2024-25 total Australian ODA [budget estimate]

$675.9 million

2023-24 total Australian ODA [budget estimate]

$643.3 million

2022-23 total Australian ODA [actual]

$682.1 million

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) leads the Australian Government's responses to international humanitarian crises.

Australia’s Humanitarian Policy outlines how Australia harnesses resources and expertise to better prepare for and respond to humanitarian crises, both in our region and across the world.

Australia has a proud history of humanitarian action. Our region – the Indo-Pacific – is where we have the most experience, where we have our strongest and deepest partnerships, and where our efforts make the biggest difference. We will continue to prioritise this region in our delivery of humanitarian assistance. 

However, we recognise that in an interconnected world, events occurring in other regions can impact our own. We will work globally, addressing humanitarian needs where they are most acute and we can make a tangible difference. The Humanitarian Policy fulfils a commitment under Australia’s International Development Policy. It connects to Australia’s development and foreign policy efforts to tackle poverty, address climate change, build resilience and work towards greater peace, stability and prosperity.

Australia’s humanitarian action has three priorities:

1. Build readiness and preparedness to support governments and communities to lessen the impact of crises and enable faster and more effective humanitarian responses.
2. Respond to crises and disasters and promote humanitarian action that meets the needs of crisis-affected populations and protects the most vulnerable.
3. Reinforce the international humanitarian system and work to take practical and actionable steps to strengthen adherence to international humanitarian law. 

To build resilience, Australia supports partner governments and communities to lead their own national adaptation and disaster risk reduction efforts. To respond effectively, Australia engages proactively in mechanisms to coordinate international humanitarian assistance, such as with Quad – India, Japan and the United States – and with France and New Zealand through the FRANZ partnership.

Australia works globally too, meeting humanitarian needs where they are most acute and strengthening the multilateral humanitarian system to take collective action underpinned by International Humanitarian Law and humanitarian principles. In responding to protracted crises, Australia provides long-term support to focus on humanitarian need and build resilience, including assisting governments and communities hosting displaced populations.

Why we offer assistance

Australia's humanitarian action is designed to save lives, alleviate suffering and build resilience during, and in the aftermath of, conflict, disasters and other humanitarian crises. Focussing on upholding human rights and human dignity, Australia’s assistance also aims to strengthen readiness and preparedness for future emergencies.

Across the world, humanitarian need is increasing. An ever-growing number of factors, such as climate change, economic uncertainty, health emergencies and conflict are both driving humanitarian need and making conditions to respond more complex. The gap between acute need and global response capacity continues to widen, and those who are the most at risk in these vulnerable situations suffer the most.

Under the new International Development Policy, Australia will increase investment in disaster and climate risk-informed development, all-hazards early warning systems, anticipatory action and shock-responsive social protection systems.

Where the impact of a disaster exceeds a country's capacity to respond, Australia stands ready to assist.

How we are helping

The nature of Australia’s response to crises will depend on the scale of the emergency and the needs of the affected population, while considering how Australia can add value to broader international efforts.

Effective preparedness and response, together with disaster risk reduction, build community and government resilience to crises.

Australia’s humanitarian assistance focuses on helping communities and governments prepare for and respond to disasters. This includes investing in inclusive, gender-responsive disaster risk reduction, an effective way of reducing the impact of a crisis, saving lives and limiting the economic costs of a disaster.

For more information see our page on disaster risk reduction.

In coordination with other Australian Government agencies, DFAT monitors the performance of the humanitarian program to maximise outcomes. This assessment, and the identification of lessons learned, is informed by findings of evaluations of humanitarian investments commissioned by DFAT or partners.

Independent evaluations of humanitarian programming focusing on high priority issues are published each year in accordance with DFAT's Development Evaluation Policy. These evaluations and management responses are available on the Humanitarian Monitoring and Evaluation page.

Providing assistance

The Australian Government has the capacity to rapidly deploy humanitarian assistance to countries when they ask for help during crises.

While Australia contributes to the international humanitarian system, including by adhering to global standards and principles, it brings a unique approach that is adaptable, flexible and heavily focused on building resilience.

Australia works closely with partner governments and humanitarian partners to ensure the support is practical and tailored to the most urgent needs. While supporting efforts globally, Australia’s focus remains firmly on the Indo-Pacific region.

Australia has a range of specialist capabilities to respond to humanitarian crises which can be grouped into three broad categories:

• Australian personnel deployed to provide humanitarian expertise.
• Lifesaving humanitarian relief supplies and logistics.
• Partnerships with local and international humanitarian organisations that have capacity to deliver support in line with Australia's humanitarian priorities.

Deployed personnel

The Australian Medical Assistance Team (AUSMAT) is a specialised medical response team of qualified professionals from Australian state and territory health services who provide emergency medical care in the aftermath of a disaster.

AUSMAT is structured to meet the health needs of disaster-affected communities. DFAT works closely with the Department of Health and Aged Care and the National Emergency Management Agency as well as state and territory governments to prepare and deploy AUSMAT specialists.

For example, as part of Australia's COVID-19 response in Papua New Guinea, AUSMAT medical specialists and logisticians supported PNG health authorities to prevent, detect and respond to the virus.

Disaster Assistance Response Teams (DART) provide a range of capabilities to save lives following disasters and help communities recover. The teams are drawn from Fire and Rescue New South Wales and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and can deploy quickly to conduct hazard response activities. The DART teams can also conduct damage assessments, structural assessments, manage hazardous material incidents, urban search and rescue missions and provide general emergency management assistance.

For example, following the earthquake in Türkiye 2023, Australia deployed an Urban Search and Rescue Team to conduct search and rescue activities in the affected areas, searching a total of 27 sites.

The Deployable Power Restoration capability is a specialist team of powerline technicians sourced from Essential Energy and Endeavour Energy. The team can deploy to the Pacific rapidly following an event, providing surge support to national powerline technicians in the affected country and restoring power as agreed with the affected government. The team can also assist in assessing needs of the impacted location and the development of additional response options.

For example, following Tropical Cyclones Kevin and Judy in Vanuatu in 2023, members of the Deployable Power Restoration capability were able to restore power at Port Vila airport, allowing overnight flights (including deliveries of life-saving assistance) to recommence.

DFAT maintains a pool of highly trained staff through its Crisis Response Team (CRT) who can be deployed overseas at short notice to support Australian diplomatic posts and/or partners in the field.

The CRT includes staff with high level expertise in humanitarian, consular, policy and technical responses who provide essential support in affected countries.

Relief supplies and logistics

Australia has stockpiles of relief items in Australia and overseas. This includes essential life-saving items, such as water purification tablets, shelter supplies, hygiene kits, mosquito nets and blankets.

Australia has the capacity to provide supplies within 48 hours of a request for assistance by a partner government. Where an emergency response requires other items, DFAT helps fast-track procurement so the right type of relief is provided quickly, ensuring value-for-money.

Australia maintains a standing agreement with an international logistics company to support all aspects of humanitarian logistics: procurement, freight and personnel. The Australian Defence Force also has capabilities and equipment that the Australian Government can draw on for major crises in the region.

The Pacific Humanitarian Warehousing Program (PHWP) is a Pacific-led, multi-country and multi-donor program that will support 14 Pacific countries and Timor-Leste to further develop disaster preparedness and resilience by building their national humanitarian warehousing capability.

Partnerships

Australia’s humanitarian partnerships, through their reach, leverage and specialisations, play a vital role in responding to disasters and crises, including in the Indo-Pacific region.

Australian Red Cross (ARC)

Australia is supporting humanitarian preparedness and action through a $50 million, five-year partnership (2019-2024) with the Australian Red Cross (ARC).

The ARC is one of Australia's most trusted and effective partners in disaster preparedness and response. It is also part of the largest humanitarian network in the world due to its links with the Red Cross Red Crescent Movement.

DFAT’s partnership with ARC focuses on the intersection of humanitarian response with cross-cutting priorities, including gender, protection, disability inclusion, emergency health and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH), disaster preparedness, climate resilience and anticipatory action.

The Australian Government’s multi-year funding support to the ARC is complemented by supplementary funding in response to sudden onset humanitarian crises. This funding helps alleviate suffering, supporting local communities and partner governments to lead their responses.

For example, through the ARC, the Australian Government supports national societies in Ukraine and surrounding countries to respond to people displaced and affected by conflict.

Australian Humanitarian Partnership

The Australian Humanitarian Partnership (AHP) is a strategic 10-year (2017-2027) partnership between DFAT and Australian non-government organisations (NGOs).

The AHP delivers effective, innovative and collaborative humanitarian assistance by allowing Australia to use its networks and access of Australian NGOs to respond to disasters and protracted crises in our region and beyond.

The AHP supports partner countries, local organisations and communities to prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and other humanitarian crises.

Through the AHP's Disaster READY program, $100 million is being invested from 2017-2027 to build the capacity of local organisations across the region to manage disasters more effectively.

DFAT has partnered with six peak Australian NGOs and their consortium partners to deliver on these priorities:

• CARE Australia
• Caritas Australia
• Oxfam Australia
• Plan International Australia
• Save the Children Australia
• World Vision Australia.

Australia Assists

The Australia Assists program is an Australian Government program, that deploys technical specialists to work with governments, multilateral agencies and communities to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters and conflict.

The seven-year, $94.7 million program enables the mobilisation and deployment of humanitarian specialists into geographic and thematic areas of priority in line with Australia's humanitarian responsibilities and national interests.

Australia Assists is currently trialling a new surge deployment modality, the Humanitarian Response Team (HRT) to assist the Australian Government to respond to sudden onset and emerging humanitarian needs. The modality was first operationalised in March 2023 in response to Tropical Cyclones Judy and Kevin in Vanuatu.

In FY2022/2023, Australia Assists deployed 116 specialists to 29 program partners in 37 countries across the Pacific, Asia, the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Australia Assists maintained, and in some areas accelerated progress against gender equality, disability inclusion and localisation targets.

Australia Assists draws from a roster of over 900 technical specialists, reflecting the skills and experience required in the multifaceted contexts of preparedness, response, and recovery.

International and multilateral partners

Australia provides ongoing humanitarian assistance through international and multilateral partners – including:

• World Food Programme (WFP)
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)
• United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
• United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
• United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);

More information: Multilateral Aid Effectiveness