IDCC WELCOMES STABILISATION OF THE AID BUDGET AND FUNDING FOR DEVELOPMENT CAPABILITY
IDCC REACTION TO THE MAY 2023 BUDGET
The international development budget announced by the Government last night puts Australian aid back on the right path. The IDCC is pleased to see the budget commitments announced in October 2022 now reflected in DFAT’s ODA allocations, along with a commitment to incremental increases in future years.
The IDCC especially welcomes the government’s commitment of $36.8million over four years to support enhanced development capability within DFAT. Joanne Choe, Chair of the IDCC Board, said:
“this investment in enhancing development capability is critical to bolstering and ensuring the ongoing relevance and effectiveness of Australia’s Development cooperation in the region”.
The IDCC has previously commended Government policy commitments on gender equality and now looks forward to engaging on the new strategies that have been announced for Gender Equality, Disability Inclusion, and LGBTQIA+ human rights. We also await the Performance and Delivery Framework that will accompany the Development Policy and include important signals on how the Government will implement approaches to locally-led development and First Nations participation in development.
We note the Government’s projected commitment to increase the aid budget by 2.5% for ten years beyond the forward estimates. While this longer-term planning provides welcome stability for our sector, these nominal improvements could also mean a general decline in Australia’s ODA/GNI ratio over the period. We encourage the Government to consider ensuring Australia is viewed as a more generous supporter of international development than current predictions suggest.
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Enquiries to Jane Haycock, CEO IDCC, jane.haycock@idcc.org.au
International Development Contractors Community (IDCC) is the formal peak body representing international development consultants and contractors working with the Australian aid program. IDCC members have enduring partnerships with actors in the region borne from working together to deliver effective development assistance.