Nicole Haley | The Australian National University (original) (raw)

Books by Nicole Haley

Papers by Nicole Haley

Elections to replace the existing first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system to one of limited pref... more Elections to replace the existing first-past-the-post (FPTP) voting system to one of limited preferential voting (LPV).2 This did not come into effect in the national election of 2002, but was used in 10 by-elections between 2002 and 2007. Under the new LPV system voters were required to express three preferences.3 Once transferred, second and third preferences carried the same weight as a first preference. Failure to express three preferences constituted an invalid vote. A number of reasons was given for the decision to change to LPV.4 First and foremost, there had been growing concern that, with increasing numbers of candidates contesting successive elections (in 2002 the average number of candidates per electorate had risen to 26, with a record of 62 in Oro Provincial), and a weak party vote, members were being elected with increasingly small shares of the vote. In 2002, 22 MPs (20 percent) were elected with less than 10 percent of the vote and 62 MPs (57 percent) with less than ...

Election 2007: The Shift to Limited Preferential Voting in Papua New Guinea, 2013

In November and December 2013, a controversy erupted in Papua New Guinea when the speaker of the ... more In November and December 2013, a controversy erupted in Papua New Guinea when the speaker of the national parliament, Theodore Zurenuoc, a devout Christian, tried to rid Parliament House of what he described as 'ungodly images and idols'. Zurenuoc had already begun by removing the carvings from a lintel above the entrance to Parliament House, but planned to remove many more carvings throughout the building. His plans were strongly opposed, and considerable debate was generated in the two national newspapers and in social media. Those who opposed him saw him as a 'religious fundamentalist' and his actions as 'sacrilege' and 'cultural terrorism',1 while those who supported Zurenuoc's plans saw him as a 'God-fearing', 'modern-day Reformer' and 'God's anointed vessel'. Despite the protests, which included a number of high-profile critics, and the intercession of the prime minister, the speaker was unrepentant, vowing to con...

To date, women's participation in the SWP and New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer ... more To date, women's participation in the SWP and New Zealand's Recognised Seasonal Employer (RSE) scheme has been low (Bailey 2014; Chattier 2015). Increasing women's participation in these schemes is crucial if development gains are to be maximised. In this, the second in a series of In Briefs that consider women's participation in the SWP, we examine what might be done to address the existing gender imbalances.

A great deal of analytical and practical effort has gone into development in our region, with muc... more A great deal of analytical and practical effort has gone into development in our region, with much of the focus on "strengthening various aspects of governance in the Pacific" (AusAID 2006a, p. 94). However, to date such donor supported governance strengthening initiatives have made little headway (Saldanha 2004, p. 36). There are several reasons for this. One reason is that much of the effort has been directed towards top-down approaches focused on core state institutions and has typically involved institutional or public sector reform. This focus on the supply side of governance has, it is increasingly recognized, met with only limited success (Malena, Forster and Singh 2004, p. 1). Another reason is that the vast majority of governance related reforms have been initiated to meet "conditionality-based lending" requirements rather than in response to locally or internally driven calls for reform (Saldanha 2004, p. 36-38). They have therefore lacked sustained commitment, which has detrimentally impacted upon outcomes. Increasingly, too, it is recognised that strategies and programs to improve governance "are likely to be undermined if there is no ability for the community to directly demand accountability from their governments (Walker 2007, p. 3).

Papua New Guinea's new Public Services (Management) Act 2014 (PSMA) is one of several importa... more Papua New Guinea's new Public Services (Management) Act 2014 (PSMA) is one of several important administrative and legislative reforms implemented by the O'Neill/Dion Government in accordance with the Alotau Accord of 2012. Key among the changes is formal consultation with members of parliament (MPs) in relation to the appointment of provincial and district administrators, which in effect gives MPs a formal role in hiring and firing decisions at the subnational level. Seemingly, this is already having a detrimental impact on the gender profile of the public sector, with four women of the five most senior women in the Simbu provincial administration already replaced at the recommendation of MPs in the province (Anna Naur pers. comm. March 2015).1 Drawing on previously unpublished data, this In Brief offers an analysis of the gender profile of the Papua New Guinea (PNG) public sector as at June 2014, before the implementation of the new PSMA. The analysis reveals that while wo...

With Solomon Islands due to go to the polls in late 2014, it is timely to reflect on how election... more With Solomon Islands due to go to the polls in late 2014, it is timely to reflect on how elections in Melanesia are trending, and what we might expect with the upcoming polls. Rather than improving, the integrity of elections in Melanesia is diminishing. Over the course of the past few elections, fraud and malpractice have increased in Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu to varying degrees. Money politics has also proliferated in all three countries, and information and communication technology (ICT) environments have changed profoundly (Logan 2014).

In November 2014, Solomon Islands conducted its ninth general election since independence. With a... more In November 2014, Solomon Islands conducted its ninth general election since independence. With accreditation from the Solomon Islands Electoral Commission and financial support from the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia (SSGM) program and the Centre for Democratic Institutions deployed 12 teams to undertake systematic observation, monitoring and assessment of the elections. Overall, the group comprised academics and professional staff from both programs, affiliated academics, and 60 locally engaged domestic observers.

Recent experiences in Fiji and Solomon Islands provide examples of roll improvements supported by... more Recent experiences in Fiji and Solomon Islands provide examples of roll improvements supported by biometric technology, although the true costs and benefits associated with biometric voter registration (BVR) in Melanesia are yet to be established. Drawing on election observations undertaken by SSGM scholars in the context of the 2007 and 2012 PNG national elections and the 2014 Solomon Islands elections, this In Brief offers a somewhat sobering assessment of voter registration reforms in Melanesia.

This is the fourth In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day w... more This is the fourth In Brief of a series of eight developed as background papers for a three-day workshop titled 'Improving women's electoral chances through an evidence-based approach', hosted by the Centre for Democratic Institutions and the State, Society and Governance in Melanesia Program at the Australian National University in Canberra, June 2016. The In Briefs are designed to accompany the workshop synthesis report.

Good governance - a term largely popularized by the World Bank - is now upheld as the cornerstone... more Good governance - a term largely popularized by the World Bank - is now upheld as the cornerstone of aid and development programming, both in Australia and internationally. Australia's Pacific 2020 recognizes that governance fundamentally impacts upon development processes and that poor political governance inhibits economic growth and undermines the efficacy of the aid program, so much so that improving political governance is perhaps the most important long-term challenge facing the Pacific Island countries between now and 2020. However, while it is widely acknowledged that governance significantly impacts upon aid effectiveness, it is also acknowledged that aid is a very weak instrument for improving governance. This briefing provides a summary of 'Strengthening Civil Society to Build Demand for Better Governance in the Pacific: Literature Review and Analysis of Good Practice and Lessons Learned' - a research paper prepared by Dr Nicole Haley for AusAID. This work is ...

Papua New Guinea’s 2007 general election offered the first nationwide test of the new limited pre... more Papua New Guinea’s 2007 general election offered the first nationwide test of the new limited preferential voting (LPV) system, which replaced the first-past-the-post system, under which all previous post-independence elections had been conducted. In this chapter we make some observations about recent electoral reform in Papua New Guinea, particularly the impact of reforms on the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections, which saw the introduction of LPV after the 2002 election. The chapter seeks to explore the extent to which electoral system reform, in particular the introduction of LPV, has influenced the conduct of elections and political culture in the Southern Highlands. The chapter draws on the reports of domestic observers in the Koroba-Lake Kopiago and Kagua-Erave open electorates and Southern Highlands provincial electorate (Figure 20.1) as part of the 2007 Domestic Observation (see chapter 5). It finds that although the 2007 election was considerably l...

of the national parliament, Theodore Zurenuoc, a devout Christian, tried to rid Parliament House ... more of the national parliament, Theodore Zurenuoc, a devout Christian, tried to rid Parliament House of what he described as ‘ungodly images and idols’. Zurenuoc had already begun by removing the carvings from a lintel above the entrance to Parliament House, but planned to remove many more carvings throughout the building. His plans were strongly opposed, and considerable debate was generated in the two national newspapers and in social media. Those who opposed him saw him as a ‘religious fundamentalist ’ and his actions as ‘sacrilege ’ and ‘cultural terrorism’,1 while those who supported Zurenuoc’s plans saw him as a ‘God-fearing’, ‘modern-day Reformer ’ and ‘God’s anointed vessel’. Despite the protests, which included a number of high-profile critics, and the intercession of the prime minister, the speaker was unrepentant, vowing to continue his work until there were ‘no traces of elements of cult and demonic worship in the national parliament of

Making Sense of AIDS, 2017

Election 2007: The Shift to Limited Preferential Voting in Papua New Guinea, 2013

Papua New Guinea's 2007 general election offered the first nationwide test of the new limited pre... more Papua New Guinea's 2007 general election offered the first nationwide test of the new limited preferential voting (LPV) system, which replaced the firstpast-the-post system, under which all previous post-independence elections had been conducted. In this chapter we make some observations about recent electoral reform in Papua New Guinea, particularly the impact of reforms on the Organic Law on National and Local-level Government Elections, which saw the introduction of LPV after the 2002 election. The chapter seeks to explore the extent to which electoral system reform, in particular the introduction of LPV, has influenced the conduct of elections and political culture in the Southern Highlands. The chapter draws on the reports of domestic observers in the Koroba-Lake Kopiago and Kagua-Erave open electorates and Southern Highlands provincial electorate (Figure 20.1) as part of the 2007 Domestic Observation (see chapter 5). It finds that although the 2007 election was considerably less violent than other recent elections, contestation has not diminished, as evidenced by the widespread fraud and malpractice witnessed.

Election 2007: The Shift to Limited Preferential Voting in Papua New Guinea, 2013

Making Sense of AIDS, 2017

Election 2007: The Shift to Limited Preferential Voting in Papua New Guinea, 2013

Political Life Writing in the Pacific: Reflections on Practice, 2015

State, Society & Governance in Melanesia ssgm.bellschool.anu.edu.au With the introduction of Dist... more State, Society & Governance in Melanesia ssgm.bellschool.anu.edu.au With the introduction of District Development Authorities (see O’Neill 2006) and amendments to the Organic Law on Provincial and Local Level Governments, Papua New Guinea’s O’Neill Government has set in train an ambitious and game-changing institutional reform agenda that is set to re-constitute the political settlement by vesting additional powers in Open members of parliament (MPs). Compounding this, there are concurrent and not particularly wellaligned reform agendas being pursued by different constitutional authorities. These include amendments to the Organic Law on the Integrity of Political Parties and Candidates, currently before parliament, the Constitutional and Law Reform Commission’s pending review of the Organic Law on National and Locallevel Government Elections (OLNLLGE) as well as the expected Boundaries Commission review in 2015. Given the strong likelihood of reforms that will affect the conduct of ...