Australia

Aid

Aid quality is just as important as aid quantity, so the CDI measures gross aid as a share of GDP adjusted for various quality factors: it subtracts debt service, penalizes “tied” aid that makes recipients spend aid only on donor goods and services, rewards aid to poor but relatively well-governed recipients, and penalizes overloading poor governments with many small projects.

• Score: 4.1
• Rank: 13

• Large amount of private charitable giving attributable to tax policy (rank by share of GDP: 4)
• Small share of tied or partially tied aid (2.0%; rank: 6)

• Selectivity: large share of aid to less poor and worse-governed recipients (rank: 14)

Trade

International trade has been a force for economic development for centuries. The CDI measures trade barriers in rich countries against exports from developing countries.

• Score: 7.2
• Rank: 2

• Low tariffs on agricultural products (0.5% of the value of imports; rank: 1)

• High barriers against textiles (9.8% of the value of imports; rank: 20)
• High barriers against apparel (14.0% of the value of imports; rank: 21)

Investment

Rich-country investment in poorer countries can transfer technologies, upgrade management and create jobs. The CDI includes a checklist of policies that support healthy investment in developing countries.

• Score: 6.1
• Rank: 4

• Provides insurance against political risk for both domestic and foreign firms
• Employs foreign tax credits to prevent double taxation of corporate profits earned abroad

• Political risk insurance also given to inefficient, import-substituting projects
• Does not provide official support for outflows of portfolio investment

Migration

The movement of people from poor to rich countries provides unskilled immigrants with jobs, income and knowledge. This increases the flow of money sent home by migrants abroad and the transfer of skills when the migrants return.

• Score: 4.0
• Rank: 14

• Large share of foreign students from developing countries (88%; rank: 3)

• Small number of immigrants from developing countries entering Australia (rank by share of population: 14)
• Bears small share of the burden of refugees during humanitarian crises (rank: 16)
• Tuition for foreign students is higher than for nationals

Environment

Rich countries use a disproportionate amount of scarce resources, and poor countries are most vulnerable to global warming and ecological deterioration, so the CDI measures the impact of policies on the global climate, fisheries, and biodiversity.

• Score: 4.2
• Rank: 20

• No fishing subsidies (rank: 1)

• High greenhouse gas emissions rate per capita (28.2 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent; rank: 22)
• Greenhouse gas emissions grew almost as fast as GDP in 1999–2009 (average annual growth rate/GDP, -0.6; rank: 22)
• Low gas taxes ($0.46 per liter; rank: 20)
• High fossil fuel production rate per capita (49.3 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent; rank 21)

Security

Since security is a prerequisite for development, the CDI rewards contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping operations and forcible humanitarian interventions, rewards military protection of global sea lanes, and penalizes arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments.

• Score: 7.0
• Rank: 3

• Significant financial and personnel contributions to internationally sanctioned peacekeeping and humanitarian interventions over last decade (rank by share of GDP: 4)
• Few arms exports to poor and undemocratic governments (rank by share of GDP: 4)

Technology

Rich countries contribute to development through the creation and dissemination of new technologies. The CDI captures this by measuring government support for R&D and penalizing strong intellectual property rights regimes that limit the dissemination of new technologies to poor countries.

• Score:5.3
• Rank: 12

• No attempt to incorporate into bilateral free trade agreements “TRIPS-Plus” measures that would restrict the flow of innovations to developing countries

• Low government expenditure on R&D (rank by share of GDP: 20)
• Large share of government R&D expenditure on defense (0.4%; rank: 15)
• Allows patents on plant and animal varieties
• Allows patents on software programs