The Australian Agency for International Development is slowly decreasing the number of consultants it hires for aid programs, according to new figures, which indicate compensation packages for long-term advisers have also been reduced.
There are 1,262 advisers working in AusAid programs as of June 30, 247 fewer than the total number of advisers 18 months earlier, MSN reports, citing an internal agency stocktake. Average packages for long-term advisers also dropped to 15,000 Australian dollars ($15,490) from AU$20,000, AusAID figures show.
Earlier this year, the Australian government outlined plans to reduce the number of consultants for its development programs following a review indicating its “over-reliance” on advisers.
Read more development aid news online, and subscribe to The Development Newswire to receive top international development headlines from the world’s leading donors, news sources and opinion leaders — emailed to you FREE every business day.