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A Discussion Panel with Maureen Mopio, Ema Vueti, Sean Jacobs and Tess Newton Cain, hosted by the AIIA Queensland and the Griffith Asia Institute
Join us either in-person or online with journalist, Maureen Mopio; president of the Pacific Islands Council of Queensland, Ema Vueti; policy specialist and author, Sean Jacobs; and project lead for the Pacific Hub at the Griffith Asia Institute, Tess Newton Cain, who will all participate in a discussion panel on the events that have shaped the Pacific Islands region throughout 2022.
If attending in person, please arrive at Holding Redlich by 5.30pm for registration and drinks. If viewing online, details for the Webex link will be sent to you by email on November 22. This event is free for AIIA members. If you are not a member, visit the link above to purchase your ticket. Non-members will pay $10 and student non-members $5.
In 2022, for the first time in many decades, Australia's relationship with the Pacific Islands region was a major issue in the Australian federal election. The need for Australia to be much more attuned to what was happening in the Pacific and the issues of concern to the people of the Pacific has become more recognised in Australia. The new Australian federal government has been far more vocal than recent governments about "listening" to the people of the region. Other major powers – the United States and China, have also sought to engage with the Pacific to a significantly greater level than has been the case in recent times. Separately from matters of international relationships and diplomacy, the people of the Pacific region have focused on domestic issues, including national elections in PNG, Vanuatu and Nauru (and Fiji's election planned for December), internal disputes, recovery from and building resilience to natural disasters, pandemics and climate change. 2022 has been a turbulent year for the Pacific region on many levels.
To explore some of the significant events for the Pacific region during 2022, AIIA – Queensland and the Griffith Asia Institute have assembled a panel of diverse speakers to review the year from both the perspective of Pacific peoples and those of neighbouring partner countries.
