DFAT indigenous peoples strategy 2015-2019: a framework for action

DFAT has developed a five-year Indigenous Peoples Strategy to align its work on issues affecting indigenous peoples across the foreign policy, aid, trade and corporate objectives for the department. Overview The Australian Government is committed to providing opportunities to assist indigenous peoples —both in Australia and overseas—to overcome social and economic disadvantages. Indigenous peoples make up only 5 per cent of the global population; however they make up 15 per cent of the world’s poor and about one-third of the world’s 900 million extremely poor rural people. Australia’s first peoples are one of the oldest continuous living cultures on Earth. The contribution of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to modern Australian society is an enormous part of what makes our country and who we are. The Australian Government is committed to better engagement with its Indigenous peoples to ensure policies and programmes improve their lives and opportunities across the country. Globally, Australia continues to be a strong advocate for the full and effective participation of indigenous peoples around the world in international matters which affect them. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is committed to ensuring that indigenous peoples benefit from its work. Through a network of 95 overseas posts in 77 countries, and in partnership with government and non-government organisations, business and community groups in Australia and overseas, DFAT leads the Australian Government’s efforts to: advance Australia’s security interests internationally open up new markets and create conditions for increased trade and investment to strengthen Australia’s economy and to create jobs lift living standards and reduce poverty in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond shape the regional and international environment and strengthen global cooperation in ways that advance Australia’s interests project a positive and contemporary image of Australia as a destination for business, investment, tourism and study provide high-quality passport and consular services to Australian citizens. DFAT has developed a five-year Indigenous Peoples Strategy to align its work on issues affecting indigenous peoples across the foreign policy, aid, trade and corporate objectives for the department. The Indigenous Peoples Strategy provides a framework for DFAT to work with its partners to advance and promote the wellbeing of indigenous peoples around the world, in line with Australia’s national interest. DFAT will use the strategy to manage for positive results and continual improvement in its work on issues affecting indigenous peoples. DFAT will assess and disseminate lessons from its work to contribute towards evidence and debate about issues affecting indigenous peoples, both in Australia and overseas. The strategy will be guided by four pillars to achieve this vision: DFAT will work with its partners to influence international policy to advance the interests of indigenous peoples in the international community. DFAT will strive to deliver international programs that improve outcomes for indigenous peoples. DFAT will encourage Indigenous Australians to apply for DFAT-funded opportunities to engage in and develop people-to-people links with the international community. DFAT will ensure an inclusive workplace culture across the department. DFAT’s Indigenous Taskforce is responsible for monitoring the overall implementation of the Indigenous Peoples Strategy. DFAT will conduct a mid-term review of the strategy in 2017 and a final review in 2020

Development for all 2015-2020: strategy for strengthening disability-inclusive development in Australia’s aid program

Disability-inclusive development is a priority for Australia’s international engagement. This strategy – Development for All 2015-2020: Strategy for strengthening disability-inclusive development in Australia’s aid program – responds to the agenda set out in DFAT’s development policy, and aims to promote improved quality of life of people with disabilities in developing countries. Ministerial foreword The Australian Government is committed to playing a leadership role internationally in disability-inclusive development to enable people with disabilities in developing countries to find pathways out of poverty and realise their full potential. Our development policy, Australian aid: promoting prosperity, reducing poverty, enhancing stability, confirms Australia’s commitment to expanding opportunities for people, businesses and communities as key to promoting economic growth and reducing poverty. It recognises that everyone is affected if the most disadvantaged people are left behind, and acknowledges that people with disabilities make up the largest and most disadvantaged minority in the world (comprising 1 in 7 of the global population). The Australian aid policy outlines our continuing commitment to including people with disabilities as participants in and beneficiaries of our aid program. Aid alone cannot solve development problems. Our partner governments need to lead in expanding opportunities for people with disabilities by developing and implementing strong policy and legislative frameworks and improving service delivery. And we recognise we need to tap into ideas from a wider range of sources, including the private sector, and leverage new kinds of partnerships. This new strategy—Development for All 2015–2020: Strategy for strengthening disability-inclusive development in Australia’s aid program—builds on experience in implementing the Australian Government’s first strategy for disability-inclusive development1, which helped establish Australia as a strong voice globally in this area. This strategy sets out how the Australian Government—in particular, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)—will strengthen its impact in promoting disability-inclusive development beyond 2015, with a particular focus on our region, the Indo-Pacific. Australia’s international advocacy, diplomatic efforts, and aid program investments will continue to make a major contribution to improving the quality of life for people with disabilities in developing countries with the objective that our development efforts leave no one behind

Composition of trade Australia 2014

The authoritative compendium of statistics on merchandise exports and imports, this publication analyses the growth, direction and commodity breakdown of Australia\u27s trade over the past three years. It also includes individual reports showing the composition of trade with Australia\u27s top 25 trading partners and selected country groups. Also included is a section on Australia\u27s trade in services

Investing in teachers

This evaluation compares evidence from the literature with Australia’s experience in supporting teacher development in a range of developing countries. It uses case studies to good effect in explaining choices made, the extent to which expectations were or were not met, and the lessons for future Australian assistance for teacher development. The evaluation found mixed results. In cooperation with governments and other donors, Australia has made positive contributions, such as improving teacher frameworks and curriculums, and training teachers through a range of interventions. However, there is room to improve—for example, in enhancing policy, strengthening analysis and negotiating new investments—so teacher education and training will result in better teaching and learning in schools. A significant limitation, acknowledged in this evaluation report, is insufficient attention to measuring learning outcomes. Follow-on evaluations involving the Office of Development Effectiveness are expected to help fill this gap

The costs and potential savings of a novel telepaediatric service in Queensland

BACKGROUND: There are few cost-minimisation studies in telemedicine. We have compared the actual costs of providing a telepaediatric service to the potential costs if patients had travelled to see the specialist in person. METHODS: In November 2000, we established a novel telepaediatric service for selected regional hospitals in Queensland. Instead of transferring patients to Brisbane, the majority of referrals to specialists in Brisbane were dealt with via videoconference. Since the service began, 1499 consultations have been conducted for a broad range of paediatric sub-specialities including burns, cardiology, child development, dermatology, diabetes, endocrinology, gastroenterology, nephrology, neurology, oncology, orthopaedics, paediatric surgery and psychiatry. RESULTS: During a five year period, the total cost of providing 1499 consultations through the telepaediatric service was A$955,996. The estimated potential cost of providing an outpatient service to the same number of patients at the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane was A$1,553,264; thus, telepaediatric services resulted in a net saving of approximately A$600,000 to the health service provider. CONCLUSION: Telepaediatrics was a cheaper method for the delivery of outpatient services when the workload exceeded 774 consultations. A sensitivity analysis showed that the threshold point was most sensitive to changes related to patient travel costs, coordinator salaries and videoconference equipment costs. The study showed substantial savings for the health department, mainly due to reduced costs associated with patient travel

Nation Branding, Cultural Relations and Cultural Diplomacy at Eurovision: Between Australia and Europe

This chapter explores Australia’s Eurovision history – and its ‘Asiavision’ future – as an articulation of the nation’s complex and ongoing relations with Europe. It considers the ideological dimensions of Eurovision’s own history and the impact this might have on the contest’s future in Asia. While Australia’s participation in Eurovision was tolerated as part of the sixtieth anniversary in 2015, its return performance in 2016 was greeted with some ambiguity, and even outright hostility. The announcement that an Australian broadcasting service (SBS), together with the European Broadcasting Union, would be collaborating on the establishment of a song contest for the Asia-Pacific region brought some commercial sense to the engagement, but also foregrounds a particular conceptualisation of Australia as a bridge between Europe and Asia

The tobacco industry’s challenges to standardised packaging : A comparative analysis of issue framing in public relations campaigns in four countries

Tobacco industry public relations campaigns have played a key role in challenges to standardised cigarette packaging. This paper presents a comparative analysis of industry campaigns in Australia and the United Kingdom, which have implemented standardised packaging legislation; Canada, where policy has been adopted but not yet implemented; and the Netherlands, which has considered, but not enacted regulation. Campaigns were identified via Google searches, tobacco industry websites, media coverage, government submissions and previous research; analysis focused on issue framing and supporting evidence. Public relations campaigns in all case study countries drew on similar frames - the illicit trade in tobacco products, the encroaching 'nanny state', lack of evidence for the effectiveness of standardised packaging, a slippery slope of regulation, and inherent threats to intellectual property rights. These claims were supported by industry research, front groups and commissioned reports by accountancy firms, but were not with verifiable research. Independent evidence that contradicted industry positions was overlooked. Similarities in structure and content of public relations campaigns in countries that have enacted or considered regulation points to a strategic co-ordinated approach by cigarette manufacturers. Countries considering standardised packaging policy can expect powerful opposition from the tobacco industry. Tobacco control communities and policy makers can learn from previous experience, and share best practise in countering industry arguments