This report provides background to and understanding of Prime Minister Scott Morrison's recent Townsville speech “Australia and the Pacific: a new chapter”, as well as an initial assessment of this announcement's implications.

This review originated in conversations between the author and various development professionals about value of standing back after 5 years and assessing the impact of the 2013 AusAID-DFAT integration. The intent was to inform the next phase of Australia's international development work so that it can be as effective as possible.

This report examines migration opportunities, projects future migration numbers from three Pacific microstates, and reports on fiscal and economic impacts and the likely impact of a hypothetical one-off environmental disaster on migration options.

The release of Australia's Foreign Policy White Paper late last year had been much anticipated, not least because it was the first such paper in over a decade. Notable was that the Pacific island region (including Timor-Leste) had been accorded a chapter of its own.

This paper draws on data from the new Samoa Election Results database to highlight salient features and trends in Samoa’s electoral history.