"Remittances are difficult to measure," says @RyanBEdwards from @Devpolicy. "What we do know is that just over 40% of PALM worker income is spent in Australia while the worker is working and [remainder is] remittances and savings." devpolicy.org/read-palm-numb…

AAC2026 call for papers now open! 📢 Submit an abstract, panel or launch by 21 August Join us from 2-4 December for the 2026 Australasian AID Conference at ANU's Crawford School in Canberra. Details: crawford.anu.edu.au/devpolic… #AAC2026 @Asia_Foundation

🚨Registration open!🚨 Join us as Bobby Kunda and Kingtau Mambon presents “Informality, Incidence and Pass-through of PNG’s VAT Exemptions" ⏰3 July, 12.30-1.30pm PGT / AEST 📍In person @CrawfordSeminar7 or #UPNG or Zoom 📝 Register: events.devpolicy.org/2026070…

In a new @devpolicy blog, Raymond John from UPNG and I discuss the use of AI by students, exploring both the opportunities and challenges it presents.

"Development financing [in the Pacific] remains dispersed across numerous donor-funded projects, typically delivered as individual initiatives," says Axel Melkonian. "Investments are implemented at a scale too limited to displace diesel generation." devpolicy.org/pacific-fuel-c…

“If left unaddressed, the treaty may fall short of capturing how disasters are actually experienced by millions of people worldwide,” says Thomas Mulder and Jane McAdam from UNSW Sydney. “For the Pacific, this gap is particularly consequential.” devpolicy.org/pacific-needs-…

AAC2026 speaker announcement 🔊 🇮🇩 Economist Sri Mulyani Indrawati to present Mitchell Oration @ ANU Join us from 2-4 December for the 2026 Australasian AID Conference at @ANUCrawford in Canberra. For details of call for papers, subscribe now ➡️devpolicy.org/subscribe/ #AAC2026

As I wrote with co-authors in a post published by @devpolicy, mobile internet prices in #PapuaNewGuinea are stable, amidst several infrastructure developments. devpolicy.org/mobile-interne… #PNG #tech #telco #Pacific @anudpa @ANUasiapacific @ANUBellSchool @newsroom_the @auspngnetwork

“The concept of rowing between the reefs — finding a path through choppy geopolitical waters without cleaving to one side of a conflict — has become somewhat of a cliché in international affairs,” says Moses Sakai from @PacificForum. devpolicy.org/pacific-island…

DYK? Devpolicy Blog publishes on Saturdays in 2026. Catch up now! “It is a remarkably thin level of engagement for a project that risks turning Fiji into a quasi-Quad maritime base,” says Michael Field. “What’s the price Fiji pays for a Quad port?” Blog: devpolicy.org/the-quad-meets…

At DevPolicy Stephen Howes analyses cuts to ODA in the Australian budget “Many countries have cut aid over the last few years, with the US leading the way. Even though Australia is still one of the world’s least generous donors, that lets us off the hook.” devpolicy.org/a-different-cr…

📊 @devpolicy budget analysis and breakfast event at 9am today! “Why are we not seeing a generous response from the Australian government to help our neighbours?” asks Stephen Howes. Blog: devpolicy.org/a-different-cr… Event: events.devpolicy.org/2026051… #2026budget #aidbudget

Australia’s seasonal worker program drives Pacific remittances, but PNG misses out Read more: theaustraliatoday.com.au/aus… The schemes allow temporary migrants to work in agriculture for seven to eleven months under the RSE, and in agriculture for up to nine months or in other sectors such as meat processing for up to four years under PALM. @DrAmitSarwal @Pallavi_Aus @devpolicy

Spot on rob 🤙 here are some more facts 👇👇 #auspol @2GB873 @AusLobby @SmithFamily_org @australian @crikey_news @GreenTyler27 @OneNationAus @SharriMarkson @NoticerNews @SatPaper @SpectatorOz Yes, the Australian government — including under Labor — does provide a small amount of funding that reaches China, though it's quite limited in scale. Here's the key information: **The Direct Aid Program (DAP)** The Australian Government funds a small grants program called the Direct Aid Program (DAP) in China, with the primary aim of reducing poverty and achieving sustainable development outcomes. Grants per project range from a minimum of AUD $5,000 to a maximum of AUD $60,000, and the program funds projects by individuals, community groups, NGOs, and not-for-profit organisations. Projects that work with China's most vulnerable groups, including those in less developed or disaster-prone regions, are prioritised. [China Embassy](china.embassy.gov.au/bjng/Di…) **What it's for** The DAP provides funding to local communities to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development consistent with Australia's national interests. The Australian Embassy in Beijing is responsible for development cooperation between the two governments. [China Embassy](china.embassy.gov.au/bjng/co…) **How small it is** The amounts are very modest — the maximum grant per project is $60,000 AUD. This is not large-scale government-to-government aid, but small targeted grants to community and non-government organisations operating in China. **The broader context** It's worth noting that Australia's overall foreign aid is heavily focused on the Pacific region and developing nations. Australia's aid generosity has been on a prolonged downward trajectory and is projected to fall to 0.13% of Gross National Income by 2036–37. [Devpolicy](aidtracker.devpolicy.org/tre…) China is itself a major economic power and an emerging aid donor to other countries, so Australian funding in China is a very minor and targeted program — not a major aid relationship. In short: yes, a small amount of Australian government money does go to poverty-related projects in China via the DAP, but it is minimal and has existed across multiple governments, not just Labor.

For DevPolicy blog @devpolicy, I outline the rise and fall of the Bougival Accord in New Caledonia, then look at the long-running and vexed debate over expanded voting rights for the looming provincial elections, which must be held by 28 June. devpolicy.org/after-bougival…

Pacific needs disaster displacement included in treaty Read more: theaustraliatoday.com.au/pac… In 2024 alone, an estimated 65.8 million internal displacements were recorded, with almost 70% triggered by disasters rather than conflict. @DrAmitSarwal @Pallavi_Aus @devpolicy

"Environmental concerns are real and urgent, but policies that restrict palm oil production without understanding these income effects risk hurting the rural poor who have benefited most from the expansion." @devpolicy devpolicy.org/palm-oil-pover…

A new @devpolicy report reveals the current state of disability support in #PNG. Report author Jerry Hensen sadly passed away in January this year. Vale Jerry Hensen. #disabilityinclusion | PNG Institute of National Affairs devpolicy.org/disability-sup…

On @devpolicy, I query #telecommunication sector #regulation in the #Pacific, given what my research with colleagues found about @Starlink’s #satellite internet service in #Samoa. See: devpolicy.org/starlinks-entr… #tech #Oceania @anudpa @newsroom_the @ANUasiapacific @ANUBellSchool