Passing through Port Moresby en route to my story on the West Papua border, The Guardian asked whether I might be able to get a one-on-one with the former PM, at that stage battling corruption allegations (again). Rather to my surprise, we met for breakfast. Rather to his surprise, I suspect, it got a bit … Continue reading
Author Archives: Jo Chandler
Slaughter in the village: A closer look at recent killings in Hela, PNG
Revisiting Tari, albeit long distance, for The Guardian. Recent killings of women and children in a village outside Tari deserve to be seen in the context of the spiralling social emergency playing out there. This plugs into the same issues wrote about in my long feature on PNG’s Resource Curse for The Monthly last year. … Continue reading
Dry At The Mouth: Witnessing the ecological collapse of The Coorong
I’ve hooked up with Dr David Paton’s annual summer surveys of the sublime Coorong area of South Australia several times over the years, most memorably taking my kids along as volunteers when they were small. They plucked tiny birds out of mist nets and weighed them, sifted the water for tiny larvae, released pygmy possums … Continue reading
The Butterfly Effect: Reportage from PNG for Griffith Review ‘Writing The Country’
This latest edition of Griffith Review is dedicated to nature writing, exploring a range of environments, investigating “how these places are changing and what they might become; what is flourishing and what is at risk”. It was a chance for me to reflect on the critical but complex business of conservation in PNG, visiting landscape, … Continue reading
Chasing butterflies, and what you find along the way: ABC RN’s Science Friction
My trip to PNG’s Managalas Plateau conservation area also yielded this radio documentary, produced in collaboration with ABC RN broadcaster extraordinaire Natasha Mitchell. While chasing the elusive and endangered Queen Alexandra Birdwing Butterfly, we explore the hardships facing so many forest-dwelling communities in PNG. Link here. (Image: (COPYRIGHT MUSEUMS VICTORIA; PHOTOGRAPHER BEN HEALLEY) Continue reading
Fighting a polio outbreak in Papua New Guinea: Story for The Lancet
When I went to Nigeria in April 2017 to research a story on the efforts there to stamp out polio, I couldn’t help but be grateful – and a bit mystified – that the disease had been absent so long from Papua New Guinea. With only a small proportion of the country having access to … Continue reading
Epidemic of corruption causing health emergency across PNG: New York Times
As a serial visitor and close observer of PNG, I’ve been tuned in to the growing distress and anger of health workers at the collapse of supply lines of basic medicines and equipment to hospitals and clinics right across the country. Social media has been churning with reports of desperate and often grieving families. All … Continue reading
En route to APEC2018, a tale of two roads: The Monthly
Today, world leaders gather in Port Moresby for the APEC Summit. It’s been a long and difficult road for the people of PNG. On a recent field trip, I took the road trip from a PNG village to APEC Haus. This is what I saw and heard. Link here to my story in The Monthly. Continue reading
Unprecedented fraud and violence ‘hijacked’ 2017 PNG Election: The Guardian
ANU’s Dr Nicole Haley has been closely observing and analysing national elections in PNG for the past three polls. Her soon-to-be published findings on last year’s election provide shattering reading. I filed this news story for The Guardian out of her presentation to the ANU State of the Pacific Conference. Those interested can find a link … Continue reading
Awards / Journalism / Prizes / Science
UNSW Bragg Prize for Science Writing
Thrilled to have been runner-up for the 2018 UNSW Bragg Prize for Science Writing. Congratulations to the winner, Andrew Leigh, and fellow runner-up Margaret Wertheim. Also to fellow shortlisters, Richard Guilliatt, Nick O’Malley and James Mitchell Crow. You can read more about the prize here. The shortlist is selected each year from Best Australian Science … Continue reading
Notebook & Narrative by Jo Chandler 