Doug Dingwall

Feb 10, 2025 | abc.net.au | Doug Dingwall |Leah Lowonbu

The only female Member of Parliament to emerge from Vanuatu's national election last month wasted no time in announcing her presence on the national stage. Only days after electoral officials confirmed Marie Louise Milne's election win — dispelling initial fears of a return to an all-male parliament — she called publicly for a ministry in its next government. "A woman too has her place [at] the table at the national level," she told the ABC.

Feb 4, 2025 | abc.net.au | Doug Dingwall

Fijian MP Lynda Tabuya will remain in parliament after her party decided not to expel her over an explicit video of her that circulated online. The decision follows her dismissal in December as minister for women, children and social protection by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, soon after local media reported the existence of the video. Ms Tabuya has said the private video was meant for her husband and that its circulation online was a criminal invasion of privacy.

Jan 22, 2025 | abc.net.au | Doug Dingwall

Soon after Donald Trump's election victory in November, a leader from one of the world's smallest nations voiced a hope to take him snorkelling. Palau's president Surangel Whipps Jr, leading a Pacific Island nation of 18,000 people, told New Zealand's public broadcaster RNZ he'd like Mr Trump to see the coral bleaching on its reefs caused by climate change. "That would be a fantastic opportunity to take him snorkelling and see the impacts," Mr Whipps said.

Jan 20, 2025 | pina.com.fj | Doug Dingwall

By Doug Dingwall and Vanuatu reporter Leah Lowonbu in Port VilaDressmaker Jenny Banga is busy trying to put food on the table after the deadly magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck Vanuatu last month. While the capital Port Vila’s CBD is closed and surveyors assess building damage, her shop is off-limits. Ahead of national elections Thursday, her mind is on other things than politics, as she tries sewing and selling dresses in a new location outside the city centre.

Jan 15, 2025 | abc.net.au | Doug Dingwall |Leah Lowonbu

Dressmaker Jenny Banga is busy trying to put food on the table after the deadly magnitude-7.3 earthquake that struck Vanuatu last month. While the capital Port Vila's CBD is closed and surveyors assess building damage, her shop is off-limits. Ahead of national elections today, her mind is on other things than politics, as she tries sewing and selling dresses in a new location outside the city centre. "I'm focusing on finding a place to earn an income," Ms Banga said.