It is Time for a New Regional Compact!

We outline the case for Australia to adopt a ‘New Regional Compact’ focusing on working with its Pacific Island neighbours and Timor-Leste through improved labour mobility and skilling as a complement to foreign aid and development assistance. We examine the distinctive context and evidence for this approach, related policy settings and possible ways forward. Embedded in this shift is a necessary move from a short-term focus on temporary migration, skills shortage, and limited-term aid programs, to long-term foundational policies that can be a permanent feature of Australia's policy ecosystem and that of its neighbours.