Last month was the annual 51st Pacific Islands Forum when our neighbours to the East met. Do you know anything about this inter-government agency and what they talk about? Are Australia or New Zealand even members?

4ZZZʻs Eliot Rifkin and Toni Pankaluic chatted about the Pacific Islands Forum with Tess Newton-Cain an Associate Professor at Griffith Asia Institute who attended the Forum.

For a deep dive… 

Check out Tess Newton-Cain’s bio and the Pacific Hub project she leads at Griffith Asia Institute. Read their latest research on how China engages with Pacific island countries when it comes to climate change.

For more on what The Pacific Island Forum is: brief background or an in-depth summary. Discussed at the most recent forum was the 2050 Blue Pacific Continent Communique Strategy. For further commentary on this year's forum, here is a blog co-written by Tess.

Here are some recent articles regarding Australia's relationships with the Pacific islands region: 

• Apac Network


• The Conversation


• International Affairs

To gain a basic overview of the three island regions from the Pacific:

• Melanesia


• Micronesia


• Polynesia

August 25 was the national recognition day of when the Commonwealth Government formally recognised Australian South Sea Islanders (ASSI) as a distinct cultural group. For more on the history and importance visit here.