“One of the widest gaps in the developed world” – Experts warn imbalance poses security risks as global crises grow.

Australia is now spending ten times more on defence than on aid, according to new data modelling from the Australian National University’s Development Policy Centre, released today as part of the Safer World for All campaign.

Australia’s aid investment has fallen to just 0.68% of the federal budget, down from 1.12% under Prime Minister John Howard — the very leader Opposition Leader Peter Dutton described last week as his greatest foreign policy influence. This comes at a time of escalating global need, intensifying climate threats, and increasing geostrategic competition in the Indo-Pacific.

New ANU projections show that if defence spending were to increase to 2.5% of GDP by 2029–30 — without a real increase in aid — Australia’s defence-to-aid ratio would rise to 16:1, more than double what it was at the height of the Vietnam War.

If defence spending were to rise even further to 3% of GDP — as advocated by the Trump Administration and backed by some leading defence voices in Australia — the gap would widen to a record 19:1.

“This is one of the widest aid-to-defence gaps in the developed world,” said Tim Costello, spokesperson for the Safer World For All campaign.

“It was Trump’s own former Defence Secretary, General James ‘Mad Dog’ Mattis, who warned: ‘If you’re going to cut money on diplomacy and aid, you better buy me more bullets.’ That’s because real security requires more than just military power — it requires stability, trust, and reliable partnership. That’s why we must invest in aid, not let it slip further behind.”

This Tuesday, key voices from politics, security and faith will gather at Parliament House to urge Australia’s leaders to affirm their commitment to maintaining and building upon the aid budget, before the gap widens further.

Media Resources

Journalists can access the full package of research—including:

ANU data and modelling
RedBridge Research on Public Attitudes to Australian Aid
Campaign Policy Proposal for Australia’s Official Development Assistance to reach 1% of Federal Budget
Australian Church leaders’ letter
Key stats and graphics-ready data
📁 Google Drive folder: Media Folder

For more information or to arrange an interview please contact SWFA Media at  0401 721 064.