FACTS:
- Australian foreign aid is currently at an all time low of 0.22% of Gross National Income (GNI).
- Since a 1970 General Assembly decision, Australia has been under an international obligation to secure an aid budget of 0.7% GNI, a standard which has been met by countries such as the UK.
- The vast majority of Australian foreign aid (90.1%) is directed towards our region, the Indo-Pacific, the largest benefactor being Papua New Guinea.
- In 2016, Australia was the 18th highest OECD donor as a percentage of GNI, with top contributors such as Norway reaching 1.1%.
- The Liberal government recently put a temporary freeze on foreign aid that will save it more than $300 million over the next few years.
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