Policy Updates

On August 8, 2023, Australia Minister for Foreign Affairs Penny Wong and Minister for International Development and the Pacific Pat Conroy released Australia’s new international development policy.

The announcement marked the first new major development policy statement for a decade. Australia committed in particular to a strong climate change focus and emphasized social inclusion, locally-led development and gender equality. The new policy is focused on a peaceful, stable, and prosperous Indo-Pacific. Other regions were addressed infrequently.

The policy also recognized the importance of incorporating First Nation leadership and input into the development program for the first time.

Specific announcements within the policy included a new Civil Society Partnerships Fund to increase the strength of civil society. A new long-term target introduced the goal of ensuring that 80% of new programs with a budget over AUD3 million (US$2 million) include a climate change objective.

Australia also recommitted to its focus on the SDGs. However, the policy document contained no concrete indication of future aid volume.

Civil society generally welcomed the new development policy, but experts have voiced concerns on the lack of broader global objectives and specific measures on poverty.

During the IAS World AIDS Science Conference, held in Brisbane, Australia from July 23-26, 2023, Australian Immigration Minister Andrew Giles indicated he was in discussion with Australian Health Minister Mark Butler and HIV experts on Australia’s current restrictions on HIV-positive migrants.

Giles indicated his concern that the current visa policy did not meet Australian community expectations.

Butler spoke at the opening session of the IAS conference and emphasized Australia’s current commitment of AUD266 million (US$181 million) for the latest Global Fund replenishment. He also stressed Australia’s progress in becoming the first country in East Asia and the Pacific likely to virtually eliminate local transmission of HIV.

Advocacy group Health Equity Matters pushed for a change in Australia’s visa policy during the conference.

The 12^th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science will take place from July 23 to 26, 2023.

The biennial conference, which will take place this year in Brisbane, Australia, focuses on advances in clinical, basic, and operational HIV/AIDS research. Virtual registration for the conference is also possible.

Featured speakers include former director of the US' National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases Anthony Fauci and Director-General of the WHO Tedros Ghebreyesus.

There will be supplementary events in addition to the main program. Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler will deliver opening remarks at an event concerning international HIV/AIDS success stories. Chair of the Global Fund Roslyn Morauta and Chair of the IAS Sharon Lenin will speak at an event regarding HIV/AIDS in Asia and the Pacific.

Australia has achieved success in moving towards its target of eliminating domestic HIV transmission in recent years.

On July 13, 2023, Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced that Australia will invest AUD13 million (US$9 million) to support access to safe and high-quality medicines in Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

The finance was intended to strengthen partnerships between regional governments and Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration.

Wong gave the example of Indonesia, where the initiative would focus on improving regulatory frameworks and address the problem of falsified and substandard medicines.

Wong stated that this initiative, built on work undertaken during the COVID-19 pandemic, was part of Australia’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region program.

On July 6, 2023, World Zoonoses Day, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Mark Shipp summarized efforts by Australia to help control rabies in its near region.

Australia’s Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has been working with Timor-Leste to maintain its rabies free status after rabies infections had emerged in parts of Indonesia’s West Timor. The Department has also provided four-year funding towards a regional rabies control initiative, focused on supporting the Indonesian government's rabies vaccination campaign for dogs on Bali.

Shipp also noted Australia's Pacific Engagement Program for Animal Health, which works closely with partner countries in the Pacific to assist them to maintain their rabies free status. He also reaffirmed Australia's supprot for the joint mission of the FAO, UNEP, WHO, and the World Organisation for Animal Health to eliminate global dog transmission of rabies by 2030.

On June 5, 2023, Australian Minister for Health and Aged Care Mark Butler announced a review of coordination of funding for medical and health research grants.

Australia provides more than AUD1.5 billion (US$980 million) in annual research funding through the Medical Research Future Fund and the Medical Research Endowment Account.\
While the funds have historically prioritized R&D of concern to Australians, some funding has been provided for global health issues, such as AMR and tuberculosis. In addition, the funds provided significant support for COVID-19 response.

Advocates hoped that a proportion of the MRFF funds would be allocated to global health.

Butler noted that consultations with stakeholders would be undertaken through webinars, written submissions, and roundtables.

In May 2023, the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre announced the dates of its annual series of conferences focusing on development, particularly in the Pacific region.

The 2023 Pacific was scheduled for June 13-14, 2023 in Fiji. It is co-hosted with the University of the South Pacific’s School of Accounting, Finance and Economics. The Update conference is a major forum for discussing economic, political, social, and environmental issues in the South Pacific.

The 2023 Papua New Guinea update was scheduled to be co-hosted with the School of Business and Public Policy at the University of Papua New Guinea on August 17-18, 2023, at the Waigani campus of the University of Papua New Guinea, Port Moresby. The conference was announced under the theme of resilient and diverse development, and the program topics included climate change, gender equality, health and the impact of COVID-19, and education.

The Development Policy Centre's annual 3-day Australasian AID Conference was scheduled for December 5-7, 2023 in Canberra, in partnership with The Asia Foundation.

From May 25-26, 2023, Australia will host the Global Malaria Congress in Melbourne.

Organized by Rotarians against Malaria, the Congress was planned to examine global progress on fighting malaria and the regional context in South Asia, the Western Pacific, Pacific Islands, and Africa. The event was organized under the theme "Finish the Fight."

The Congress is held in the context of malaria deaths increasing by 12% and cases increasing globally by 6% in 2021 due to disruptions from COVID-19, according to the WHO 2021 World Malaria Report.

With plenary sessions by a range of malaria experts and scientists, the program also includes the Chair of the Global Fund, Lady Rosalynn Mourata and Dr Sarthak Das, CEO of APLMA, the Asia-Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance. A government perspective will also be provided by a previous Australian Governor General, Sir Peter Cosgrove, in the closing plenary.

On May 18, 2023, Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong announced Australia’s ODA to the Philippines would rise to AUD90 million (US$60 million) in FY2023/24.

In addition, Wong announced that Australia would provide an additional AUD11 million to support the Philippines in strengthening its laboratory network and surveillance capacities, as well as establishing a new immunization information system. The pledge was intended to respond to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic to normal immunization programs.

On May 9, 2023, the Australian government allocated A$91 million (US$61 million) in its FY2022/23 budget to establish an Australian Centre For Disease Control.

Officials stated that the initial focus of the ACDC will be on infectious diseases, consolidating health data in Australia, and chronic diseases.

The announcement included plans for an interim ACDC, which will operate from January 1, 2024, within the Department of Health and Aged Care and will be headed by the Chief Medical Officer for the Commonwealth of Australia. Details as to the long-term structure of the ACDC were not included. However, the plan set the expectation that enabling legislation to establish the full ACDC is to be passed during 2024.

According to a report by the Department of Health and Aged Care on the consultation process on the establishment of the full ACDC, a majority of stakeholders indicated the ACDC could build leadership in the Asia-Pacific region. Respondents also saw the need for the ACDC to collaborate with international partners particularly in neighbouring countries.

Feedback from many stakeholders emphasized the importance of gathering intelligence on health threats and diseases, and adopting an epidemic information system such as those in WHO , the Gulf States CDC, and the US CDC. Stakeholders also expected the CDC to help improve epidemiological research in the Pacific region.