Women in Our Parliaments: Australia, Cook Islands, Fiji, New Zealand, Niue, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Vanuatu

Hon. Tina Pupuke-Browne, Cook Islands. pn450

Having read that there are no women in the PNG Parliament, and that they are thinking of reserving seats for women to remedy this situation, I thought I'd see how many women there were in other Pacific parliaments.  

Taking it alphabetically, the first to search was Australia. And that's where, as I should have known, I had my first problem. I'd always thought NZ was the first country in the world to give women the vote. I was wrong. It was Australia.Well, sort of. 

They said they were the first country to give some women  the vote and be able to stand for Parliament in 1902.  Whereas their small cousin across the Tasman only gave the vote to all women in 1893 , but not the right to stand as candiates until 1919. 

Therafter, though,  NZ led the way with the first woman MP in 1921 (Australia 1943), first cabinet minister 1944 (Australia 1945), first Prime Minister 1997 and two more later (Australia 2007, just the one). Aboriginee men and women were first given the vote in 2019!  Individual Australian states did better than the Federal level, but generally they also lagged NZ. Thank goodness! Pride is restored.


Here's the present situation for Australia, NZ and the "near" Pacific:

Australian and NZ Pacific Policies: Similarities and Differences

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Increased concerns about the growing influence of China in the Pacific seem to be the main reason why Australia, and to a lesser extent NZ, have "reset" their Pacific aid programmes. Their combined yearly aid now totals A$1B and both have increased their diplomatic presence. 

Rethinking how NZ Spends its Overseas Aid : Sam Sachdeva

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Sam Sachdeva is Newsroom's political editor, covering foreign affairs, trade, defence, and security issues.  

https://www.newsroom.co.nz/2018/09/16/237567/rethinking-how-nz-spends-its-overseas-aid

The Government’s “Pacific reset” and a $714 million boost to our foreign aid programme was big news earlier this year, but the first review of our aid policies in nearly a decade hasn’t made the same headlines. Sam Sachdeva reports on why it’s taking place, and what NGOs, academics - and Winston Peters - want from it.

The news in May of a nearly billion-dollar boost boost to New Zealand’s foreign affairs budget resulted in a predictably polarised response along political lines.

The Government, led by Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Peters, hailed the decision as an essential increase after years of neglect, while the National opposition accused it of “putting diplomats ahead of doctors”.

1. The Pacific Islanders: "leeches" that "don't matter"

In this first part of a series of three,  Newstalk ZB commentator Helen du Plessis-Allan offers her opinions on the relationship between Pacific Islanders and New Zealand.

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Part-Afrikaner Helen du Plessis-Allan, who emigrated to NZ aged 12, proudly wrote an anti-apartheid essay before leaving South Africa  and just as proudly recalls mixing with Maori and Pasifika students at her decile  2 Auckland secondary school.   

She professes a life-long interest in politics and admits enjoyment in reminding politicians they have feet of clay.

Now 34 and married to fellow journalist 66-year old Barry Soper she would dispute she is "just another Hosking" as those who dislike her opinions maintain.  

But there are similarities. Both are self-opinionated, both insult those who attack them, both seek sensational headlines, both are ultra right-wing, and, most importantly,  both regularly fail to provide any evidence to support their opinions, and both lack any sense of context or history.

This is nowhere better illustrated than in du Plessis-Allan's  recent attack on the PM for attending the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Nauru and her follow-up comment that the Pacific Islands "don't matter." 

"They are nothing but leeches on us." she said. "The Pacific Islands wants (sic!)  money from us."

So much for the accusations. I was now waiting for some facts, argument or evidence  to support them, but all I'm left with is her unsupported opinions with no indication on whether  they were formed as a result of her study, research  or experience. 

This is a trait she shares with Mike Hosking. Make a provocative statement, deflect attention from the need for evidence by attacking those who disagree -- and bask in the publicity received.