Australia

Although the referendum’s suggested change would be small, the campaign against it has grown on the back of misinformation, lies, and a deep well of racism. Supporters are preparing for it to fail.

If Australia and the United States genuinely desire a peaceful Pacific, they must be as enthusiastic about international development in the region as about security cooperation.

As a wealthy country in a developing region, Australia can and should do more to assist its regional neighbors in developing. 

A new law allows children to be imprisoned in police watch houses, the equivalent of jails in the United States, as youth detention centers overflow. All while the number of youth offenders hits a decade low.

With only minor attempts to address the Hague Convention’s flaws, Australia’s rhetoric on seriously addressing domestic abuse rings hollow. 

Record profits for coal companies shouldn’t be reported on without the necessary climate context.

Internationally, the decision to realign the definition is seen as very uncontroversial. But it does put Australia out of step with the United States.

The Albanese government announced its new International Development Policy which aims to create the foundations for a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. 

The committee found that China and other authoritarian regimes continue to pose an unacceptable risk to democracies through targeted online disinformation campaigns.

There are fears that a World Heritage in-danger listing would damage a tourism industry that revolves around the reef and employs more than 64,000 people.

As Honiara denies its new security pact with China poses a threat to the Pacific, it would behoove the West to consider what it is the Solomons want and need from their partners.

No date has been announced for the referendum yet, but the decision has critical ramifications not just for First Nations people in Australia but Canberra’s international reputation.