The role of foreign aid in Australia

Foreign aid is the assistance given from a developed nation to a developing country in the form of money, equipment, skills, advice and technical expertise. There are many reasons to which a developing country or even an already developed country may require international aid such as war, a natural disasters like we recently experienced in Melbourne with the fires, or humanitarian reasons like poverty.

Australia's international aid programs focuses on governance, health, education, agriculture, rural development and infrastructure. It is in Australia's best interest to help our neighbouring communities, especially those in which can offer us something in return.

Our international aid program focuses on the Asia pacific region as well as the poorest parts of East Asia and the Middle East. In fact according to the Australian bureau of statistics between 60% and 70% of all official aid given by the Australian Government goes to places within the Asia-Pacific region with the biggest recipient being Papua New Guinea.

Asian Development Bank members with Developing sta...

Asian Development Bank members

Map showing countries within the Asia-Pacific regi...

There are three main ways in which the foreign aid in the form of money can be administered. These are: bilateral aid which occurs when it is given directly from one government straight to another. Multilateral aid where the funds are transferred t hrough an international organisation. And the third way is through a non-government organisation.

The Australian Government's overseas aid program is administered by the Australian Agency for International Development or AusAID for short. The program provides funds and other forms of assistance to a number of developing countries in the Asia-Pacific region and across the globe. Australia's development assistance program focuses on the promotion of economic growth and good governance within the Asia-Pacific region. This agency is used as a bilateral way of giving aid.

Multilateral aid includes all forms of official development assistance provided by the governments...