On Saturday, Tony Abbott declared Australia “under new management” after he led the Coalition — a center-right political alliance — to a resounding election victory over Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the six-year Labor government. Elected on a pledge to return the budget to surplus, Abbott is expected to be sworn in as prime minister early next week.
As Labor prepares to turn over the keys to the Australian Agency for International Development to the spending-wary Coalition, Australian aid groups fear that the heady days of growth and expansion for Canberra’s now more than AU$5 billion ($4.6 billion) aid program may be over.
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About the author
Lorenzo Piccio@lorenzopiccio
Lorenzo is a contributing analyst for Devex. Previously Devex's senior analyst for development finance in Manila, he is currently an MA candidate in international economics and international development at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. Lorenzo holds a bachelor's degree in government and social studies from Wesleyan University.