Bougainville: Large-scale Mining and Risks of Conflict Recurrence

Research on conflict resolution suggests that the significant risk of conflict recurrence in intrastate conflicts is much reduced by political settlements that �resolve the issues at stake� between parties to the conflict, and that in conflicts involving grievances about distribution of natural resource revenues, such settlements should include natural resource wealth-sharing arrangements. This article shows that the Bougainville conflict origins involved far more complexity than natural resource revenue distribution grievances, and that the conflict itself then generated new sources of division and conflict, the same being true of both the peace process and the process to implement the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). As a result, the BPA addresses many more issues than natural resource-related grievances. Such considerations make it difficult to attribute lack of conflict recurrence to particular factors in the BPA. While the BPA provisions on wealth-sharing address relations between the Papua New Guinea National Government and Bougainville, moves by the Autonomous Bougainville Government to explore possible resumption of large-scale mining has generated a new political economy in Bougainville, contributing to new tensions amongst Bougainvilleans

Clever people solving difficult problems - perspectives on weakness of state and nation in Papua New Guinea

The ASPI Paper argues that although the state in Papua New Guinea has become extremely weak, it has not failed or collapsed - possibly in contrast with neighbouring Solomon Islands, the subject of an earlier ASPI paper the title of which used the phrase “our failing neighbour (ASPI 2003). Poor and declining standards in delivery of basic services to the people are seen as one of the key measures of weakness. Others include corruption, increasing levels of violence, and a worsening law and order situation. The weakness is so profound that: ‘PNG has now reached the point at which its institutions are too weak themselves to undertake and sustain the kind of major reforms needed to turn the country around. If PNG is going to be strengthened, it is going to need much more help – and different kinds of help – than it has received over the past three decades. If Australia does not take the lead in offering that help, no one else will.’ (ASPI 2004:11)AusAIDDraft Paper was presented at the Good News Conference: Examining successful models of community development, entrepreneurship and governance, 24-26 November 2004 in Madang, PNG. The conference was organised by the Divine Word University in collaboration with the State Society and Governance in Melanesia Project

The Bougainville Referendum Arrangements: Origins,Shaping and ImplementationPart Two: Shaping and Implementation

Having considered the origins and aspects of the shaping of the referendum arrangements in the first of these paired Discussion Papers, this paper presents an overview of the arrangements for the referendum as set out in the Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA) and the constitutional laws that give effect to that agreement. This second Discussion Paper seeks to not only clarify some of the complexity of the arrangements, but also to address a few major misunderstandings that have arisen in recent public debates about the referendum arrangements. It also provides an overview of some of the developing activity towards the holding of the referendum. Further, it interrogates the mixed messages about the referendum emanating from Papua New Guinea (PNG) Prime Minister Peter O’Neill from late 2017.AusAI

The Bougainville Referendum Arrangements: Origins,Shaping and Implementation Part One: Origins and Shaping

The Bougainville Peace Agreement (the BPA) is a complex agreement, produced by a succession of compromises made during more than two years of often intense negotiations (June 1999 to August 2001), directed towards permanently ending a deeply divisive violent conflict and generally referred to in Bougainville as ‘the crisis’. This paper discusses the origins and development of the Bougainvillean demands for inclusion of provision on a referendum on independence in the BPA, and how a significantly modified version of those demands was eventually included in the final version of the BPA, signed almost 17 years ago on 30 August 2001. This historical analysis provides the background to the second Discussion Paper, which surveys the intent, content and implementation (to date) of the referendum arrangements contained in both the BPA and the PNG constitutional laws that give effect to the BPA.AusAI

Mechanisms of glucocorticoid programmed disease

Substantial epidemiological evidence correlates low weight or thinness at birth with increased risk of disease in later life; notably insulin resistance, hypertension and ischaemic heart disease. This concept of intrauterine life events having permanent influences upon later health has been termed 'programming'. Whilst the molecular mechanisms linking these effects are unknown, overexposure of the foetus to glucocorticoids has been implicated. Treating pregnant rats with dexamethasone (DEX), a synthetic glucocorticoid commonly used in obstetric practice, results in offspring born of low weight, who subsequently develop adulthood hypertension, glucose intolerance and insulin resistance. Whilst prenatal DEX-programmed glucose intolerance is associated with permanently increased hepatic activity of a key gluconeogenic enzyme phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK), mechanisms underlying the programming of hypertension remain unidentified. DEX-programmed hypertension occurs in both sexes, whilst hyperglycaemia/hyperinsulinaemia has only been demonstrated in male offspring. Principally, this thesis investigates the role of the renin-angiotensin (RAS), and sympathetic nervous systems (SNS) in determining programmed hypertension, and seeks to determine whether programming effects are sexually dimoiphic. ft further examines the impact of dietary manipulations, and environmental noise stress, on prenatally-treated offspring phenotypes.DEX administration in the last week of gestation reduces offspring birth weight and programmes adult cardiovascular and metabolic physiology in a sex specific manner. In male offspring, prenatal glucocorticoid exposure programmes elevated basal circulating corticosterone, elevated PEPCK activity, and produces adulthood post-glucose hyperglycaemia and hyperinsulinaemia. Whilst in female offspring, prenatal DEX programmes elevated hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA expression, elevated plasma angiotensinogen and renin activity, and produces hypertension, when measured by tail-cuff plethysmography.A 4-fold reduction in dietary sodium intensifies this RAS dysregulation in female DEX-treated offspring; however this does not exacerbate their programmed blood pressure phenotype. Conversely, the lower sodium diet results in hypertension in prenatally vehicle treated animals, and supports a role for both the HPA and RAS in mediating this. Furthermore, acute exposure to the lower sodium diet is sufficient to cause glucose intolerance and insulin resistance in female adult rats, irrespective of their prenatal treatment.Unlike previous studies, offspring blood pressure was subsequently assessed with radiotelemetry, which is unmarred by any stress artefact. We now show that prenatal DEX-treated male and female offspring actually display lower basal blood pressure in adulthood; with the commonly expected hypertensive phenotype only being noted when these offspring are subjected to any stressor, regardless of its apparent banality. Moreover, DEX-treated offspring sustain this stress-induced hypertension for longer. These hypertensive responses are mediated by alterations in the responsivity of the sympathetic nervous system, being ameliorated by the inhibition of catecholamine synthesis, and further exaggerated by the promotion of systemic catecholamine release. Additionally, we demonstrate that DEX-treated offspring display greater sensitivity to various vasoconstrictors in the isolated mesenteric vasculature.Finally, perinatal exposure of pregnant rats to environmental noise pollution results in vehicle-treated offspring with a phenotype analogous to prenatal DEXtreated offspring i.e. lower birth weight, hypercorticosteronaemia, hypertension, and features of the insulin resistance syndrome. Conversely, exposure of DEX-treated offspring to the same perinatal noise stressors does not appear to further influence their phenotype. Therefore, perinatal stress produces a similar phenotype to prenatal glucocorticoid over-exposure.These findings demonstrate that in utero over-exposure to glucocorticoids actually results in stress-induced hypertension, and support a role for both RAS and SNS in mediating this. Furthermore, it appears that the programming of cardiovascular physiology may reflect distinct processes in each gender, whilst the programming of metabolic physiology is male specific

New Caledonia and Bougainville: Towards a New Political Status?

Over the next few years, major political — and possibly constitutional — changes can be expected in two of Australia’s closest neighbours, as New Caledonia and Bougainville move towards a new political status. Both sets of islands suffered periods of armed conflict — in the 1980s for New Caledonia and in the 1990s for Bougainville. In spite of the widespread calls for independence, there were significant divisions within the population and both conflicts ended with innovative political and constitutional agreements, including delayed referendums on their final political status. Since 1998, each has undertaken a lengthy transition towards a decision on self‑determination and the possible creation of a new sovereign and independent nation. These transitional periods of economic and political reformation are now coming to a head. Under the 1998 Noumea Accord, New Caledonia is scheduled to hold up to three referendums between 2018 and 2022 to determine a new political status, with the first vote to be held in November 2018. After a decade‑long transition following the 2005 election of the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG), and 2015 elections that resulted in the return to office of President John Momis, there are currently plans to hold a referendum in Bougainville in June 2019.AusAI

Unitary state, devolution, autonomy, secession : state building and nation building in Bougainville, Papua New Guinea

There are often difficulties in accommodating the interests of minority nationalities within nation-states. The proliferation of states created by decolonization has magnified such problems. Colonial borders often included groups with emerging identities, and the problems of fostering national cohesion within borders encompassing such diversity has sometimes been especially intense.peer-reviewe

The Dangers of Political Party Strengthening Legislation in Solomon Islands

The Solomon Islands government is considering introducing laws aimed at strengthening political parties, at restricting MPs from switching sides and at halting excessive use of ‘no confidence’ motions. The government wants to (i) abolish the constitutional position of the ‘Leader of the Independents’ , (ii) reform the process of selection of Prime Ministers and (iii) build a more coherent party system by adopting legislation similar to that experimented with in Papua New Guinea . The aim is to increase political stability, and give Prime Ministers and Cabinets an opportunity to implement their policies without having to focus continually on sustaining fragile coalitions, or on attracting opposition members to cross the floor to strengthen governments.AusAI

The Pacific Research Colloquium: Strengthening Skills and Partnerships with Pacific Researchers

For almost a decade the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program (SSGM) at the Australian National University (ANU) has had the privilege of convening the annual Pacific Research Colloquium (PRC). With funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), scholarships are awarded to early career researchers from the Pacific, including Papua and Timor-Leste, to participate in intensive training in social science research methods at the ANU.AusAI

An Assessment of Bougainville's President Toroama Part One: A Little-known New Leader

his is the first of three linked In Briefs about the record of Ishmael Toroama, elected President of the Autonomous Region of Bougainville (hereinafter Bougainville) in September 2020. Toroama is little known outside Bougainville. The limited publicly available information about him emphasises his roles as a prominent fighting leader, of fearsome reputation, with the Bougainville Revolutionary Army (BRA) and as a BRA representative in the signing of the 2001 Bougainville Peace Agreement (BPA). Since the Autonomous Bougainville Government (ABG) was established in mid-2005, he has often been discussed in Bougainville as being a ‘warlord’. These three In Briefs seek to address the gap in knowledge about him so that a more considered assessment can be made. This first In Brief outlines Toroama’s origins and then his little-known but remarkably consistent record as a peacebuilder in Bougainville.Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trad