From the responses, here are the top five things that emerged:
DFAT capacity building
This sounded like: training the next generation; encouraging creativity and leadership rather than risk aversion.
Improving localisation
This sounded like: procurement processes and timelines that allow meaningful engagement with local partners; reducing the compliance burden of partners; investing in local capacity development.
Long-term strategising
This sounded like: logical and honest strategy; engaging in long-term programs; using a five-year forward-looking view that is country-specific.
Focusing on climate change
This looked like: paying attention to climate change at the community level; creating innovative solutions; integrating climate risks strategically and within the whole-of-government.
Communicating the importance of aid
This sounded like: we shouldn’t be scared about talking about aid and celebrating its successes; developing and articulating a holistic narrative about why aid and poverty reduction is important for Australia.
RANKING RESULTS
From the responses, the top five things that emerged were:
Projects that are delinked from strategy
This sounded like: short-term and ad-hoc projects; strategies that have no connection to priorities; being beholden to political objectives; devising unnecessary Australian flagship programs.
Unnecessary outsourcing
This sounded like: outsourcing whole facilities and designs; outsourcing delivery to managing contractors; not rebuilding AusAID expertise, institutional memory and capacity.
Not valuing expertise
This sounded like: not acknowledging the churn of staff in DFAT; ignoring local staff’s knowledge and connections; delegating strategic decisions to junior, unskilled staff.
Competing with China
This sounded like: investing in an infrastructure race that Australia may not win; not considering where Australia’s comparative advantage is; letting geopolitics rule development.
Poor investment planning
This sounded like: committing huge amounts of money to unfocussed and unstructured scholarship programs; channelling aid through multilateral organisations like the World Bank; random, reactionary and ignorant programming.
RANKING RESULTS
The final set of questions looked at capability, balancing short- and long-term drivers, and transparency. Click through to see the results.