Government has produced strategies, tracked performance and is publishing its progress.
Much has advanced since the Lab published its International Development Policy: One Year On brief in 2024. However, in a few domains, there is still work to be done.
But since the IDP’s release, the world has changed faster than any of its authors could have anticipated. The economic, geopolitical, and humanitarian terrain has shifted so dramatically that it’s fair to ask: can a policy written for the world in 2023 withstand the shocks of 2025 and beyond?
A policy rewrite is unlikely. So, the better question becomes: what choices do Australia’s development leaders have to grapple with—through budgets, programs, Cabinet coherency, and public debate—to deliver on the policy’s aspirations in a more turbulent region?
This brief does two things: 1) it tracks progress against the IDP's original commitments, and 2) it identifies five dynamics that will test how Australia adapts its development approach to remain practical, relevant and high impact in the Indo-Pacific.
Happy anniversary and happy reading.
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