(Anna Alexander – The Strategist) A greater emphasis on subnational diplomacy, particularly regional Australia’s links to the Pacific, presents a significant opportunity for Australia’s regional foreign policy. When Papua New Guinea’s Prime Minister James Marape met with Cairns Mayor Amy Eden in December 2025, the public focus was on the practical agenda: aviation links, labour mobility, sport, education and cultural exchange. Yet what is not often understood is the power that these relationships hold, and how deeply they are valued by our Pacific counterparts. Given the depth and breadth of those links, Australia would be wise not to rest on federal-government diplomacy alone in promoting its credibility and influence in the Pacific.
Subnational diplomacy underpins Australia’s Pacific engagement | The Strategist
