Papua New Guinea is currently going through remarkable change. In 2011 its economy is likely to grow as fast as China's and unprecedented economic growth generated by PNG's mineral-resource wealth is predicted to continue.
Papua New Guinea Today–and Tomorrow? A symposium being held in Melbourne on the 27th of May provides an opportunity to better understand this change and challenge old beliefs about Australia's closest neighbour, its status in the region and its future.
By bringing together academics from across Australia and PNG, the symposium aims to generate a renewed interest in PNG studies, and to strengthen academic collaborations within the South Pacific region.
Presenters from business, government, academia and the wider community will offer perspectives on a range of topics, including the minerals sector, the economy, development, the law and women in society.
Organised by Deakin University, AusAID is a proud supporter of the PNG symposium and looks forward to academia's contribution to a deeper Australian understanding of our region and a changing PNG.
Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Richard Marles, who is jointly hosting the symposium with Deakin University, said the event was an opportunity to broaden our discussion of contemporary life in PNG.
'My hope is that the conversation that starts today about our knowledge and relationship with PNG continues, greatly enriched, tomorrow.'