South Pacific

Australia ‘diminished’: Penny Wong’s frenetic mission to repair regional ties

Exclusive: As Wong marks one year in the job, the foreign affairs minister is determined to make a ‘clear statement of our priorities in the region’

Daniel Hurst Foreign affairs and defence correspondent

15, May, 2023 @3:00 PM

Tonga volcano explosion equalled most powerful ever US nuclear test

Scientists calculate 2022 eruption of Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano released 1,000 times more energy than Hiroshima bomb

Nicola Davis

14, Apr, 2023 @6:00 PM

The trans ‘queen mother’ reclaiming Fiji’s third gender – photo essay

Reggie Mcgoon has taken inspiration from vakasalewalewa – a traditional term for transgender women which was nearly erased by colonial rule

Katie Edwards

19, Feb, 2023 @11:45 PM

Fiji opposition leader suspended from parliament for sedition

Frank Bainimarama, who launched a blistering attack on the president on Monday, was suspended for three years

Lavenia Lativerata-Vuadreu in Suva and agencies

17, Feb, 2023 @12:36 PM

‘Red flags’ raised over scheme to allow families of Pacific Island workers to join them in Australia

Families who relocate under federal scheme would not have access to Medicare, or relocation or housing costs, making move unviable for many, experts warn

Jordyn Beazley

22, Jan, 2023 @2:00 PM

Lost for words: fears of ‘catastrophic’ language loss due to rising seas

Climate crisis could be ‘final nail in the coffin’ for half of all surviving languages, say linguists, as coastal communities are forced to migrate

Karen McVeigh

16, Jan, 2023 @7:00 AM

Left out of society: Vanuatu’s deaf community push for national sign language

With no official sign language, the deaf community are left unable to communicate widely and vulnerable to natural disasters

Sera Sefeti and Agnes Herbert in Saama

04, Dec, 2022 @8:00 PM

Pacific leaders celebrate Cop27 victory on loss and damage fund after decades of advocacy

Pacific countries have fought for fund to provide assistance to poor nations hit by climate disasters for three decades

Jon Letman

21, Nov, 2022 @6:18 AM

Tuvalu first to call for fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty at Cop27

Pacific islands nation, which is acutely vulnerable to sea level rises, joins nearby Vanuatu in seeking phase-out of coal, oil and gas

Oliver Milman

08, Nov, 2022 @11:30 AM

The climate crisis threatens to rob us not just of our living, but also of our dead | Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson

As Pacific nations face the prospect of losing entire islands, the thought of leaving behind the bones of our ancestors is unbearable

Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson

03, Nov, 2022 @2:00 PM

Vanuatu to welcome first female MP since 2008 after snap election

Vanuatu Election Commission yet to declare official results but Julia King likely to be lone female voice in 52-member parliament

Ginny Stein in Port Vila

20, Oct, 2022 @6:00 PM

Vanuatu goes to polls by air, sea and road in snap election after lightning campaign

First-time candidates vie with incumbents for 52 seats after government dissolved ‘Red Roof’ parliament to ward off no-confidence vote