The Hon Dr Anne Aly, Australia’s Minister for International Development, tells us why Australia is serious about transparency and accountability and why it is participating in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index.

Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade was one of the first agencies to sign up to participate in the 2026 Aid Transparency Index. This early participation reflects the Australian Government’s renewed focus on transparency and accountability, set out in its 2023 International Development Policy. Released alongside the Policy, Australia’s Development Performance and Delivery Framework also included the Aid Transparency Index as an indicator for measuring transparency performance.

While Australia’s 2024 Aid Transparency Index result highlighted significant scope for improvement, recent reforms demonstrate a clear shift in approach. Since the release of the Policy, Australia has resumed publication of its data to the International Aid Transparency Initiative, published Development Partnership Plans, and launched AusDevPortal to provide easier access to information on Australian Government development investments.

Dr Anne Aly, Australia’s Minister for International Development, explained what drove these changes:

“Transparency sits at the heart of Australia’s International Development Policy. When the Australian Government released the Policy in 2023, we made a clear commitment to rebuild transparency and accountability across the program.

That matters because good intentions are not enough. We need to know what is working, be honest about what isn’t and use that information to improve.

Together, these changes make it easier to follow the story from an Australian Government-funded investment to a real outcome in a community. They help us make better decisions and build trust with our partners and the Australian public about the impact of Australian Government development investments, and where we can improve.

Everyone, from the Australian people, the countries we partner with across the region, and the communities and individuals our development programs support, should all be able to see how Australia’s development funding is being used and the difference it is making.”

“When development budgets are under pressure, every dollar must work harder and people rightly want to know what we are achieving. Pressure makes transparency more important, not less.”

Dr Anne Aly

Publish What You Fund has collaborated with Australia through the Aid Transparency Index for over a decade. The new accreditation model introduced for 2026 allows us to collaborate once again, providing more feedback, giving access to training and peer support, and recognising Australia’s commitment to aid transparency. And it also means Australia is subjecting itself to public scrutiny. Dr Aly explained why:

“The Australian Government believes transparency gets better results for people and communities. We signed up to the Aid Transparency Index because we are willing to put our work under the microscope. We want to learn from others, listen to feedback and improve the information we share.

The Index gives us an independent view of whether our information is timely, complete and, most importantly, useful. There is no point publishing a mountain of data if people can’t find it, understand it or use it.

The process has also encouraged us to better demonstrate how Australian Government development funding is being invested, who we are partnering with, and the tangible outcomes being achieved.

For Australia, participation is a chance to prove that we are serious about transparency and accountability, while staying curious about what we can learn from others.”

The Index has been shown to drive improvements in aid transparency, and the detailed feedback and recommendations it provides to agencies has improved the quality and quantity of information that’s now publicly accessible. Dr Aly agrees that improving the usefulness and availability of their aid data is a key motivation for participating in the Index. So what are they hoping to achieve through the Index?

“Success means a community leader in the Pacific, a researcher, an Australian taxpayer or a development partner can find clear information on what we are doing with Australian Government-funded development activities, and the results those investments are delivering, without needing to be a data expert.

Of course, we would welcome a strong result. But the real prize is greater trust between Government and the Australian people, stronger collaboration between Australia and our partners, and better outcomes for the people and communities where we are delivering our development program.”

In the current climate of global aid cuts, priorities can shift quickly and for some, transparency might feel less important. But Dr Aly asserts that Australia remains firmly committed:

“When development budgets are under pressure, every dollar must work harder and people rightly want to know what we are achieving. Pressure makes transparency more important, not less.

Governments need to tell a clear story about what the challenge is, why we chose to act, and what difference that investment made.

For Australia, that means being open about our choices, focused on results and clear with our partners about what we have committed to do.

Good information also helps countries and development partners coordinate, rather than duplicate effort or leave gaps.

Transparency will not solve the global financing challenge on its own, but it can help make sure scarce resources are used well, and governments are accountable for the promises they make.”

The Hon Dr Anne Aly MP is Australia’s Minister for International Development, Minister for Multicultural Affairs, and Minister for Small Business.

The results of the 2026 Aid Transparency Index will be launched on 4^th November 2026. Register here to join the launch.

You can find out how to sign up for the 2028 Aid Transparency Index in our information pack.