Donor Profile

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is Australia’s lead agency managing its international presence. It not only provides foreign, trade and development policy advice, negotiates international agreements and provides consular assistance, but also delivers Australia’s aid programs.

DFAT’s purpose is to make Australia stronger, safer and more prosperous by promoting and protecting Australia’s interests internationally and contributing to global stability and economic growth, specifically in the Indo–Pacific region, a DFAT staff member told CIMA.  DFAT is particularly committed to improving the lives of the most vulnerable in the Indo-Pacific region where Australia invests over 90 per cent of bilateral and regional aid.

Australia’s aid program focuses on six priority investments: infrastructure and trade, agriculture, fisheries and water; effective governance, education and health; building resilience, and gender.

In 2017-2018 DFAT will invest $3.9 billion USD in Overseas Development Assistance.

Investment in Overseas Development Assistance in 2017-2018
$3.9 billion
Top Priorities
  • ICT4D/Humanitarian Communication
  • Internet Freedom/Internet Governance
  • Direct Assistance to Media Outlets/Support for Content Production
  • Business Sustainability
  • Access to Information
  • Digital Security
  • Media Skills for CSOs

    •  

    DFAT said its main thematic priorities in the Pacific region and Asia by ranking are:

    In the CIMA survey, each donor was asked to rate from high to low in terms of priority the types of media interventions it supports.

    High Priority
  • ICT4D/Humanitarian Communication
  • Internet Freedom/Internet Governance
  • Direct Assistance to Media Outlets/Support for Content Production
  • Business Sustainability
  • Access to Information
  • Digital Security
  • Media Skills for CSOs
    • Moderate Priority
  • Rights and Safety of Journalists
  • Investigative Journalism
  • Journalists Training
  • Public Service Broadcasting/Public Service Media
  • Media Literacy
    • Low Priority
  • Research on Media and Information Systems


    • checklist icon

    Thematic Priorities

    DFAT’s biggest stand-alone media development project is the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS).  PACMAS funds the development of diverse, independent and professional media that promotes informed and meaningful public discourse throughout the Pacific region and has a strong Communications for Development (C4D) approach.  The program encourages broad citizenry media and communications engagement throughout the Pacific to encourage effective policy environments and a plurality of media voices.

    Part of this is the PACMAS Innovation Fund (IF), which was established to provide funding support to Pacific stakeholders and development partners that play a role in media and communications in the region. Its goal is to help build both the technical and creative capacities of the Pacific media and communication sectors through four components:

    • Media Capacity Building
    • Media Policy and Legislation
    • Media Distribution Systems; and
    • Media Content

    “All stakeholders in the media and communication sectors that reside and work in the Pacific region at the community, national or regional level are eligible to apply. This includes all NGOs and civil society organisations that play a role in communication and awareness on development issues including better governance, MDGs, environment, gender, etc.” DFAT’s website stated.


    funding icon

    Funding

    DFAT’s media and communications aid is generally integrated within bilateral or regional aid programs, rather than standalone media projects. Its biggest stand-alone media development project is the Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS), which will receive $1.9 million USD ($2.4 million AUD) between 2017-2019.

    DFAT has partnered with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) to deliver PACMAS through a range of modalities including workshops, peer-to-peer exchanges and mentoring arrangements.

    A staff member told CIMA that it was impossible to access specific media and communication funding data from larger diverse programs, such as its support to the Papua New Guinea Governance Platform or to Transparency International, both of which have media infrastructure and development components.  These include programs, such as C4D, social media or work in the telecommunications industry, which typically may be part of agreements with such multilaterals as UNICEP, the World Bank or UNDP.



    Quick Look

     

    $1.9 million USD
    PACMAS funding (2017-2019)

     

     

    magnifying glass icon

    Case Studies

    Pacific: Pacific Media Assistance Scheme (PACMAS)

    Recent programs include:

    • Training on parliamentary reporting for Fiji journalists.
    • Training for Pacific Island broadcasters on reporting during disasters with the goal of information-sharing for preparedness before a crisis, staying on the air during a crisis, and telling post-disaster stories.
    • An“Enhancing a Human Rights-based Approach to News Reporting Forum” in Tanoa for senior journalists and government officials from 13 Pacific nations. The forum was organised by the Pacific Community’s Regional Rights Resource Team in partnership with PACMAS, the Pacific Islands News Association and the University of the South Pacific Journalism Programme.
    • A $50,000 grant to Pasifika Trainer for online capacity and organizational skills building and to promote community media for Pacific media professionals.
    • Support for the launch of the Solomon Islands television broadcasting service.
    • Crime and court reporting training for journalists and on-air presenters of the Tuvalu Broadcasting Corporation.
    • A workshop for Fiji journalists, police and government officials on appropriate reporting on violence against women.
    • A workshop for Pacific editors in economic reporting on tuna, an important industry in the region.

    Indo-Pacific

    Australia, along with Transparency International, is a member of the Global Anti-Corruption Consortium (GACC), an initiative that supports coalitions of investigatory journalists, civil society and governments to uncover and respond to evidence of transnational corruption.  Australia’s $50,000 contribution supports innovative approaches to tacking corruption in the Indo-Pacific region.

    Pakistan

    With a $250,000 contribution, DFAT is supporting UNWOMEN to implement “Women’s Peace, Security, Rights and Voice: Safe Public Spaces, Community Outreach and Empowerment, and Political Awareness and Advocacy” in Punjab, Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).  Two major activities include:

    • A community radio program in Balochistan. Youth are particularly targeted to develop community radio programs on gender equality, equal rights and basic services in rural Balochistan.
    • A film project, connected with UN Women and a local partner, that trains aspiring female filmmakers on women’s democratic rights, such as the right to vote, through short films. The goal is to make women more aware of their social and political rights and increase their role in government, especially in the run up to the 2018 elections. A 60-second film competition was organized in Islamabad to showcase the work of these trained filmmakers. The films subsequently were widely disseminated through schools, colleges and social media.

    Additional Information

    Website: http://dfat.gov.au/pages/default.aspx

    Report Author: Marguerite Sullivan

    Last Updated: March 2018

     

    More Donor Profiles