The Australian Government has released its new development policy Australia's International Development Policy: For a peaceful, stable and prosperous Indo-Pacific. This policy, the first in almost 10 years, will inform Australia’s aid investments in health, climate change, gender equity, poverty, infrastructure and economic growth. With a regional focus on the Pacific and East Asia, it sets the development cooperation agenda and priorities for the long term.
We commend the government and all who contributed to this thoughtful, forward-looking blueprint for how Australia will constructively partner with and support countries in the region. Most notably, and rightly, the enormous challenges faced by a rapidly warming climate and changing environment have been placed front and centre in the policy. Increasingly, strategies, activities and engagements, no matter what their primary purpose, will need to embed this core issue in their design.
Burnet was one of many organisations to directly contribute to the development of this policy through individual and institutional submissions and discussions. We are pleased to note several of our recommendations, and those from the broader health and research community, being adopted in this new policy. We are also pleased to see our core values of equality, inclusiveness and diversity reflected in the policy.
POSITIVES
Central to Burnet’s work, the new policy identifies the impact of the pandemic has had on regional and national health systems. As we wrote in our submission, COVID-19 has provided an opportunity for countries to benefit from the capacity that has been built and lessons learnt during the pandemic for the long-term management and control of other priority diseases. The new policy reflects this and will “support efforts to prevent and manage the spread of disease, including for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria, and for non-communicable diseases and mental illness … expand(ed) universal health coverage, support for sexual and reproductive health and rights, and access to water, sanitation, and hygiene services.”
One of Burnet’s core recommendations to the review was to “recognise the Australian health and medical research sector contribution as one that helps transition poor health systems to resilient health systems”. The new policy recognises this, and other national strengths, and aims to “maximise the value of Australian expertise by expanding research funding and outlining a clear development research agenda; and deepen the partnerships between Australian institutions and the region, including through the reinvigorated Australia Awards Fellowships program”.
The policy outlines other key commitments aligned to our values, and Burnet 2030 of which we are fully supportive. These aim to:
- build more genuine and respectful partnerships, including by refreshing DFATs approach to country and regional plans
- increase climate investments by ensuring that, from 2024–25, at least half of all new bilateral and regional investments valued at more than $3 million will have a climate change objective
- support all people to fulfil their potential, including through new international strategies for gender equality, and disability equity and rights
- enhance support for gender equality by ensuring that 80 per cent of investments address gender equality effectively, and all new investments over $3 million include gender equality objectives
- provide multi-year funding and capacity development to local organisations, with support as needed to meet policy requirements
MORE WORK
As ACFID has noted, there is a lack of acknowledgement of the “unique needs of children and young people and LGBTQIA+ people”, particularly where these groups have distinct vulnerabilities and risks, and that previous government comments and language noting these needs is absent from the policy. There are also no tangible commitments to how this policy will address poverty, and how future programs will ensure that aid “reaches the people and communities who need it most”.
NEXT STEPS
We look forward to this policy progressing to real action so we can continue working towards a more equitable world through better health. For Burnet, this will predominantly rely on the creation of new country and regional Development Partnerships Plans (DPPs), which we anticipate will be the vehicle for turning the new policy into action. We look forward to supporting where we can engagement in these plans, particularly to ensure that no one is left behind.