The Carteret Islands in the Pacific were the first place in the world to require population relocations due to climate change related sea level rises, with predictions they would be submerged by 2015.

However the islands are still there sitting roughly 90 kilometres from northern Bougainville, but only just — with a highest point of just 1.5 metres, the atolls are vulnerable to even slight sea level rises.

A little series on a big change in Kiribati. The Kiribati Te Boboto program with help from New Zealand @mfat_pacific has begun to transform domestic waste collection, meaning much cleaner beaches and a healthier environment

The 40-kilometre road that runs the length of South Tarawa in Kiribati is surprisingly busy: it will take more than an hour to travel its length, about half the time it took before it was paved a few years ago.

Travelling the length of any coral atoll can take a very long time, but travelling the width is rarely more than a few minutes' walk.

Two or three generations ago, village life generally involved less long- distance travel. Food was sourced or produced locally and needs were met within comparatively easy reach.

Many weekly activities now involve greater distances, as people travel further for work, education, health care and commerce: more families have one or even two vehicles, and in densely populated areas, there are a lot of vehicles on the road.

But there are also a lot of vehicles on the side of the road: thousands of broken-down cars, trucks, and buses take up front yards, open spaces and the beach.

Even when salvageable components have been stripped from an end- of-life vehicle, there remains a lot of unusable debris with very few suitable dumping places.

Oil and other toxic fluids seep into ground water, paint flakes and plastics enter the ecosystem.

The long-term impacts on health, especially for children, are dire.

It's a very similar situation in other atoll nations such as Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands, as well as smaller Pacific Island countries and territories.

There just isn't adequate space to dump cars out of sight, as the land area for some of the small atoll nations is tiny: Tuvalu is just 26 square kilometres.

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) acutely exemplify the challenges of hard waste management. The highly visible rubbish in densely populated small islands is confronting.

Desire and capacity to own a car are increasing, but they often don't last long here. Vehicles degrade rapidly in the highly corrosive and rough conditions of atolls and small islands.

Sophisticated service requirements can't be met in remote communities. Modern cars, often second-hand units from Japan, can have very short lives.

A repair that might require two hours and cost $500 in Australia could take two months and cost $2,000 on a remote island.

Vehicle wrecks make up a significant proportion of the hard waste on small islands, where it is cheaper to import a running vehicle than to get rid of a dead one, but they're not the only issue.

Demand for Western goods is strong, and businesses are only too happy to profit by importing vast amounts of product.

Freight traffic into the Pacific region is one-way when it comes to cargo, commodities and cars: shipping containers filled with products arrive, but there's very little commercial export from these islands.

Containers leave empty, or remain and become hard waste themselves.

There are some grounds for optimism: Pacific governments are increasingly engaging with the challenges of waste management, as the burden on limited landmasses becomes greater.

Problems are being acknowledged, causes identified, solutions sought and action taken.

Vastly improved collection services and modernised dumping sites are making tangible differences, and there are plans for a deposit system on cars that will help pay for their removal from the islands at the end of their life.

As education and awareness have increased, populations are more engaged in waste management activities such as sorting recyclables from general and organic waste.

Strong regional partnerships exist through the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), including the Moana Taka Partnership, a waste management project with shipping firm the China Navigation Company.

"The aim is to move non-commercial, recyclable waste, from the centre of the Pacific area, to the Pacific rim where it can be responsibly, competently and sustainably recycled," said Simon Bennett, General Manager of sustainable development at the China Navigation Company.

The Singapore-based company ships the waste away from the islands free of charge, helping address the long-standing issue of freight costs.

"It's not about space, it's about markets," SPREP pollution adviser Tony Talouli said.

The next step in the program is for a portable car crusher to be included on the same ship, that will then carry the crushed wrecks away.

The goal is to have a circular economy for the whole vehicle, not just the metal.

It would be hard to overstate the negative impact of waste on Pacific Island nations. Contamination severely damages fragile environments, while the destruction of beautiful landscapes also affects tourism.

But far more important are the effects on the communities themselves: island cultures are inextricably linked to their environments, not only for food and shelter.

"There's an impact in terms of our iconic marine species, that's a concern for us," SPREP's Director General Kosi Latu said.

More than 425 million people in the world have diabetes – estimated to increase to 629 million by 2045. Around 50% of cases remain undiagnosed, undermining efforts to manage the disease and its consequences. Low and middle-income countries account for 79% of the global diabetes burden yet most are not equipped to properly identify, treat and manage the disease and its consequences. Local diets once based on fresh fish, vegetables, fruit and nuts, now increasingly include impulsive intake of highly processed low grade foods. Instant noodles, sugary drinks, salty and oily snacks. Less than 10 percent of adults in Kiribati, Nauru, Marshall Islands, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands eat a sufficiently nutritious diet, while more than 60 percent are obese in American Samoa, Tokelau, Cook Islands and Tonga (according to the Secretariat of the Pacific Community). Around 12% of global health expenditure is directed to diabetes – over US$800 billion dollars annually yet every six seconds, a person dies from diabetes. In Fiji alone there are an average three amputations per day due to diabetes. The region is experiencing a dramatic increase in cases of vision loss and blindness and diabetic retinopathy ranks among the leading causes of visual impairment, overloading already stretched eye care services. The disease was uncommon a generation ago in most Pacific populations but the prevalence of diabetes has increased dramatically in recent years. Early detection, timely treatment and appropriate follow up can reduce the risk of severe vision loss by 95%. Organisations including The Fred Hollows Foundation New Zealand are working towards improving treatment for Diabetic Retinopathy treatment in the region.

21 April 2020.

(Updated 18 August 2020, 20 January 2021 and 13 March 2021)

There is a looming food security issue in Australia but a solution might be far closer than we think, if only the relevant authorities could agree on how to implement it.

At the start of the pandemic, the Federal Government moved to reassure citizens who were panic-buying food that there was no need to worry; our country apparently produced three times what we consumed. What wasn’t mentioned is that getting food from paddock to plate relies on workers from overseas. Due to curtailed international arrivals, the people we depend upon for our fresh produce will not be available in the near future. In the farm sector, Australia normally needs about 50,000 international workers at any one time to take jobs that domestic workers have traditionally shied away from. Most of us have heard about backpackers picking our fruit, but we are less aware of the Pacific Islanders whose labour supports the agriculture sector. They come for months at a time under the Seasonal Worker Programme (SWP) and Pacific Labour Scheme (PLS) taking up temporary residence across the country in the food bowls and agricultural areas. While many of us remain unaware of their importance, they are essential to Australia’s food supply.

As consumers, we demand produce at the lowest possible prices. That translates to very low (by national standards) wages for the fruit pickers. Harvesting jobs are unappealing to Australian workers, who won’t commit to three months living away from home in basic conditions for low income. The conditions are more appealing to backpackers with Working Holiday Maker (WHM) visas, who have factored the jobs into their travels and time schedules. Such visitors can plan their travels and work to earn their way around the country. For Pacific workers the key incentive is that the money from seasonal labour will provide for improved lifestyles back in their island nations. They can more easily commit to three, six or nine months work and are less troubled by basic living conditions given the long-term rewards. Many producers and farmers prefer long-term seasonal workers over backpackers, who are often keen to move on after a couple of weeks. Training up new arrivals slows down production dramatically. Regular visitors who stay for months and already have agricultural experience are a huge benefit.

The current version of the SWP for Pacific Island countries and Timor-Leste has existed since 2012 (after a four-year pilot program). About 35,000 work positions have since been filled, with each participant sending home an average AUD$9000 per visit. In their home countries, the money greatly benefits the family and community of the worker and therefore the whole region. Benefits include improved lifestyles, education and support for children, business opportunities for young adults, care for elderly parents, safer housing and transportation and better healthcare. 

Australia is experiencing a severe shortfall in seasonal worker numbers due to COVID-19 travel restrictions. Some Pacific Islanders already based in Australia have had their visas extended and are currently in high demand. Farmers, growers and other primary producers are struggling to find enough help. Without the necessary labour, crops are going to waste. The knock-on effects down the supply chain are significant. At stake is the agriculture sector’s ability to supply fresh produce for millions of consumers who rely on the industry to put food into shops.  

While a potential food security problem is clear, solutions are less so. Averting a crisis relies upon collaboration between federal and state authorities, as each is responsible for different parts of the process but they have been locked in a blame game for most of a year. Inadequate provisions have been made to increase worker numbers - a few thousand Pacific Islanders have been accommodated in Tasmania, the NT and Victoria - but it is widely acknowledged that the country is still about 25,000 workers short. There is little evidence of an adequate and timely resolution.


I took these concerns to Victorian Minister for Agriculture Mary-Anne Thomas who said: “Last harvest, pre-pandemic, the work was completed by approximately 20,000 workers, consisting of 3000 workers under the Pacific Islander Worker scheme, 13,000 international backpackers and 4000 local workers.” She blames the Federal Government’s tardiness to approve Pacific workers for the shortfall.

“I now urge the Commonwealth to fast-track approvals under the Pacific Mobility Scheme so farmers can get workers on-site rapidly – a process we’re advised will take up to four weeks despite Minister Littleproud (Federal Minister for Agriculture) saying he has 22,000 Pacific workers rubber stamped and ready to go,”
she said.

Federal Minister for Agriculture David Littleproud responded, pointing in turn to failure of state governments: “The Federal Government over the last 12 months has established a number of programs to not only allow the free movement of workers across Australia but also bring workers in from Pacific nations which state governments have refused to participate in any meaningful way,” he said. 

Only about 2600 of the available 26,000 workers available under the Pacific Labour Mobility scheme have been brought to Australia because the states refuse to undertake a specific quarantine program for them.

“The premiers have stated they want to control quarantine for workers but have failed to do anything meaningful about it. South Australia is the only state to sign on to the new in-country quarantine pilot that National Cabinet announced on March 5 despite continued whining from states for the federal government to do more to bring in seasonal workers. Federation has failed our farmers during this pandemic but ultimately we will all pay the price at the checkout” Mr Littleproud said.

In a counter response, Minister Thomas told me: “These are disappointing comments from Minister Littleproud - advocating for a national solution impacting our farmers is hardly ‘whining’. Minister Littleproud continually spruiked that 26,000 workers were rubber-stamped and ready to go once states had sorted a quarantine pathway. We now have that pathway in our deal with the Tasmanian Government to quarantine workers - now it’s time for the Federal Government to follow through with its repeated promises.”


Australian consumers are relying upon state and federal leaders to cooperate and solve problems. However, solutions seem tied up in red tape and administrative buck-passing. Pacific countries have very low COVID case numbers, but are struggling economically due to the lack of tourism and other revenue sources. Many people are ready and willing to travel to Australia, where they are desperately needed.

Maurice and Rien Silverstein own and operate a large orchard near Shepparton, Victoria. They rely upon both Pacific seasonal workers - for many years they have employed a team of Samoan men - as well as backpackers with WHM Visas. They predicted the looming crisis early last year.

“We face the strong possibilities that there won’t be enough people to pick all the apples in late April, May across the country especially Victoria and other states where there is no agreement to quarantine the workers when they arrive. As Pacific Islanders have such low COVID infection rates, why would these islanders need to be quarantined anyway? It is the responsibility of the Federal Government to let the pacific islanders into Australia as they are ready to go to work.”

I asked where they felt action was needed. Maurice and Rien responded: “The Federal Government is responsible for the immigration status of workers and they should in the very near future set up policies to allow WHM workers who have been immunised and want to come here from reciprocal status countries to come.”

“Meanwhile, the states should understand that workers from Pacific islands are not a risk as they don’t have COVID. Let the Pacific Islanders into Australia as they are ready to go to work without fuss. Two consecutive negative test results should be enough to clear them ready to work. Any necessary quarantine can surely be managed, with federal and state cooperation, near or at harvest areas.”

As producers, their advice to the Commonwealth: “Ease up on the red tape and resolve the issue of lack of staff in the federal offices assessing the applications that are being sent ready for processing.”

Uncertain about who will harvest their produce, farmers are likely to reduce their crops and stock numbers. Produce will fall and rot in orchards. If this happens, and there is a shortage of pickers, farm hands and other workers, then Australia may face severe food shortages in 2021 and possibly beyond. The bureaucratic bungling of a perfect solution should be of national concern.

I have a large range of Pacific region generic images available across a wide variety of subject matters, issues and topics. From day to day lifestyles to specific areas including climate change, hard waste management, health and wellbeing, agriculture, infrastructure, transport, industry, trade, food, fishing, vegetation, landscapes and many more. I have images from Countries and individual islands including Abaiang, Abemema, Bougainville, Butaritari, Carteret Islands, Chuuk, Efate, Federated States of Micronesia FSM, Fiji, Guam, Kiribati, Malekula, Nauru, Palau, Papua New Guinea PNG, Pohnpei, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Santo, Savusavu, Solomon Islands, Tanna, Tarawa, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Vava’u and Yap. Please contact me if you require images.

Thousands of mentally ill patients were being housed in Romania’s overcrowded state-run mental institutions in appalling conditions for decades. They were mistreated, heavily medicated, undernourished and very poorly housed with little regard to any standards of health or hygiene. Patients were routinely denied basic human rights and lost their dignity, autonomy, legal status and any hope of being represented or helped, let alone allowed to leave. Some recent reports have claimed that conditions have not significantly improved, or have reverted to lower standards after outside attention on the institutions ceased.

These images serve as a reminder of what can happen when the world is not watching, and can easily happen again. The collection does not include examples of the most unfortunate patients I witnessed.

The Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Trust was a charitable foundation established in 2012 with a mission to enrich the lives of people of all backgrounds across every Commonwealth country in honour of Her Majesty The Queen’s lifetime of Service to its citizens.

The Trust closed in January 2020 having successfully completed its time-limited programmes which achieved a significant, sustainable reduction in avoidable blindness.

Participation in local community activities is a cherished part of life across the world. Busy bee cleanups, garden projects and collectives, supporting local businesses, attending sporting or cultural events, and celebrating in a neighbourly and culturally diverse way is a vital part of a healthy and happy community. I worked for some 20 years with local newspapers in Perth, London, Belfast, and Melbourne and know well the far reaching value of community initiatives and endeavours. Connecting families, fostering new relationships and skills, promoting health, fitness and education are vital for a harmonious and inclusive world. Local councils and organisations are at the heart of a thriving community and I welcome opportunities to be a part of and contribute to activities through direct participation and with my photographic work. People doing inclusive, creative and beneficial things in their communities should be celebrated and promoted.