The Readout

What can a tour of Port Moresby's coffee shops and hotels reveal about the state of Australian development and diplomacy in Papua New Guinea? With Gordon Peake, analyst and author of recent article "…

What does it mean to truly engage men in the fight for gender equality in the Pacific? With Dr. Mercy Masta, Research Fellow at the ANU's Department of Pacific Affairs, we delve into her research tha…

How can Australia’s Civil Society Partnership Fund enhance civic space in the Indo-Pacific region? With Martina Zapf, General Manager at the Lab and expert in peacebuilding, we discuss the recent ann…

How can we shift the language of international development to better reflect global realities? With Dr Salmah Lawrence, a leader in development thought and practice, we talk about her influential art…

Australia’s International Development Policy Anniversary Event. In this special episode, we take you behind the scenes of the key anniversary event with Minister for International Development and the…

How can addressing fragility and conflict in the Indo-Pacific region help shape the future of Australian development assistance? With David Young, Deputy Director of the Lessons Learned Program at th…

How did the exodus of Australian development workers during COVID-19 impact projects in the Pacific? And what lessons can be drawn for future development assistance? With Aidan Craney of La Trobe Uni…

How can Australia transition from an austerity mindset to a growth mindset in its development program? With Therese Faulkner, founder of the International Development Contractors Community (IDCC), we…

How can Australian policymakers untangle the intricate threads of the nation's relationship with China? With Dr. Darren Lim, Senior Lecturer at the ANU, we discuss his piece on ‘Australia’s Reassessm…

How can Australian policymakers better navigate the competing objectives of Australia’s development program? With Heather Murphy, Head of Analysis and Engagement at the Development Intelligence Lab, …

Why has Australia “all but institutionalised self-censorship in intellectual strategic thought”? With Dr Elizabeth Buchanan, Senior Fellow at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI), we disc…

What does the Safer World For All campaign want? With CEO of the Australian Council For International Development (ACFID), Marc Purcell, we discuss the origins of the campaign, its engagement strateg…

What’s the secret to a successful donor-implementer relationship? With CEO of Save the Children Australia, Mat Tinkler, we discuss his latest piece for the Intel - asking just that. Expanding on his …

How will investing in the psychological safety and contestability of the public service deliver better foreign policy results for Australia? With leader of the APS Integrity Taskforce, Sue Robertson,…

How can Australia deliver on its commitments to be a ‘better listener,’ understand the needs of the region, and be ‘less transactional’ in the delivery of its development assistance? With Mira Sulist…

How could the integration of Pacific Island countries, Australia and New Zealand achieve development outcomes, remedy power asymmetries and inoculate against an excess of geopolitics in the Pacific r…

Why does Australia continue to privilege policing and formal justice sector support given that research shows most people in our region seek justice through informal systems?

With Deputy Director of …

What does the recent Tuvalu general election mean for the implementation of the Falepili Union? With Director of the ANU Development Policy Centre Stephen Howes, we unpack the possibilities of the ag…

What does an expanded role of the military in civilian government mean for Indonesia's next government, and how does this affect Australia’s development assistance and support of democratic instituti…

What is a whole-of-nation approach to international policy? And what does it look like? With Asia Pacific Development, Diplomacy and Defence Dialogue (AP4D) Executive Directer Melissa Conley Tyler, w…