Labor's ambitious plans to give Australia a new voice on the international stage will come to
nought because of the money ripped from the foreign affairs department, the federal opposition says.

The coalition has seized on figures showing a drop in funds for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) from
$926 million in 2007-08 to $901 million in 2010-11.

Ahead of his recent world tour of the United States, Europe and Asia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd outlined a new foreign
policy agenda, positioning Australia as an "activist middle power" on the world stage.

He indicated a desire for Australia to play a bigger role in multilateral forums, such as the United Nations. As a first step,
Australia will seek a temporary seat on the UN Security Council in 2012.

Liberal backbencher Russell Trood, an international relations academic before entering parliament, believes there is not
enough money in the budget for DFAT to do its job properly.

"Reduced funding for DFAT... effectively restrains our foreign service from meeting its ongoing commitments, let alone
achieving the raft of additional expectations set out (for it)," Senator Trood said.

"Rudd's razor gang has left DFAT chronically underfunded and forward estimates offer no ray of hope for responsible
funding in the future."

Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Andrew Robb criticised a decision to reduce around 300 staff who deal with foreign
and trade policy development.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is already a very lean organisation," he said in a statement.

"To cut staff numbers by over 13 per cent in the department's primary area of responsibility must seriously compromise
Australia's foreign policy priorities."

However, there is an overall increase in staff across DFAT, including an extra 80 workers to deal with passport and
consular services and a doubling of staff for public information services and public diplomacy.

On the spending side of the ledger, international aid agencies welcomed the government's commitment to boost overseas
development aid but wished it had taken a decision to do more.

The government will give $3.7 billion in official development assistance (ODA) in 2008-09, accounting for an estimated 0.32
per cent of gross national income (GNI).

Labor has promised to lift ODA to 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015.

The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) described the aid budget as a missed opportunity.

ACFID executive director Paul O'Callaghan said the government should have used the budget to join the list of top 10
OECD donor countries. Instead, it was in the bottom one third.

"This is despite Australia's outstanding economic performance among OECD countries for 14 years," he said.
"Australia should commit to reach 0.7 per cent of GNI by 2015."

Source: Australian Associated Press General News