Australia’s new prime minister, Anthony Albanese, was sworn in Monday after the country elected its first Labor government in nearly a decade.
Albanese and new Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong have immediately put Australian aid on the agenda as they head to the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue summit in Tokyo, announcing an investment of 470 million Australian dollars ($330 million) for Southeast Asia, along with a new office within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to prioritize program delivery and engagement with the region.
In the lead-up to the election, Wong and Pat Conroy, then shadow minister for international development and the Pacific, announced other planned changes to Australia’s aid program, including a funding increase of AU$525 million for the Pacific region over the next four years.