Correspondent's Notebook
Making the most of PNG’s business opportunities
9 May 2008
Each year, captains of industry from Australia and Papua New Guinea get together for their annual agenda setting meeting - The Australia PNG Business Forum.
The 2008 Business Forum was held in Cairns, this week, and while issues of importance to the hugely lucrative energy and resources industry were discussed, it was the small and medium sized enterprise sector that got much of the attention.
Here’s Radio Australia’s Pacific Economic and Business Reporter, Jemima Garrett.
The language barrier in Tonga
2 May 2008
For correspondents travelling and reporting from their regions of responsibility, language is always a major barrier.
More often than not the barrier’s very simple.
Your language is different to those you want to talk to.
Sometimes you share a language.
But as Radio Australia’s Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney found out last week in the Pacific Kingdom of Tonga, where he was covering the national election, often even that’s not enough.
Elections will change Tonga, but how much?
25 April 2008
This week the Pacific Island Kingdom of Tonga held its national elections, the last to be held before the constitution is changed to remove the near absolute power of the King.
Radio Australia’a Pacific Correspondent Campbell Cooney has been in Tonga covering the election and one thing he noticed was even though the changes will mean a more democratic path for the island nation, a lot of people just don’t seem to care.
Australia’s Regional future at the 2020 Summit
18 April 2008
How will the new giants - China and India - shape Australia’s world by the year 2020?
That’s one of the central questions to be discussed this weekend at Parliament House in Canberra.
The government has invited 1,000 of Australia’s best and brightest to think about long term strategies toward the end of the next decade.
One of the ten separate sessions for the weekend is devoted to Australia’s future in the region and the world, as our Canberra correspondent, Graeme Dobell reports.
BHP, Beijing and Kevin Rudd’s China visit
11 April 2008
Business reporter Karon Snowdon considers a less reported side of Kevin Rudd’s visit to China.
Australia’s new approach on Asian issues
4 April 2008
Australia’s prime minister is out visiting the world, but also explaining how he sees the world.
Kevin Rudd’s current tour of the United States, Europe and China has involved a progressive unveiling of the new government’s approach to international policy.
A set of Asian issues have stood beside the other messages from the prime minister on the strength of the United States alliance and a new emphasis on multi-lateralism.
This report by Radio Australia’s foreign affairs correspondent, Graeme Dobell.
Political crisis in the world’s smallest nation
28 March 2008
Right now, one of the world’s smallest nation’s, Nauru, is in the grip of political crisis. For the past fortnight, the country’s politicians have been fighting for control of the country, and its parliament.
Campbell Cooney, Radio Australia’s Pacific Correspondent, reports it’s been a dirty little squabble.
Australian PM heads out on world tour
21 March 2008
Next week Australia’s prime minister Kevin Rudd leaves a trip to the United States, Europe and China.
Mr Rudd will be discussing Australia’s troop withdrawal from Iraq, but the lengthening commitment in Afghanistan.
And in Beijing, he’ll have to confront the Chinese crackdown in Tibet.
Ahead of the tour, Radio Australia’s Foreign Affairs correspondent, Graeme Dobell filed this report from Canberra.
Malaysia’s new political landscape
14 March 2008
It’s often said that a week is a long time in politics and that’s certainly been the case in Malaysia.Last Saturday Malaysians went to the polls in a general election and now there’s a new political landscape. In fact it’s the biggest change in Malaysian politics since independence, with the opposition PAS and other reformist parties winning control of five states.
Radio Australia’s Bill Bainbridge went to Malaysia for the election and he’s our correspondent today.
Australia’s concern in foreign ownership
7 March 2008
Australia’s Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is to visit China for three days next month. Trade and investment issues will be high on the agenda when he meets with China’s top leaders, President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao.
Most recently it has been China’s investment in Australia that’s been making headlines.
Last month Kevin Rudd’s government announced strict new guidelines for investments in Australia owned by foreign governments. The move follows a flood of cash from state owned organisations in Asia and the Arab world flowing into Western banks and mining companies.
Karon Snowdon reports on the international response to the rise of Asia’s sovereign funds.
