Development Policy Centre Podcast

This special episode is a joint production of the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre, the Australian Council for International Development, the International Development Contractors Community and the Safer World for All Campaign. The episode opens with Minister Pat Conroy outlining Labor’s record and vision for Australia’s international development program. He highlights the government’s significant increases to the Official Development Assistance (ODA) budget, surpassing $5 billion for the first time in over a decade, and emphasises reforms to policy performance, gender equality, disability inclusion, and transparency. Conroy frames Australia’s aid as both a moral obligation and a matter of national interest, particularly as other donors withdraw from the region. He points to the importance of partner-led approaches, long-term indexation of the aid budget, and new mechanisms such as the Australian Development Investments vehicle. On humanitarian funding, Conroy acknowledges rising glo