Development Policy Centre Podcast

Chinese development cooperation in Asia and the Pacific is growing rapidly. In this keynote panel at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference, Chinese experts shared their insights on the rationale, aspirations and challenges of Chinese development cooperation, particularly in relation to the Belt and Road Initiative, responsible investment, the new development cooperation agency, and China's engagement in the Pacific. Panellists: Anthea Mulakala, The Asia Foundation (Chair) Hongbo Ji, The Asia Foundation Yujia Shen, Sun Yat-sen University Jinghang Jia, Ministry of Finance, China Xiuli Xu, China Institute for South-South Cooperation in Agriculture The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

Masood Ahmed, President of the Center for Global Development, gave a keynote address at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference on 20 February. He discussed growing debt in low-income countries, and asked whether we are heading for another debt crisis. He also spoke about whether this is different from the debt crisis 20 years ago, what is driving debt growing in low-income countries, what can be done to reduce the risk of a crisis, and what policy could limit the possibility of a prolonged crisis. The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

Donald Kaberuka, former President of the African Development Bank and former Minister of Finance for Rwanda, presented the 2019 Mitchell Oration on 19 February at the 2019 Australasian Aid Conference. He spoke on the topic of 'Africa and the global landscape: emerging trends and the way forward'. The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

This panel reviewed and reflected on the on-the-ground experience of using a gender lens in the impact investment ecosystem in Asia and the Pacific. Panellists: Amy Haddad, DFAT (Chair) Joy Anderson, Criterion Institute Amanda Jupp, Pacific RISE Sally Moyle, CARE Australia Will Scott-Kemmis, SecondMuse (Frontier Innovators and Incubators) James Soukamneuth, Investing in Women The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

This panel brought together key players in the Australian aid sector to discuss best practice to approach the prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse in the aid sector, as well as safeguarding issues. It also provided a platform for organisations to learn from and share their approaches and experiences. Panellists: Kate Sutton, Humanitarian Advisory Group (Chair) Juliette Brassington, DFAT Sarah Burrows, ACFID Rosie Wheen, WaterAid Thida Seng, WaterAid Australia Maaike Moller, Victorian Institute of Forensic Medicine The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

This panel highlighted the need for an increased focus on mental health and psychosocial disability within the disability-inclusive development agenda, and provided some best-practice examples and learnings for development practitioners. Panellists: Teresa Hall, University of Melbourne (Chair) Becca Allchin, Monash University Aleisha Carroll, CBM Australia Bhargavi Davar, Transforming Communities for Inclusion Helen Fernandes, TEAR Australia The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

On 29 March, Senator Richard Di Natale, Leader of the Australian Greens, launched the Australian Greens' full aid and development policy for the 2019 federal election at a public event at ANU.

Rapid advances in technology, including mobile communication, artificial intelligence, robotics, big data, psychographics, and biotech, are fundamentally changing economic, political, social, and security conditions in the Indo Pacific region. This panel discussed the impact all this is having on developing countries, and adjustments needed in development policy and practice. Panellists: Sakuntala Akmeemana, DFAT (Chair) William Cole, The Asia Foundation Yixiao Zhou, ANU John Karr, The Asia Foundation Klee Aiken, Asia-Pacific Network Information Centre The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

MAMPU is the Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality. This panel featured key partners of MAMPU - Indonesian civil society organisations that champion women's issues - and discussed their strategies and approaches and the role of aid. Panellists: Amy Haddad, DFAT (Chair) Dina Lumbantobing, PERMAMPU (Women's NGO Consortium, Sumatra) Kate Shanahan, MAMPU Nani Zulminarni, Program Kepala Keluarga (Pekka) (Female-headed Households Program) The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

With the recent establishment of the Pacific Labour Scheme and Pacific Labour Facility, and the reorientation and rebadging of the Australia Pacific Training Coalition and Pacific Labour Facility, this panel provided the opportunity for a conversation about the complexities and opportunities that labour mobility provides for the Pacific region. Panellists: Kaye Schofield, Australia Pacific Training Coalition (Chair) Richard Curtain, Development Policy Centre, ANU Andie Fong Toy, Australia Pacific Training Coalition Alisi Holani, Tonga Ministry of Commerce Nick Volk, Pacific Labour Facility The 2019 Australasian Aid Conference was held at Crawford School of Public Policy, ANU, on 19-20 February, and was organised by the Development Policy Centre in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

The nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology. The World Bank's 2019 World Development report studies this and argued that in light of the disruption from technological change, a new social contract is needed to smooth the transition and guard against rising inequality. Senior Director for Social Protection and Jobs, Michal Rutkowski, spoke at the Australian launch of this much anticipated report.

Tess Newton Cain interviews Sean Dorney, who was a Foreign Correspondent with the ABC for four decades, about his experiences in the Pacific and significant changes in the region, including in Australian reporting.

Governments and aid donors spend billions of dollars on active labour market programs and public works programs to improve the long term employability of youth by providing training, work placements and job searching assistance, and offer social protection through the creation of temporary employment opportunities. But how effective are these programs? In this public seminar at ANU on 20 September 2018, Chris Hoy presented the preliminary results of an impact evaluation of the largest employment program in Papua New Guinea - the Urban Youth Employment Program.

Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer survey was recently piloted in Australia. Analysis of this, along with the Australian Research Council-funded National Integrity System Assessment of Australia, offers new insights into corruption. At this seminar on 13 September, A J Brown reviewed proposals for what should be involved in any new federal anti-corruption reforms.

Nena Stoiljkovic, the International Finance Corporation's Vice President for Asia and the Pacific, recently made her first visit to Australia in this role. On 23 August, she spoke at a seminar at ANU about IFC’s new strategy, its approaches to maximising finance for development and private sector investment, and its work in the Asia Pacific region.

Tess Newton Cain interviews Yasmine Bjornum, an activist for women's rights and empowerment in Vanuatu. They discussed Yasmine's background and journey thus far, including Sista, an online platform that provides content that aims to raise the visibility of women and their achievements in Vanuatu's society and economy.

The second plenary of the 2018 PNG Update, held on 14-15 June at the University of PNG, focused on economic developments in the country. Mr Ian Ling-Stuckey, Shadow Minister for Treasury and Finance, spoke on PNG's economy, and a team of ANU and UPNG researchers presented the ANU-UPNG PNG economic survey 2017-18.

PNG's Treasurer and Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Charles Abel, gave a keynote address at the 2018 PNG Update, held on 14-15 June at the University of PNG. He discussed the ANU-PNG relationship, opportunities for further connection through education, and PNG's political history and economic plans.

Digital technology has various uses and much potential, but how is it being used in PNG and what lessons can be learnt? This panel at the 2018 PNG Update, held at the University of PNG on 14-15 June, addressed this topic. Presenters spoke on market fee payment through custom-made software; electronic government; lessons from a Goilala ICT project; and whether a bank-led model is the best way to introduce digital financial services in emerging markets.

There are various challenges for governance and development in PNG. In this panel at the 2018 PNG Update, held on 14-15 June at the University of PNG, presenters discussed cultivating a participatory approach to governance; understanding youth perceptions; the deep determinants of district development; governance reform, leadership and support; and understanding governance in PNG.