Gone backward: Findings from the 2016 Australian aid transparency audit

This report summarises the findings of the 2016 audit of transparency in the Australian aid program at the project level. The audit is based on the publication of information on the DFAT website about Australian aid-funded projects in 27 countries, and replicates a similar audit conducted in 2013. The data show that overall transparency has declined, with the average availability of preliminary project information declining by almost 25 percentage points since 2013, and average availability of project-level documentation declining by six percentage points. However, the availability of reviews and evaluations has improved, and transparency scores for particular countries have significantly improved. The report makes a number of recommendations related to strengthening aid transparency.