Australia Portfolio Budget Statements, Foreign Affairs and Trade Portfolio 2014-2015

The budget for Foreign Affairs and Trade is submitted to the Australian Parliament by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Trade and Investment. The purpose of this budget is to inform legislators of proposed resource allocations for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), the Australian Trade Commission (Austrade), the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR), and the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS), and Tourism Australia.

Official development assistance goals outlined in the budget are to reduce poverty, to improve living standards through sustainable economic growth, to provide humanitarian and emergency assistance, and to contribute to the funding of non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The DFAT budget for 2014-2015 also includes the absorption of the expenses for the Australian Aid Programme (AusAID),the development arm of the government. On November 1, 2013, this formerly independent agency became part of DFAT.