Earlier this week the Albanese Government released the 2024-25 Australian Federal Budget.
On the night we did a quick analysis of some of the key points, you can check out the slides below:
What does this mean?
Overall, the budget hasn’t changed much, a slight (4%) increase, with a couple of new measures.
In the scheme of the whole budget, ODA represents less that 1% (around 0.6%) of the budget:
A key aspect of the program is the regional splits, with the Pacific’s centrality to Australian Aid further progressing, crossing $2B in funding for the first time, and accounting for more than 40% of the ODA budget.
Perhaps the biggest change in this budget, is the reduction in health spending. Health had the largest drop across all the key sectors. While DFAT acknowledges this is partly due to timing of activities, the drop is also needed to fund increases in the Pacific.
Disappointly, both the Global NGO programming (i.e. ANCP) and the Humanitarian Fund remain static. During increased humanitarian need, this lack of growth will impact many civil society actors.
Outside ODA, there was additioanl funding for other programs and activites, including:
- Impact Investing received new measures and funding to enhance opportunities. While domestically focused, there is growing social enterprsies looking at impacting in regional communities.
- Australia‑France Centre of Excellence for the Indo‑Pacific, including the Indo‑Pacific Studies Program, to support academic and professional engagement on security and defence trends to shape policymaking to respond to Indo‑Pacific needs, and establishment of the France‑Australia Centre for Energy Transition to support regional climate goals
- Expansion of the Australia Awards program in the French Pacific territories
- $60.8 million in 2023–24 to expand Operation LILIA to provide Australian Defence Force logistics, security and enabling support for the 2023 Pacific Games and the 2024 Solomon Islands Joint Elections
- $160.4 million over four years from 2024–25 ($237.3 million from 2028–29 to 2033–34) for enhancement and expansion of property at Pacific posts to support a larger presence in the Pacific
- $14.0 million over two years from 2024–25 to establish a new grant program to support peacebuilding and peacekeeping activities by the United Nations and related institutions
Overall, for International Devleopment it wasn’t a bad budget, but far from a good budgt. Looks like the sector forecast well.
We are collating the sectors responses, check out this blog for more details.