CANBERRA — Communication and engagement with the public on the Australian aid program has been in decline under the leadership of foreign minister Marise Payne, analysis by Devex has revealed.
Payne took over the role of foreign minister in August 2018 from Julie Bishop, who was appointed to the role after the coalition government came to power in September 2013. Under Bishop, some 8 media releases for the aid program were released monthly with a peak of 28 releases recorded in March 2018. Under Payne, this dropped by half, with a peak of 13 statements released in November 2019.
For the Australian aid program, this is a concerning trend. Visibility is an important part of ensuring that development assistance is understood by the public and valued by the government. With budgets under strain in response to COVID-19 and the unknown future impacts of the pandemic, it creates a risk that lack of value for communication could lead to cuts, either in programming or among staff administering the program at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade.