December 2006 in Oceania

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Ongoing
Cole Inquiry 2005 New Zealand election funding controversy
Recent
December 21: Shane Warne announces his retirement
Recent deaths
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December 1, 2006 (Friday) Attorney-General of New Zealand Michael Cullen overrules an arrest warrant issued by a District Court judge against former Israeli general Moshe Ya'alon for war crimes arising from his role in the 2002 assassination of a suspected Hamas commander. (NZ Herald) Kim Beazley calls a spill of the leadership of the Federal Australian Labor Party for Monday with growing speculation of a challenge from Kevin Rudd, Opposition spokesman on foreign affairs. (Melbourne Herald Sun) Fijian military commander Frank Bainimarama says he intends to begin a "clean up" campaign of Government now that his deadline has passed. Laisenia Qarase, the Prime Minister of Fiji, has advised that he has been given a new deadline of noon on Monday.(NZ Herald) (ABC News Australia) December 2, 2006 (Saturday) Frank Bainimarama announces that he has taken control of Fiji. (NZ Herald) December 4, 2006 (Monday) Kevin Rudd is elected as the new leader of the Federal Australian Labor Party with the caucus electing him by 49 votes to 39 votes for Kim Beazley. Julia Gillard is the new deputy leader. (Melbourne Age) Fijian troops take over the headquarters of the armed police division, in an escalation of the 2006 Fijian coup d'état. (NZ Herald) Susan Wood resigns as a presenter for Television New Zealand due to continuing health concerns. (NZ Herald) The Copyright (New Technologies and Performers' Rights) Amendment Bill, is introduced to update copyright laws due to the development and adoption of new technologies. (NZ Parliament) December 5, 2006 (Tuesday) The Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase warned that Fiji faces the imminent threat of a coup as troops reportedly surround his complex. Later, Fiji's military commander Frank Bainimarama confirmed that the military was in control of the country while the Foreign Minister of Australia Alexander Downer warned that Fiji would face international sanctions. (BBC) (ABC) December 6, 2006 (Wednesday) Australia's Federal Parliament passes the Therapeutic Cloning Bill, which allows researchers to clone embryos using donor eggs and extract stem cells for medical research. (The Age) 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Fijian military Commodore Frank Bainimarama, the leader of the coup, usurps Ratu Josefa Iloilo as President of Fiji. He promises to ask the Great Council of Chiefs to reappoint Iloilo to the office in one week's time. (The NZ Herald) Bainimarama appoints Jona Senilagakali as interim Prime Minister of Fiji. (Fiji Times) The Fijian military deports deposed Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase to his home island in the remote Lau Group. The military has also arrested senior Government officials. (Sydney Morning Herald) The Fiji Times resumes publication after the military promises to refrain from further attempts at press censorship. (Fiji Times) Editors immediately blast the coup as illegal. (Fiji Times) The United Kingdom joins the United States, Australia and New Zealand in halting defence foreign aid. (Fiji Times) Bainimarama fires Fiji police commissioner Moses Driver, who had declared that the Fiji Police will stand up to the Fiji Military. Bainimarama warned against a popular uprising against the coup. (CNN) December 7, 2006 (Thursday) Seven towns are under immediate threat from bushfires in Gippsland in the Australian state of Victoria. (Reuters) 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Fiji's Great Council of Chiefs condemns the coup d'état and calls on coup leader Frank Bainimarama to stop his activities. It refuses to meet with him. (ABC News Australia) Jona Senilagakali, the newly installed Prime Minister of Fiji, conceded the coup had been "illegal" but it was "an illegal takeover to clean up the mess of a much bigger illegal activity of the previous government." (BBC) Claims are being made that the military may attempt to arrest Ratu Ovini Bokini, Chairman of the Great Council of Chiefs. Around 300 villagers have surrounded his compound in Tavua District, Fiji to defend him. (Fiji Times) December 8, 2006 (Friday) Two women win seats in the Isabel provincial elections in the Solomon Islands, increasing the female representation in provincial seats to three, but there are none in the national government. (Radio NZ) The Opposition claims that TVNZ showed bias in the recent Fiji coup. (wikinews) Bushfires in the Australian state of Victoria threaten at least six townships in the Gippsland region with extreme weather conditions over the weekend expected to increase the danger. The Victorian Department of Education closes 24 schools due to threat of fire. (AP via Houston Chronicle) 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Fiji is suspended from the Commonwealth of Nations following a meeting of Commonwealth foreign ministers in London. (BBC) Former Prime Minister of Fiji Laisenia Qarase warns that Fijians are planning a campaign of civil disobedience against the regime of Commodore Frank Bainimarama. (AFP via ABC Online) December 9, 2006 (Saturday) 2006 Fijian coup d'état: Media reports that gunfire had been heard near military barracks in Suva have been dismissed as being mistaken identification of a game of cricket. (AFP via OptusNet) The three-day Oceania Grand Prix opens in Ba Province, Fiji. The event is organised by the Oceania Athletic Association. (Pacific Magazine) The Assembly of French Polynesia adopts a 2007 budget after a month of stormy debate, with many line items passing by a single vote. (Pacific Magazine) December 11, 2006 (Monday) Former Prime Minister of Fiji Sitiveni Rabuka is cleared of two charges of mutiny in relation to the mutinies of the 2000 Fijian coup d'état. (ABC News Australia) December 13, 2006 (Wednesday) French Polynesian President Oscar Temaru loses a vote of no confidence, after months of protests against the high cost of living. New presidential elections will be held on December 21. (ABC) December 14, 2006 (Thursday) A United Nations report says children in five Pacific Island countries are at a high risk of sexual abuse. (NZ Herald) December 22, 2006 (Friday) The sale of fireworks in New Zealand will be further restricted, with sales legal on only three days leading up to Guy Fawkes Night, and they will be sold only to people over 18. (NZ Herald) The Great Council of Chiefs in Fiji calls on Laisenia Qarase to resign so that the country can move forward. (Radio New Zealand) The Honolulu City Council approves a mass transit system which may cost more than US$5 billion. (Honolulu Advertiser) December 26, 2006 (Tuesday) Gaston Tong Sang, the mayor of Bora-Bora and leader of the Tahoera'a Huiraatira Party, is elected President of French Polynesia. (NZ Herald) December 27, 2006 (Wednesday) The Solomon Islands bans its Police Commissioner, Shane Castles, from returning to the country. The ban is believed to be related to the case of Julian Moti. (BBC) December 29, 2006 (Friday) Australian Prime Minister John Howard releases a report on uranium mining and nuclear energy saying "Nuclear power is part of the solution both to Australia's energy and climate change challenges". (Sydney Morning Herald)