An important public event in the lead-up to the Pacific Islands Forum! The Pacific Islands conjure up images of romantic lagoons and idyllic lifestyles. Dig deeper and you find a collection of fragile states especially vulnerable due to their small size, limited economic diversity, remoteness from major trade and commercial centres, unsustainable exploitation of natural resources, and weak governance. Economic gains have been weak, volatile, and unequally distributed. There are conflicting views about the balance between western models of economic development and subsistence agriculture that still sustains the majority of island populations. Limited services and infrastructure outside urban areas constrain access to health, education and markets. Social instability has deeply affected communities and hampered growth. Growing populations pose challenges for sustainable development. With a big percentage of the region’s population under 25, improving options for young people is critical, as is addressing women’s virtual exclusion from decision making at all levels so they can help shape a different future. Yet for all these challenges, the Pacific remains a place of great natural and cultural diversity and resilient, creative communities. How can the region build on its assets to attain durable peace and prosperity.

Venue

State Library, South Bank, Brisbane QLD

Date & time

Wednesday, 22 July 2009 6:00 PM

MODERATOR

Martin Griffiths - Associate Professor, International Relations, Department of International Business and Asian Studies, Griffith University as moderator

Martin’s research areas of expertise include international relations theory; US foreign policy since 1945; nationalism; theories of peace and war; and the epistemology of social science. He has published ten books, including International Relations Theory for the Twenty-First Century (Routledge, 2007, editor), The Rise of Anti-Americanism (Routledge, 2006, co-editor), Encyclopedia of International Relations (Routledge, 2005, editor), International Relations: The Key Concepts (Routledge, 2008) (with T. O’Callaghan and S. Roach); Fifty Key Thinkers in International Relations (Routledge, 2009), and Realism, Idealism and International Politics (Routledge, 1995). At present he is writing a book entitled Rethinking International Relations Theory (Palgrave, 2010). He has a BSC (Econ) (London), MA (Keele), and PhD (UBC).

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SPEAKERS

Bob McMullan - Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance

In February 1988, Bob was sworn in as Senator for the Australian Capital Territory. In 1990 he was appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer and in 1991 became Manager of Government Business in the Senate. In 1993 Bob was appointed Minister for the Arts and Administrative Services and became a member of the Cabinet, the first time the Arts portfolio was represented in Cabinet. In January 1994, he was appointed Minister for Trade. Following a redistribution of Canberra’s House of Representative seats, Bob stood for the seat of Canberra in 1996, and was elected. Following a redistribution in 1998, Bob became Member for Fraser. Between 1996 and 2007 Bob held a number of Shadow Ministerial positions. After the election of the Rudd Government in November 2007 Bob was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance.

Prof. Jason Sharman - Centre for Governance and Public Policy, Griffith University

Professor Jason Sharman graduated with his Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, before going on to work at American University in Bulgaria and the University of Sydney. In 2007 he took up an ARC Queen Elizabeth II Fellowship at Griffith University, jointly hosted by the Centre for Governance and Public Policy and the Griffith Asia Institute. Sharman’s research is currently focused on the regulation of global finance, especially as relates to money laundering, tax and offshore financial centres. Sharman has collaborated with the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, Commonwealth Secretariat, Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering, Pacific Islands Forum, Asia-Pacific Economic Co-operation and various private sector groups.

Emele Duituturaga - Pacific Islands gender and development specialist

Emele Duituturaga was the former Chief Executive Officer for the Fiji Ministry of Women, Social Welfare, Poverty Alleviation and Housing, a position she held for 3 years and abruptly ended in January 2007 following the 2006 December military coup. She now works as a Suva based Independent Consultant. She was appointed by AusAID in 2008 as the Gender Adviser to the Performance Assessment Advisory Team of the Regional Assistance Mission the Solomon Islands (RAMSI). In 2008, she was engaged with the Pacific Islands Association for Non Government Organisations (PIANGO) as Technical Adviser and in June this year was appointed Caretaker Manager for PIANGO. She has extensive experience in the Pacific region working at all levels of management in the public, private and community sectors. She is currently pursuing a second Masters degree in Governance at the USP School of Governance with a focus on Public Policy, the subject of her intending PhD thesis.