Pacific Change Makers – Détails, épisodes et analyse

In this episode, Debra Sungi of PNG’s Climate Change and Development Authority speaks with the Lowy Institute’s Oliver Nobetau.

Discussions around development in the Pacific consistently reference climate change as a major challenge. Countries such as PNG have to manage the support offered by international development partners without being overwhelmed by foreign agendas and aligning external assistance with national priorities.

In this wide-ranging conversation, Debra Sungi, who is the newly appointed director of the CCDA, as well as one of a handful of women leading government agencies in PNG and the youngest ever at only 33, discusses PNG’s national initiatives and the importance of bringing knowledge to the grass roots level. She also talks about success stories of bilateral cooperation, and dealing with the challenges of climate change and being a young woman in a position of leadership.

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Papua New Guinea is a nation undergoing rapid digital transformation. With increased connectivity, PNG faces the dual challenge of leveraging digital growth for development while protecting its young netizens.  

Initiatives such as ChildFund’s 1-Tok Helpline, which has received more than 70,000 calls since its establishment in 2015, provide a window into the online threats facing the country’s young people — from cyberbullying and exploitation to technology-facilitated gender-based violence. 

This episode of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Change Makers dives deep into the digital realm, taking a look at a rapidly emerging social issue with profound implications for Papua New Guinea’s social cohesion and national security. 

In this episode, Mihai Sora, Project Director of the Aus-PNG Network, interviews Kinime Daniel, ChildFund Helpline Manager for 1-Tok Counselling Helpim Line. 

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The global campaign to secure protections for LGBTQIA+ people has made significant progress in recent years, yet laws governing LGBTQIA+ rights in the Pacific are complex across the region and acceptance of LGBTQIA+ individuals varies widely.

On 1-3 March 2023, Australia hosted the Sydney WorldPride Human Rights Conference – the largest LGBTQIA+ human rights conference ever to be held in the southern hemisphere. In this episode of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Change Makers Podcast, Hamish Fejo, a Visiting Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, speaks with presenters at the conference, Phylesha Brown-Acton and Louisa Wall.

Phylesha Brown-Acton is a Fakafifine woman and hails from the village of Fineone Hakupu Atua, Niue Island. She is the Executive Director of F’INE Pasifika Aotearoa Trust, a Pacific Whanau Ora funded organisation that provides navigation support services to MVPFAFF+ & Pacific LGBTQIA+ people and their families in the Auckland region.

Louisa Wall became Aotearoa New Zealand’s first Ambassador for Gender Equality (Pacific) Tuia Tangata in May 2022. She is a former politician and was influential in the Marriage Amendment Bill being passed into law in 2013 making New Zealand the 13th nation to allow same-sex marriage. As Ambassador for Gender Equality, Ms Wall is working with Pacific countries to establish net partnerships and programmes that support the full and effective participation by women and LGBTQIA+ communities. 

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The Pacific Fusion Centre is a new Pacific regional body aiming to critically analyse the pressing security issues facing the Pacific Islands and better inform decision-making to reduce threats and vulnerabilities. Can the Pacific Fusion Centre make a difference in a crowded regional space where there are calls to review and rethink regional architecture?

In this inaugural episode of the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Change Makers Podcast, Dr Meg Keen, Director of the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute, speaks with James Movick, the Director of the Pacific Fusion Centre and a senior diplomat with more than 40 years of experience in the Pacific, including heading up the Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency. We also gain the insights of Anna Naupa, the Associate Director of the Centre who has a great depth of experience in intergovernmental agencies around the region.

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In this episode of the Aus-PNG Network Leadership Series, Mihai Sora speaks to Andrew Kuliniasi, award-winning playwright and Drama Director at the Moresby Arts Theatre, about how the dramatic arts engage with important social issues in Papua New Guinea. 

Andrew tells Mihai about his own work, “Looking at the past informs the future…Meisoga as a play was about a sixteen-year-old girl that had to become the head of her clan, that had to become the matriarch. And I looked at that and I went, wow, this is a story that can inspire other women. And I remember having the lead actress at the time, who is mousy and shy, just become a lion on stage.” 

“PNG is such a beautiful country,” says Andrew. “And it’s rich with so many stories and…social issues that happen, and the stories that come from that…may be hard and gritty and tough to swallow, or maybe even beautiful and amazing and triumphant. And I want to be able to show truth and build the industry here. If I’m not going to do it, who is? I can only be the change that I want.” 

Andrew Kuliniasi is a playwright and Drama Director at the Moresby Arts Theatre, and Creative Director to PNG Fashion Week. Andrew’s works include Meisoga, He is Victor and his latest production, For My Father, premiering on September 1st.  

Mihai Sora is the Project Director of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Network at the Lowy Institute. Mihai’s research focuses on Australian foreign policy in the Pacific, Australia-PNG relations, and geopolitics in the region. Mihai has more than a decade’s experience as an Australian diplomat with postings to Solomon Islands and Indonesia, and was a Pacific Analyst at the Office of National Assessments. 

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Aus-PNG Network Leadership Series: Music in PNG

In this episode, Mihai Sora is joined by Allen Kedea, also known by his stage name AKay47, to discuss the music scene in Papua New Guinea, and the role that music can play in empowering young people and building stronger connections between Papua New Guinea and Australia.

Papua New Guinea has lot of natural resources, but there is growing recognition from government leaders and in the community that the creative economy also needs to be developed.

“I think music is at the forefront of that,” says Allen. In Papua New Guinea, “everything we do incorporates music culturally, traditionally, it’s a part of a person from the moment you’re born, to when you attend funerals, marriages, when someone’s out gardening or fishing, it’s just a natural part of us…music is an extension of Papua New Guineans.”

Allen says, “I would just encourage our young people to use what’s there, the technology is there…Appreciate where you come from, tell the story that you that you can tell from your own little village, from your own island, because I believe that the world is looking for those unique stories. Now.”

Allen Kedea, also known by his stage name AKay47, is a DJ, artist, producer, record label owner, music judge, creative in the advertising realm, crypto enthusiast and emerging leader. With over 20 years experience in the music industry Allen has helped setup the Central Music Association in Papua New Guinea as the Interim President and is about to launch a new music streaming service in PNG.

Mihai Sora is the Project Director of the Australia-Papua New Guinea Network at the Lowy Institute. Mihai’s research focuses on Australian foreign policy in the Pacific, Australia-PNG relations, and geopolitics in the region. Mihai has more than a decade’s experience as an Australian diplomat with postings to Solomon Islands and Indonesia, and was a Pacific Analyst at the Office of National Assessments.

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This is a special Women in Politics  series for the  Australia-PNG Network, in which the Lowy Institute's Jessica Collins sits down with prominent women from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to discuss the deep-seated challenge of women’s political representation in PNG.

In this fifth and final episode of the series, Jessica speaks with Dame Carol Kidu, about the discrimination and disadvantage experienced by indigenous Papua New Guinean women as they seek to get elected.

Carol is one of seven women who served in PNG’s National Parliament. She also managed to get re-elected twice, despite half of all politicians losing their seat at every election.

Carol’s tenure as a politician is remarkable, but she said her husband’s legacy and her European background helped secure ongoing community support. She often heard from her community, “We don’t mind you being here, but we don’t want our own women here [in parliament].”

Carol talks us through the issues that are increasingly disadvantaging women during campaigns, such as bloc voting and tribal intimidation, campaign or cell houses, violence, and financial barriers. But she offers a silver lining: “PNG is a nation based on relationships, and if you can nurture relationships, that will get you into politics.”

Join Jessica and Carol as they talk through why women getting elected is critical to PNG’s development, and as she shares her views on what women need to do to get over the line at the upcoming election.

Jessica Collins is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program and Aus-PNG Network at the Lowy Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, Jessica completed a PhD in Anthropology at the Queensland University of Technology. Jessica also holds a Master of Global Development from Griffith University. Her Honours research project, completed at the Queensland University of Technology, explored diasporic life for Samoans living in Brisbane, and her undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney focused on the anthropology of the Pacific.

Dame Carol Kidu served in Papua New Guinea’s National Parliament for three terms (1997-2012). Between 2002 and 2012, Dame Carol was the only female in Parliament. She served as  Minister for Community Development, and as  Opposition Leader  for her last five months in office. Dame Carol is now supporting other women to get elected to its all-men parliament.

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This is a special  Women in Politics series for the  Australia–PNG Network in which the Lowy Institute's Jessica Collins sits down with prominent women from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to discuss the deep-seated challenge of women’s political representation in PNG.

In this fourth episode of the series, Jessica speaks with Tania Bale, an urban candidate seeking election to PNG’s National Parliament. Tania shares her views on the challenges of standing for election, including the difficulties of campaigning in rural settings and how “obscene” amounts of money is spent in cash handouts to gain voters’ support.

Tania is one of the few women endorsed by a political party and says her endorsement for a national capital district (NCD) seat, along with three other female party colleagues endorsed for the remaining NCD seats, is unprecedented and historic.

Tania’s view is that the endorsements will resonate for years to come and that they send a powerful message to the citizenry of PNG. Yet regardless of endorsements, Tania believes her electorate is ready to elect women to the currently all-male parliament — a silver lining for women who are trying to represent their communities.

Join Jessica and Tania as they talk through the challenges of getting elected, including Australia’s role in supporting “home grown” programs that reflect PNG’s unique characteristics.

Jessica Collins is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program and Aus–PNG Network at the Lowy Institute. Prior to joining the Institute, Jessica completed a PhD in Anthropology at the Queensland University of Technology. Jessica also holds a Master of Global Development from Griffith University. Her Honours research project, completed at the Queensland University of Technology, explored diasporic life for Samoans living in Brisbane, and her undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney focused on the anthropology of the Pacific.

Tania Bale is a prominent television presenter, journalist and a fervent advocate for social justice, equity, equality and the empowerment of women and youth in Papua New Guinea. She is a vocal champion for the arts, music, culture and the environment. She is also an urban candidate in the upcoming PNG national election.

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This is a special Women in Politics series for the Australia-PNG Network, in which the Lowy Institute's Jessica Collins sits down with prominent women from Papua New Guinea (PNG) to discuss the deep-seated challenge of women’s political representation in the country.

In this third episode, Jessica speaks with Damarise Bonga, a female candidate in the upcoming 2022 national election. Damarise shares her experience of running unsuccessfully in a prior election, and talks about the broader challenges for women trying to represent their communities in parliament. She says a fundamental issue lies in how people (both men and women) perceive leadership in PNG, and how this continues to be a significant barrier to balanced representation in the country.

“In politics, in PNG it’s quite different … They think that the Parliament is … hausman in Tok Pisin, meaning that it’s a house for man. And that’s kind of bias, you know.”

Join Jessica and Damarise as they talk about how women can be more successful in future elections, including Damarise’s views on all-women political parties and decentralising women’s political leadership development programs.

Damarise Bonga is planning to contest Papua New Guinea’s upcoming national election. Damarise recently graduated from Papua New Guinea’s Political Leadership Academy for Women in Port Moresby as one of many students in its first cohort. She also served as the appointed women's representative to the Oro Provincial Assembly and supported the PNG Special Parliamentary Committee on their public sector reform and service delivery programs.

Jessica Collins is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program and Aus-PNG Network at the Lowy Institute. Her research interests cover foreign aid and development policy in Pacific Island nations (particularly for Pacific women), Pacific migration, remittance policy, and Myanmar’s humanitarian and refugee challenges. Prior to joining the Institute, Jessica completed a PhD in Anthropology at the Queensland University of Technology. Jessica also holds a Master of Global Development from Griffith University. Her Honours research project, completed at the Queensland University of Technology, explored diasporic life for Samoans living in Brisbane, and her undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney focused on the anthropology of the Pacific.

Read more: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/aus-png-network-women-politics-png-damarise-bonga

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In this special Women in Politics series for the Australia-PNG Network, the Lowy Institute's Jessica Collins sits down with prominent women from Papua New Guinea to discuss the deep-seated challenge of women’s political representation in Papua New Guinea in the lead-up to its national election.

In this second episode of the series, Jessica speaks with Vagi Hemetsberger, co-founder of the Seven Sisters Foundation, which aims to provide long-term support to women seeking office in Papua New Guinea. They discuss what help Papua New Guinean women need to get elected, and how issues such as money politics and security put them at a significant disadvantage.

Vagi argues that partnering is vital if women are to improve their political representation in Papua New Guinea. “We want our men and women to … be a part of the solution”, but, she adds, women’s civil groups and policymakers also need to work strategically and collaboratively, “because we’re stronger together”.

Join Jessica and Vagi as they take you through these issues and present ideas on how to change the nature of women’s political representation in Papua New Guinea.

Vagi Hemetsberger is co-founder of the Seven Sisters Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation supporting female leaders in Papua New Guinea. The Seven Sisters Foundation aims to improve equality for women through resource support, upskilling and advocacy.

Jessica Collins is a Research Fellow in the Pacific Islands Program at the Lowy Institute. Her research interests cover foreign aid and development policy in Pacific Island nations (particularly for Pacific women), Pacific migration, remittance policy, and Myanmar’s humanitarian and refugee challenges. Prior to joining the Institute, Jessica completed a PhD in Anthropology at the Queensland University of Technology. Jessica also holds a Master of Global Development from Griffith University. Her Honours research project, completed at the Queensland University of Technology, explored diasporic life for Samoans living in Brisbane, and her undergraduate studies at the University of Sydney focused on the anthropology of the Pacific.

Find our more about this episode: https://www.lowyinstitute.org/publications/aus-png-network-women-politics-png-vagi-hemetsberger

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