Pacific Beat

Academics, Tess Newton Cain and Matthew Dornan pull apart the drama of PIF 2018, exploring the Boe Declaration; as well as the ramifications of closed door discussions when Pacific Island leaders confronted Australian officials over the Coalition Government's climate change policies.

On the program: A 10th polio case in Papua New Guinea has health authorities particularly worried, because for the first time, involves a child in a settlement, in the capital Port Moresby and claims of manipulation and interference as registration begins in Solomon Islands for thousands of voters ahead of next year's election.

There has been a big turn out for voter registrations, as Solomon Islands heads towards polls in 2019; but it's been dogged by missteps by the Electoral Commission and there have been claims of manipulation, with voters brought in to register from outside election boundaries.

The former head of PNG's leading agricultural university, UNRE, has hit back at the suggestion that he fabricated claims about threats to have him arrested.

Seo-Yeon Lee, a former member of the Grace Roads Church has detailed her alleged escape from the organisation's compound in Fiji. The Church's leader is being held by police in Korea and Seo-Yeon Lee has described the organisation as "a dangerous cult".

On the program: "Legalised thievery": the debate heats up in PNG over the price of mobile phone and internet, but there's no clearer picture of who's job it is to regulate the rates being charged, and Fijian mental health providers say the three recent suicides of children shines the spotlight on the deficincies that exist within the system.

Mental health providers in Fiji say the three recent suicides of children is a tragedy, that's shone the spotlight on the deficiencies that exist within the various systems - including health and education.

Provincial leaders in PNG are being urged to condemn violence and promote community action, as PNG's tourism industry suffers from heightened global travel warnings, that have been raised as a result of tribal violence.

Questions have been asked about why leaders at this week's meeting in Nauru, of leaders from the Pacific Islands Forum didn't do more to address issues like China's growing presence in the region, and the host country's human rights record.

On the program: A look back at this week's Pacific Islands Forum leaders meeting in Nauru, and why some are disappointed that leaders didn't address the issues of the host country, including its record on human rights, and also, we hear the curious story of Trevor the Duck who's found himself on the tropical island of Niue.