Australia will continue its support to Fiji through its new International Development Aid Policy that was launched this week.

Australian Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said this new policy would see climate change and gender equity are at the forefront of aid and assistance in the region.

“We did a review of our policy and we needed to be strategic in our development aid assistance,” he said.

“We want to ensure that we are uplifting circumstances of women and girls, climate change and other provisions, we don’t want to be just talking about it.

“We are trying to embed it in all of the things we are doing, a similar area in our spending like domestic infrastructure,”

He also assured that they would continue to support the new government as it tries to get physical repair in health facilities sorted out.

“Also on bringing the debt down and supporting infrastructure projects in Fiji,” he said.

“And then the broad perimeters, if we are providing overseas development aid, it’s got to have a climate change objective; it has to ensure that women are looked after as well as man.

“We have principles where we require open and transparency, value for money, climate resilient, local workers, but whether we do this project or that project it has to be driven by your government’s priorities.”

Story By: Inoke Rabonu

Feedback: inoke.rabonu@fijisun.com.fj