One of us heard Helen Hughes (an Australian academic) being interviewed on radio the other day. She was talking about the fact that Nauru has ceased to be viable, that is was essentially a faailed state surviving only on handouts from Australia and Taiwan. She suggested that the best way forward was for Australia to offer Nauru the opportunity to enter into free-association with Australia. We couldn't track down an easy means to point readers to a sound version of this interview but we have found a recent article from Hughes that covers similar ground.
But Nauru could negotiate an association status with Australia that would give its people access to work and residence in Australia. Aid would immediately be focused on education, perhaps including the technical college sought by Nauru's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Kieren Keke, so that Nauruans could opt for permanent employment in and hence emigration to Australia.
Hughes said on radio that the opposition to this ideaa comes from Australian officials, particularly those in DFAT who seem to think that the UN wouldn't like such a development.
This seems to be so similar to the Tokelau situaation, where the people have twice said that they don't want change, but NZ officials keep trying to persuade them to move to independence. Why? So that they look good in the United Nations.
Thanks to Radio NZ for drawing this story to our attention.
