Foreign Affairs and Trade
Increasing overseas aid — delivering on the Aid White Paper
The Government is increasing the level and effectiveness of Australia’s overseas aid to reduce poverty, improve health and education and promote stability in our region. In 2007-08 the Government will provide around $3.2 billion in development assistance, a doubling of assistance in the last decade.
This expenditure will be guided by the Government’s Aid White Paper, Australian Aid: Promoting Growth and Stability, which sets out the strategic direction and priorities for future Australian development assistance. Sustainable economic growth is the best way to permanently lift people out of poverty. Australian assistance will therefore focus on promoting sustainable economic growth in the Asia-Pacific region, which is home to a number of developing countries.
The 2007-08 Budget provides $2.6 billion of new initiatives over four years and is a major step in implementing the Aid White Paper and the Government’s goal to increase development assistance to about $4 billion a year by 2010. The new initiatives focus on supporting the key drivers of sustainable economic growth ― investing in people, infrastructure, environmental management and policy reform. It is expected from 2008-09 to 2010-11 development assistance will amount to around $3.5 billion, $3.8 billion and $4.3 billion respectively.



