A new coalition of Australia’s top foreign policy experts is calling on the Morrison government to increase its diplomacy and foreign aid budget auspol
A new coalition of Australia’s top foreign policy experts is calling on the Morrison government to increase its diplomacy and foreign aid budget to ensure the country doesn’t become irrelevant in the Asia-Pacific region.
Other developed countries with comparable economies are spending significantly more, including Canada, which spends 1.9 per cent of its budget on diplomacy and aid, and the Netherlands, which spends 4.3 per cent. “But we’re cutting expenditure on all the tools we need to do that effectively – diplomacy, aid and soft power,” Mr Gyngell told"Measured against our national wealth, we have never spent less on aid, and, as the Lowy Institute Global Diplomacy Index shows, we’re well outpointed on diplomacy by much smaller states.
“Pakistan is a great example – development was essentially the main part of the relationship. It has left us with very little influence with Pakistan,” she said.Australian Council for International Development chief executive Marc Purcell said Australia had a choice whether it wanted “greater influence with Asian countries or to fade in relevance”.
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