Mary-Louise O’Callaghan began her professional life as a cadet journalist on the Age newspaper in her hometown of Melbourne. From 1983-1985 she was the Guardian’s stringer in China before returning to Australia and eventually focusing her career in the Pacific. Winner of three Walkley awards, she was Fairfax South Pacific Correspondent (1987-1995) before joining The Australian in the same role (1995-2004).

David Nolan is Senior Lecturer in Media and Communications. His work focuses on journalism studies and the changing role played by media in social and political relations. He recently led a Centre for Advancing Journalism research project focussing on the question of how media representations of Sudanese Australians might be improved.

His work has been published in numerous leading international journals, and he is also on the editorial board of the journal Communication, Politics and Culture.

Liam Fox has worked as a radio, television and video journalist for the ABC for 14 years. For five years from 2009 he was the ABC's Papua New Guinea correspondent based in Port Moresby and traveled extensively around the country covering everything from natural disasters to political turmoil to Australia's relationship with its former colony. Liam is now based in Melbourne and travels to Australia's other Pacific neighbours as the ABC's Pacific Affairs Reporter.

Jo Chandler is an award-winning freelance Australian journalist, author and editor. She has filed news and features from assignments across sub-Saharan Africa, Papua New Guinea, rural and remote Australia, Antarctica and Afghanistan. She has earned distinctions as an essayist, profile writer and narrative journalist, and is recognised across a range of specialty areas: science; environment; health; human rights; aid and development.

Jo teaches journalism at the University of Melbourne and is editor of The Citizen.

Stefan Armbruster is the Brisbane-based correspondent for SBS News and Current Affairs, reporting on Queensland and the Pacific.