Graeme Dobell

1 month ago | insidestory.org.au | Hamish McDonald |Graeme Dobell

The Melanesian arc running from New Guinea to Fiji is also an arc across Australia, the geography loaded with history and strategic weight. Australia’s life in Melanesia is studded with dreams and dreads that occasionally burst through a fog of forgetfulness. Australia wants an intimate relationship with Melanesia — an influence that serves interests — but no longer makes the ownership claims of an era when the mindset was imperial and the aim colonial.