DPA Seminars - S1 2025

DPA Seminar Series recordings now available on YouTube

Nobodies to Somebodies: Moukele Migrant Workers from NCD, PNG in New Zealand and Australia
Speaker: Keimelo Gima

Although Papua New Guinea contributes only 1,960 out of 30,805 workers to the Pacific Australia Labour Mobility (PALM) scheme and 640 out of 17,599 workers to New Zealand’s Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme, remittance of the much-needed Australian and New Zealand dollar substantially aids recipients' families. This research will focus on the experiences of a small sample of Papua New Guineans from Moukele (also known as Fisherman’s Island or Daugo, located 30 kilometres south of Port Moresby) who have been successful in labour mobility schemes. The study documents the working lives of 16 men and women from Moukele who were employed under the PALM and RSE schemes since 2016. Keimelo presents an analysis of both the short and long-term benefits of being engaged in this endeavour and the associated complexities of being a so-called ‘nobody to somebody.’ While critics of labour recruitment schemes are quick to use labels such as ‘modern-day blackbirding’ or ‘slavery’, in this case, the lived realities and reflections of the Moukele people illustrate a successful narrative.

Interesting times in Papua New Guinea: Politics versus Rule of Law
Speaker: Murray Thomas

PhD Candidate Murray Thomas is presenting his pre-submission seminar on 10 February 2025. His thesis chronicles and analyses the political and legal turmoil that engulfed Papua New Guinea (PNG) in the period 1 July 2010 to 3 August 2012, particularly after the O’Neill-Namah government replaced the Somare-Abal government. The analysis considers PNG's circumstances as "fragile" state, the influence of custom, the day-to-day practice of politics, and the laws, principally the Constitution, which apply to the conduct of politics in PNG. The project has examined the long-term effects of the period on the operation of the 'rule of law' and democracy in PNG. A dramatic retreat from the 'rule of law' was the most egregious feature of the period. Notably, the allure of legitimacy eventually induced the O'Neill-Namah de-facto government to hold the 2012 general election on time. The subsequent return to "business as usual" does not preclude a recurrence of similar political adventurism given that the period revealed that political "big men" are allowed considerable freedom of action by the electorate and are rarely held to account. The thesis contributes to the literature on PNG’s political and legal systems by focussing on a period that has received little scholarly attention.

Reimagining the International Rules Based Order from a Blue Pacific Perspective
Speaker: Joel Nilon

The concept of an “international rules-based order” generally refers to the shared norms, values, processes and institutions used to manage international relations and to maintain geopolitical stability by some partners. For example, the Indo-Pacific framing which some have suggested exists as an approach to contain China, articulates a particular “rules-based order” to support this framing. Countries that are aligned to this approach generally subscribe to this rules-based order, and embed the various “rules” into their international policies. In the Pacific region, the Blue Pacific narrative and subsequent 2050 Strategy for the Blue Pacific Continent set out the region’s collective aspirations, priorities and positions from a region-led perspective. The Blue Pacific narrative is underpinned by the rationale that the Pacific would not capitulate to geopolitical competition and interest, but instead assert its own values and priorities through its collective voice and diplomacy. In this seminar, we contend that the advancement of the Blue Pacific Narrative would be strengthened through the establishment of a Pacific “rules-based order”. We contend that consolidating the Pacific’s vision, interests and priorities into a set of rules that underpin and frame the Blue Pacific Continent would not only serve to make the Blue Pacific Narrative and 2050 Strategy more concrete but that this would also reflect the next natural evolutionary step forward for Pacific Regionalism. In addition, we also propose that the Ocean of Peace concept, as being led by Fiji and the Pacific Islands Forum, represents the ideal instrument through which a Pacific “rules-based order” may be established and advanced.

Strength Matters: Voter Behaviours and Attitudes Towards Women Candidates in Papua New Guinea
Speaker: Eileen Gobu Bobone

Does Papua New Guinea have a strong-woman concept? This pre-submission seminar examines voter behaviours and attitudes towards women candidates. Since 1972, only ten of the 714 women who contested national general elections became legislators.  Five out of the ten women are from the Southern region, two are from Momase and New Guinea Islands respectively and one is from the Highlands region. This presentation seeks to answer why half of the women elected to parliament come from the Southern region. Following a broad discussion of the experience of women candidates and MPs in PNG, the presentation focuses on the Southern region, and more specifically Rigo electorate as a case study to seek explanations. Quantifying indigenous cultural values and norms informing their social and political behaviours and epistemology is difficult, as such, qualitative data collected in focus group discussions and interviews is used to illustrate more quantitative electoral data on votes cast in elections. The seminar presents a new measure of strength, namely the extent to which women candidates attract a number of votes above the average for the electorate, suggesting that women candidates who do not win their election can use this measure more accurately to understand their placing, and the attitudes of their electorate towards the viability of women candidates.

Confrontation and Collaboration: Security Force Dynamics in Papua New Guinea
Speaker: Curtis O'Toole

The research investigates the relationship between the Police and Defence Force of Papua New Guinea through the portal of several case studies, including the Black Wednesday Riots of 2024, the National General Election of 2022, and the Sandline Affair of 1997. Adopting a state-in-society perspective, Curtis' research deals with contested claims on the legitimate use of force by both state and non-state actors while engaging with concepts of interest, identity and legitimacy in order to inform a holistic view of the role of violence in Papua New Guinea society. This seminar is a Mid-Term Review and focuses primarily on recently completed field research.

Disability Inclusion in Solomon Islands Politics and Elections
Speaker: Ellena Kelly

One year on from the 2024 Solomon Islands Joint Elections and with the publication of the Solomon Islands National University-Australian National University 2024 Solomon Islands Elections Research Report, it is an opportune moment to think about what inclusive participation means in Solomon Islands politics and elections more broadly. Within the vibrant civil society space in Solomon Islands, there is important work being done on inclusive political processes. In particular, there was a strong NGO presence as election observers for the 2024 joint elections, including several groups with a focus on disability. This seminar will reflect on disability inclusion in the 2024 joint elections and what more can be done to ensure the full participation of all citizens in the electoral process.


Since its inception, DPA has been regularly publishing research and critical commentary on topics of interest to a wide audience of academics, policy-makers and others interested in contemporary Pacific issues. We welcome submissions to our various publication series.