonal Worker Program and New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer Scheme (RSE) will be presented, as will research on different models governing labour mobility in labour sending countries. An update on a 10-year longitudinal study of the social and economic impacts of participation in the RSE scheme will also be presented. Speakers: Rochelle Bailey (Chair), Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Jane Bastin-Sikimeti, Director, Pacific Labour Mobility, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade; Stephen Howes, Director of the Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU; Julie Rereman, Employment Service Unit, Department of Labour and Employment Service Unit, Vanuatu.

Lunchtime demonstration of online language course developed at ANU for teaching/learning Tok Pisin (Papua New Guinea pidgin).

This panel will take a critical look at the practical implementation of programs and policies aimed at boosting resilience in the Pacific islands, and in particular measures that build the capacity of systems, communities and institutions to survive, adapt and prosper despite considerable environmental, economic and social challenges. How have these programs strengthened, and at times transformed, the dynamic systems in which they operate? When has there been resistance and when support? Speakers will explore what underpins successful initiatives associated with urban human settlements, capacity building programs, and rural and agricultural systems, critically examining how flag ship programs in the Pacific islands, and further afield, can help shape future pathways for stronger and more resilient societies. Speakers: Meg Keen (Chair), Senior Policy Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Bryant Allen, Honorary Associate Professor, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; David Sanderson, Inaugural Judith Neilson Chair, Faculty of Built Environment, UNSW; Fremden Shadrack, Team Leader, Vanuatu Skills Partnership.

While there is a relatively large body of research on women's participation in national-level politics in PNG, comparatively little is known about the experience of women in sub-national politics. Research tells us that for women candidates in Melanesia, being deeply connected to their constituents, having the support of male leaders and strong networks throughout their electorate, and having established a reputation as someone who can deliver benefits for the community are critically important to performing well in national elections. But are these same factors key determinants of women candidates' electoral performances in local level elections? And are they the factors that see women appointed as women's representatives on political assemblies? Are there other factors that are important? This session will hear lessons learned and personal experiences concerning women's leadership at the local level in PNG. What challenges do they face and how do they overcome them? Does experience at the local level build a pathway to leadership at the national level? Outside of formal politics, how do women collaborate and negotiate to have a voice in the public domain? Speakers: Nicole Haley (Chair), Head of Department, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Almah Tararia, PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Councillor Carol Yawing, Ward 2, Lae Urban LLG, Morobe Province, Papua New Guinea.

After 50 years as the premier university of the Pacific islands region, the University of the South Pacific (USP) has achieved much and is now one of the most successful regional organisations. This panel will briefly consider USP's leading achievements, and then critically reflect on what the future holds and how the institution can maximise its value to the region. It promises to be a lively and insightful look not only at USP's future, but possible future pathways for tertiary education in the South Pacific. The panel will be chaired by one of USP's highly respected academics, A/Prof Sandra Tarte (Head of the School of Government, Development and International Affairs) and draw on the considerable wisdom of leading USP academics. Speakers: Sandra Tarte (Chair), Head of the School of Government, Development and International Affairs, USP; Glenn Finau, PhD Candidate, School of Business, USP; Stewart Firth, Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Joeli Veitayaki, Head of the School of Marine Studies, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, USP.

Public funds allocated to Members of Parliament to spend in their electorates can be referred to as Constituency Development Funds (CDFs). In Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea, CDFs have risen to internationally unprecedented levels. However, there is very little publicly-available information on how CDFs are managed in practice and their impact on local development. This session brings together researchers and practitioners with considerable experience working directly with CDFs. Two researchers will present new findings from recent case study fieldwork in Solomon Islands on how CDFs are utilised on the ground and their impact on community development. Another presenter from Papua New Guinea will reflect on her experience as a women's representative on prominent CDF committees at district and provincial levels. Speakers will offer different perspectives on how CDFs are managed, as well as their political and development implications. Speakers: James Batley (Chair), Distinguished Policy Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Tony Hiriasia, School of Government, Development and International Affairs, USP; Angela Nelson, Women's Representative Milne Bay Provincial Assembly & Alotau District Development Authority, Papua New Guinea; John Sowei, PhD Candidate, School of Natural and Physical Sciences, Discipline of Environmental Science and Geography, University of Papua New Guinea; Colin Wiltshire, Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU.

The Regional Assistance Mission to Solomon Islands (RAMSI) was conducted under the auspices of the Pacific Islands Forum's Biketawa Declaration, agreed in 2000. According to the PIF, the Biketawa Declaration 'outlines guiding principles for good governance and courses of action for a regional response to crises in the region'. Following the conclusion of RAMSI in mid-2017, Pacific leaders asked the question: where do we go now on regional security cooperation? In turn, this raised questions such as: what lessons have we learned from RAMSI? What does 'security' mean in a Pacific islands context and how should regional cooperation in the area of security develop and evolve? These issues (given the shorthand of 'Biketawa Plus') were expected to figure prominently on the agenda of the annual PIF summit in Nauru in September 2018. Meanwhile, Australia's Foreign Policy White Paper, issued in November 2017, declared an ambition 'to integrate Pacific countries into … our security institutions'; a new Australia Pacific Security College was announced in the White Paper although the details of this initiative remain sketchy. What is the future of security cooperation in the Pacific Islands in an era of strategic flux in the region? Can Australia maintain its self-declared role as "the natural partner of choice" for Pacific Island countries? Speakers: James Batley, Distinguished Policy Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Stewart Firth, Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Steven Ratuva, Director, Macmillan Brown Centre for Pacific Studies & Professor, Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Canterbury; Sandra Tarte, Head of the School of Government, Development and International Affairs, USP.

In June and July 2017, PNG conducted its 9th General Elections since Independence. The PNG Electoral Commission’s slogan for the 2017 election was, 'Your choice, protect the democracy: Think, Own and Vote Now!' This panel will offer reflections on the elections, based on the findings of an observation conducted by the ANU, which involved 224 domestic observers, and an observation led by Transparency International PNG (TIPNG). It will examine the extent to which PNG citizens owned their votes and exercised choice in the election. It will address how increased decentralisation of election administration influenced the nature of elections across the country. Panelists will also consider the broad implications the 2017 elections for democracy in PNG. Speakers: Nicole Haley, Head of Department, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU (Chair); Arianne Kassman, Executive Director, Transparency International PNG; Barbra Thomas, PNG Projects Coordinator, Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University.

While there is increasing recognition of the primacy of youth as a development issue across Melanesia surprisingly little focussed attention has been paid to young people as a collective, including within the literature. This panel proposes to examine contemporary youth development efforts focusing on Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. State-youth interactions and participation will be assessed across the national, sub-national and local levels. The panel will explore the state-youth relationship, looking at how young people experience government and politics, the role that they play in decision-making and where entry-points for greater youth engagement might exist in formal and informal governance systems. Speakers:Dan Evans (Chair), PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Anouk Ride, Solomon Islands-based researcher and writer; Barbra Thomas, PNG Projects Coordinator, Institute for Human Security and Social Change, La Trobe University.

The decolonisation of Melanesia, in the opinion of many in New Caledonia and Bougainville, is not yet over. New Caledonia will go to the polls in an independence referendum due to take place on 4 November 2018. The electorate is limited to those with long standing ties to the territory, and the outcome of the referendum remains uncertain. The referendum question has been decided, but what will follow it (whatever the outcome) remains to be seen. Bougainville confronts an uncertain future. The 2001 peace agreement between Bougainville and Papua New Guinea promised Bougainvilleans a say on their political status, and the independence referendum is due to take place in 2019. The PNG and Bougainville governments have reached agreement on arrangements for the referendum but divisive issues remain, above all on whether mining should resume at Panguna or not. This session examines these two upcoming referenda on future political status in the Pacific Islands. Speakers: Stewart Firth (Chair), Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Denise Fisher, Europa Visiting Fellow, Centre for European Studies, ANU; Nic MacLellan, Journalist and Researcher in the Pacific Islands; Thiago Oppermann, Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Anthony Regan, Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU.

Lowy Institute Pacific Aid Map demonstration.

Women make a huge contribution to Pacific economies, through formal, informal, subsistence and domestic labour and activities. Yet many women are largely economically invisible and vulnerable. Across the Pacific region, women are less likely than men to be employed in the formal sector, and in general earn less money than men. Access to key resources, such as land, can be very limited for women. This panel will examine the challenges of women's economic empowerment in the Pacific: efforts to ensure marketplaces in rural and urban areas are safe, productive and inclusive working environments for vendors, who are predominantly women, through the Markets for Changes – Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu Project; research into the link between women's economic empowerment and violence against women, and how to improve women's economic agency and economic security without compromising their personal safety; and how women's economic empowerment issues intersect with other key gender equality challenges. Speakers: Kerryn Baker (Chair), Research Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Sandra Bernklau, Technical Specialist Markets for Change, UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office; Richard Eves, Senior Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Mele Fakatouato Mangisi, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU; Pauline Soaki, former Director, Women's Development Division, Ministry of Women, Youth, Children and Family Affairs, Solomon Islands.

Research into crime and justice in the Pacific Islands region over the past few decades has largely lacked explicit engagement with the discipline of criminology. As a result, new criminological insights in relation to crime, violence and insecurity have not been systematically considered in the Pacific context, and nor have Pacific generated insights into crime and justice informed broader disciplinary developments. This panel marks a new initiative to make connections between criminology theory as it has been developing in both the global North and – increasingly – the global South and developments in the Pacific, particularly Melanesia. The panel will identify and discuss some of the major themes and priorities that could underpin Pacific criminology, drawing on several ongoing criminological research projects. It will address questions such as (1) How are categories of crime developed and responded to in the region?; (2) What sources of insecurity exist in the region and how are these changing?; and (3) Who are the providers of security and justice in the region and how is this achieved? Speakers: Sinclair Dinnen (Chair), Senior Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Miranda Forsyth, Associate Professor, Centre for Restorative Justice, RegNet, ANU; Fiona Hukula, Program Leader Senior Research Fellow, Building Safer Communities Program, Research Division, PNG National Research Institute; Vanessa Stone, Federal Agent and Operational Policing Advisor, Australian Federal Police.

China's 'influence' in the Pacific region has hit the mainstream, recently featuring in a 60 Minutes documentary called The China Syndrome, which warned that the Luganville wharf in Vanuatu, built with a concessional loan from China Exim Bank, 'could leave Australia's east coast open to a military attack.' In this session, recorded as a live episode of the Little Red Podcast with former NPR and BBC correspondent Louisa Lim, Pacific scholars and media practitioners will discuss the reality behind the noise. The session will drill down on specific controversies—Huawei's aborted Pacific cable, the alleged plan for a military base in Vanuatu—and flesh out new trends in China's aid, investment and migration in region, including those flagged by the Lowy Institute's new map of Chinese Aid in the Pacific. The session will provide historical context to current tensions and address the largely untouched question—what does the Pacific make of all this fuss? Speakers: Graeme Smith (Co-Chair), Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Louisa Lim (Co-Chair), Senior Lecturer, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne; Nicola Baker, Senior Lecturer and Director of the Diplomacy and International Affairs Programme, School of Government, Development and International Affairs, USP; George Carter, PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Dan McGarry, Media Director, Vanuatu Daily Post; Jonathan Pryke, Director, Pacific Islands Program, the Lowy Institute.

Against a global backdrop of high demand and growing scarcity, resource management is a key challenge in PNG and the Pacific islands region. This is accentuated by the growing number of external actors in search of land-based and maritime resources, as well as by the heavy reliance of local communities, governments and economies on natural resource extraction. This panel will examine issues of access, distribution of benefits and resource security across different scales, drawing on examples from both maritime and land-based resource management. Speakers: Sinclair Dinnen (Chair), Senior Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Colin Filer, Honorary Professor, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU; Genevieve Quirk, PhD candidate in Law, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong (absent due to illness, Meg Keen shares Genevieve's research on her behalf); Joeli Veitayaki, Head of the School of Marine Studies, Faculty of Science, Technology and Environment, USP.

This session will bring together Pacific and Australian-based journalists and editors to discuss the state of media in the Pacific and ask the question: what makes a good Pacific story? Australian-based journalists will address the challenge of securing support for Pacific stories from their bosses and the related problem of building greater knowledge of the Pacific among the Australian public. Pacific-based journalists will discuss the challenges posed by in country reporting, from censorship to the global shift away from traditional media to digital content. What opportunities do these changes open up for the Pacific to be reported on its own terms? The session will also explore how the media is increasingly seen as a component of soft power and public diplomacy, and whether such government-backed efforts are likely to be effective. Panellists: Graeme Smith (Chair), Fellow, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Stefan Armbruster, Brisbane-based correspondent, SBS World News; Jo Chandler, Melbourne-based journalist and writer, and Editor, Centre for Advancing Journalism, University of Melbourne; Dan Flitton, Managing Editor, The Interpreter, Lowy Institute; Jemima Garrett, Sydney-based freelance journalist; Elvina Ogil, Host, Who Asked Her, Papua New Guinea’s First Feminist Podcast; Dan McGarry, Media Director, Vanuatu Daily Post.

Four young Pacific speakers give brief talks about the big Issues in the Pacific not already discussed during the conference. Speakers: George Carter, PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU; Mele Fakatouato Mangisi, Masters Scholar, Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU; Bal Kama, PhD Candidate, College of Law, ANU; Mymy Kim, PhD Candidate, Department of Pacific Affairs, ANU.