Independent evaluation lost as DFAT 'adjusts' its structure

CANBERRA — Drawing outcry from Australia’s development sector, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Wednesday it had restructured the Office of Development Effectiveness so that the watchdog was no longer an independent body. It is a move that means the aid oversight office has essentially been disbanded.

Established in 2006 to review and make recommendations on the Australian aid program, ODE operated as an independent monitor, even after the former AusAid merged with DFAT in 2013. The body played a key role in monitoring program effectiveness. But during an inquiry into the implications of the pandemic for Australia’s foreign affairs, defense, and trade.

DFAT confirmed on Sept. 16 that its independence had been removed as part of a “refreshed approach” to monitoring and evaluation in response to COVID-19. Kathy Klugman, deputy secretary of the DFAT Global Cooperation, Development and Partnerships Group, told the inquiry the core functions of ODE will “henceforth be carried out through the Office of the Chief Economist” and its aid and contracting division.