Papua New Guinea is one of Australia's closest neighbours, and receives one of the largest shares of our development assistance. It is a country that many Australians have had connections with over the decades - but it still feels far away in the experiences of most of us. It's a shame as PNG is a fascinating history, full of incredibly kind, hospitable and deeply resilient people. As a country it has more than its fair share of problems, including issues around governance, COVID, education and literacy, violence against women and corruption.

Maholopa Laveil is an economist and a lecturer in economics at the University of Papua New Guinea, currently in Australia holding the FDC Fellowship at the Lowy Institute.

This episode, Maho joins Rachel and Jess to discuss why he's hopful for the future, how PNG and Australia can most effectively collaborate - and why PNG needs a properly conducted census, for once and for all.