Natasha Turia

Dec 1, 2024 | devpolicy.org | Natasha Turia

For the lucky 3,000 or so from the nine Pacific countries and Timor-Leste who were randomly selected in a ballot process to apply for Australia’s Pacific Engagement Visa (PEV), the countdown to submit their visa applications by 12 December (17 December for Federated States of Micronesia and Palau) is fast approaching. The opportunity to start a new life in Australia is dependent on the primary applicant and/or legal partner or spouse’s ability to convince employers to employ them.

Sep 25, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Natasha Turia |Stephen Howes |Tejshri Shah |Jessica Collins

Australia has form for bold regulation. It was the first country to introduce plain packaging on cigarettes, a model exported globally. Tobacco companies took legal action and used obscure international treaties to try and force Australia to abandon plain packaging, but it was ultimately hailed a success. Now the government wants to enforce a minimum age for using social media.

Sep 23, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Natasha Turia |Stephen Howes |Gaurav Saini |Jessica Collins

Welcome to the Summit of the Future. I thank the co-facilitators, the former and current Presidents of the General Assembly, and all Member States, for their strong engagement, creativity, and spirit of compromise; and all my colleagues for their invaluable efforts over the past three years. We are here to bring multilateralism back from the brink.

Sep 21, 2024 | samoaobserver.ws | Natasha Turia |Stephen Howes |Tejshri Shah |Gaurav Saini

He is a teenager living on the streets in a town in Fiji and was recently confirmed as one of the new HIV cases. The 19-year-old was referred to Empower Pacific by a doctor at one of the divisional hospitals in the country for counselling. Like him, doctors have also referred some new HIV cases to the NGO, which focuses on providing counselling and social support services. Many of the new cases referred by doctors for counselling are youths living on the streets.

Sep 17, 2024 | thenational.com.pg | Natasha Turia |Stephen Howes

Notwithstanding uncertainty around 300 unallocated visas, and disappointing results in Palau and FSM, the first Pacific Engagement Visa ballot was a stand-out success.