PB18 Allocation priorities for Australia’s 2017 aid budget

By Bob McMullan and Robin Davies

April 2017

With reference to two 2017 aid budget scenarios and our analysis of recent trends in the allocation of aid to purposes, we highlight areas in which there are emerging or longstanding gaps in Australia’s aid effort. We show that action in five such areas is possible in a constrained budget scenario: outward investment promotion, demining, public policy support, regional labour mobility, and medical research. We argue that in a scenario of aid growth, if only toward 0.3% of national income over four years, a larger share of Australia’s aid should flow to food and water security; the health, welfare and rights of women and girls; humanitarian aid; climate change and the environment; and multilateral development financing.

McMullan, B. & Davies, R. 2017, ‘Allocation priorities for Australia’s 2017 aid budget’, Policy Brief No. 18, Development Policy Centre, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University, Canberra.

Karen Downing

Karen Downing is Research Communications Coordinator at the Development Policy Centre.