Regional Perspectives Project
This research project is about listening to, and learning from, Pacific stories on a range of topics that reflect Pacific priorities, including relationships with other countries.
Photo: Joanne Wallis
This research is a collaboration led by the University of Adelaide with a team of researchers based in Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Australia.
Funding for the research comes from Australia's civilian defence research agency, the Defence Science and Technology Group (DSTG). DSTG is seeking to understand more about what matters to Pacific peoples and how Australia can engage with the region more productively.
This research aims to be mutually beneficial and has been co-designed by Pacific and Australian researchers.
It hopes to learn from the people of Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to inform Australian policymaking and engage in ways that are respectful and beneficial for research participants and their communities. It will also seek to provide a platform for Pacific voices to be amplified.
Between June 2022 and June 2025, the research team will be meeting with individuals and groups in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to hear their stories and to talk about how Pacific and Australian people can work together.
The project is guided by a Cultural Protocol and Data Collection Plan co-developed with our research partners in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. To ensure transparency, the project is also guided by a co-created Communication Plan. This website will be updated as the project progresses.
It is hoped that this project will help the Australian Department of Defence, and more broadly, the Government of Australia, better understand the Pacific Islands region, develop more sustainable and culturally-sensitive engagement strategies, and play its part in creating a safer, fairer, more stable, and prosperous Pacific.
Regional Perspectives Research Project - Phase 1 summary report, June 2024
In June 2024, a summary report of the key findings from phase 1 of the project was presented during a week of consultations with Australian Government stakeholders in Canberra. Full reports had earlier been prepared for internal analysis by Defence.
Regional Perspectives Research Project StoryMap
Our StoryMap provides an interactive summary of phase 1 of our project and is available here. It outlines the context for our research in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu, our project methodology (which differed, as culturally appropriate, between research sites), and our key findings from both countries. It is a living document and will be updated regularly throughout our project.
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Project team
In recognition of the values shared by our project, our team is diverse. The University of Adelaide research team consists of:
- Joanne Wallis, Professor of International Security
- Maima Koro, Pacific Research Fellow
- Priestley Habru, PhD Scholar
- William Waqavakatoga, PhD Scholar
The Solomon Islands-based research is being conducted by a team led by Jennifer Wate, General Secretary of Development Services Exchange, with input from James Cox from Peacifica.
The Vanuatu-based research is being conducted by a team led by Linda Kenni.
The team also includes researchers from DSTG.
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Acknowledgement
This activity is supported by the Australian Government through a grant by the Australian Department of Defence. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of the Australian Government or the Australian Department of Defence.