Devex: Is the Australian Aid budget being cut again?
“With a little over a month until the 2018 budget is released in Canberra on May 8, new concern has been raised that Australia’s aid budget may be reduced by 10 percent, or 400 million Australian dollars. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has been telling implementing partners — including NGOs — that internal modeling is investigating where the proposed cuts can be made, confirmed the Shadow Minister for International Development and the Pacific Senator Claire Moore. From the information being received, NGOs believe the aid program is once again at risk…” (Cornish, 3/29).

The Guardian: Save the Children deplores reports of Coalition $400m foreign aid cut
“…Fairfax Media reported on Wednesday that DFAT was modeling a number of scenarios, including a substantial reduction in aid to Southeast Asian nations that are considered to have reached ‘middle-income status.’ An alternative scenario, according to the Fairfax report, is for Australia to stop delivering aid in one whole sector, such as health. Australia’s foreign aid contribution, $3.9bn in 2017-18, is already its lowest on record, just 22 cents for every $100 of gross national income. … Save the Children’s director of public affairs and policy, Mat Tinkler, called on the prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, to rule out further cuts for developing countries…” (Hutchens, 3/28).