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.