The Rudd Government needs to give details on how it plans to advance Australia’s interests internationally after cutting $57 million from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s budget over the next three and a half years.

Ahead of the Senate Estimates hearing for Foreign Affairs and Trade on Thursday, Queensland Senator and Deputy Chair of the Senate Standing Committee for Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade, Russell Trood said DFAT’s budget is inadequate, compared to other government departments with responsibilities in national security.

Senator Trood said DFAT’s budget has risen by 18% over the last five years, while the budgets of government departments such as Defence, AFP, ASIS and ASIO have increased 55%, 104%, 198% and 539%, respectively.

“DFAT already had to meet an efficiency dividend of 1.25% under the previous government, now it has to cope with an extra one-off 2% efficiency dividend introduced by the Rudd Government”, Senator Trood said.

Senator Trood said he is particularly concerned that the Rudd Government is eliminating 20 administrative, policy and consular overseas positions, while also implementing a partial recruitment freeze, which will mean 24 fewer positions in Canberra.

“These cuts are another example of the Labor Party back flipping on an issue, which it previously said was important to advancing Australia’s international influence and interests”, Senator Trood said.

The Labor Party’s 2007 National Platform and Constitution stated “Australia’s diplomatic service has suffered significant cutbacks that impair its ability to pursue our national interests. Targeted reinvestment in our international relations effort is required to meet the challenges of the next two decades and beyond”.

“The Rudd Government is conscious of the need to boost investment in foreign relations and any claims that budget cuts will not impact on the implementation of the Government’s foreign policy and trade policy, are misleading”, Senator Trood said.