CANBERRA — This November will be the seventh anniversary of the merger between AusAID and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, which aimed to enable greater integration of Australia’s aid program with wider foreign policy — including trade programs.
The merger occurred following the election of a Liberal coalition government headed by then-Prime Minister Tony Abbott. Headed by Julie Bishop, the foreign minister at the time, the new aid program focused on smarter spending and included a greater emphasis on innovation and engagement with the private sector. In 2017, a foreign policy white paper was released, seeking to reduce the geographic footprint of Australia’s aid program while concentrating on what it defined as the Indo-Pacific region.
Since Abbott, Australia has had two other prime ministers, a new foreign minister, and a range of ministers and assistant ministers for international development and the Pacific who have aimed to shape new directions for the aid program — with budget cuts and calls for Australian aid to benefit Australians at home as the main components.