This forum, which was jointly organised by the Development Policy Centre and the Office of Development Effectiveness (ODE), was the latest in a series on the evaluation of Australian aid.

This event focused on the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s (DFAT’s) new aid evaluation policy and two recent evaluations.

Recently, DFAT has overhauled its approach to evaluation, with a new Aid Evaluation Policy and, for the first time, an Annual Aid Evaluation Plan – both available on the ODE website. The Head of ODE explained what these mean, and what difference they will make.

The $336 million, ten-year Eastern Indonesia Roads Improvement Program was one of Australia’s largest ever aid projects, and one of the most successful. This recent ODE evaluation assesses its results, and draws out the lessons for aid-funded infrastructure programs elsewhere.

Remote service delivery in PNG is always a challenge. But a recent evaluation of remote health patrols run by Australian Doctors International (ADI) in New Ireland from 2011 to 2015 suggests that this is a model that works. The evaluator discussed her findings, and the ADI Chief Executive Officer presented respond of ADI on the evaluator findings.

ODE is an operationally independent unit within DFAT that measures and reports on the effectiveness of the Australian aid program.

>> listen to podcast

Access presentations

• Aid Evaluation Policy and Annual Aid Evaluation Plan

By Penny Davis, Office of Development Effectiveness

• Investing in roads – lessons from the Eastern Indonesia, National Road Improvement Project

By Simon Ernst, Office of Development Effectiveness

• Evaluation of ADI’s New Ireland integrated patrol system over the period of 2011 to 2015 (video – currently unavailable)

By Klara Henderson, evaluation author