Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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For the Irish department formerly called Foreign Affairs and Trade, see Department of Foreign Affairs (Ireland).
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade
Assistant for Trade
Department executive
Child agencies
Websitedfat.gov.au

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is the department of the Australian federal government responsible for foreign policy and relations, international aid (using the branding Australian Aid), consular services and trade and investment (including trade and investment promotion Austrade). Australia's total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 3 billion) decreased in 2022 due to differences in Australia's financial year reporting and the timing of its COVID-19-related expenditure, representing 0.19% of gross national income (GNI).[6]

The head of the department is its secretary, presently Jan Adams. She reports to Penny Wong, who has held the position of Minister for Foreign Affairs since 2022.[5]

History

The department finds its origins in two of the seven original Commonwealth Departments established following

Department of Trade and Customs and the Department of External Affairs (DEA), headed by Harry Wollaston and Atlee Hunt respectively.[7]

The first DEA was abolished on 14 November 1916 and its responsibilities were undertaken by the

under the same name on 21 December 1921.[9]

Until the

overseas missions (outside London) in 1940, beginning with Washington, D.C., and now has a network of over 80 diplomatic (and 22 trade) posts.[7]

The DEA was renamed the

Department of Trade were amalgamated by the Hawke government to form the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).[citation needed
]

In

Australian Overseas Information Service (AOIS, formerly Australian Information Service) became a branch in DFAT known as the International Public Affairs Branch.[10] In 1996 the branch was dissolved.[11]

In 2005, DFAT became embroiled in the

scandal after it was revealed it had approved the Australian Wheat Board's (AWB) request allowing it to pay 'trucking charges' to Alia, a Jordanian trucking company with no actual involvement in the trucking of Australian wheat within Iraq. The Cole Inquiry
into the AWB was established, however its terms of reference excluded any investigation of the role of DFAT.

Portfolio responsibilities

The functions of the department are broadly classified into the following matters as laid out in an Administrative Arrangements Order issued on 18 September 2013:[12][needs update]

  • External Affairs, including:
    • relations and communications with overseas governments and United Nations agencies
    • treaties, including trade agreements
    • bilateral, regional and multilateral trade policy
    • international trade and commodity negotiations
    • market development, including market access
    • trade and international business development
    • investment promotion
    • international development co-operation
    • diplomatic and consular missions
    • international security issues, including disarmament, arms control and nuclear non-proliferation
    • public diplomacy, including information and cultural programs
  • International expositions
  • Provision to Australian citizens of secure travel identification
  • Provision of consular services to Australian citizens abroad
  • Overseas property management, including acquisition, ownership and disposal of real property
  • Tourism industry (international)
  • International development and aid
  • Development and co-ordination of international climate change policy
  • International climate change negotiations

Portfolio ministers

Four additional ministers support the Minister for Foreign Affairs in administering the Department, as of 2022:[13]

Secretary of the Department

DFAT is administered by a senior executive, comprising a secretary and five deputy secretaries. On the recommendation of the Prime Minister, the Governor-General has appointed the following individuals as Secretary to the department:

Order Official Date appointment
commenced 		Date appointment
ceased 		Term in office Ref(s)
1
AO
 3 September 1984 (1984-09-03) 3 July 1988 (1988-07-03) 3 years, 304 days [14][15][16]
2
AC
 1 September 1988 (1988-09-01) 15 February 1992 (1992-02-15) 3 years, 167 days [16][17]
3
AC
 15 February 1992 (1992-02-15) 14 May 1993 (1993-05-14) 1 year, 88 days [17][18][19]
4
AO
 27 May 1993 (1993-05-27) 8 March 1996 (1996-03-08) 2 years, 286 days [20][21]
5
AO
 8 March 1996 (1996-03-08) 31 March 1998 (1998-03-31) 2 years, 23 days [21]
6
AC
 1 April 1998 (1998-04-01) 4 January 2005 (2005-01-04) 6 years, 278 days [22]
7
AO
 24 January 2005 (2005-01-24) 13 August 2009 (2009-08-13) 4 years, 201 days [22][23]
8
AO
 13 August 2009 (2009-08-13) 18 October 2012 (2012-10-18) 3 years, 66 days [23][24]
9
AO
 18 October 2012 (2012-10-18) 22 July 2016 (2016-07-22) 3 years, 278 days [25][24]
10
AC
 22 July 2016 (2016-07-22) 25 June 2021 (2021-06-25) 4 years, 338 days [26][27][28][29]
11
AO, CSC & Bar
 22 July 2021 (2021-07-22) 1 July 2022 (2022-07-01) 344 days [30]
12
AO PSM
 1 July 2022 (2022-07-01) Incumbent 1 year, 283 days [31]

Structure

The department is responsible to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, the

Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment, the Minister for International Development and the Pacific
, and the Assistant Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment.

The department has around 3,300 employees, of whom 1,300 are foreign staff employed by missions directly, and 1,500 are Australian employees based in Australia, and some 500 are diplomats serving overseas.

Departmental structure

Diplomatic network

The department maintains offices in each

overseas posts
, including Australian embassies, high commissions, consulates-general and consulates.

Portfolio agencies

DFAT also manages several agencies within its portfolio, including:

DFAT also manages foundations, councils and institutes including:[32]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c "Our history". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  2. ^ Martin, Lou-Ellen (2021). "Annual Report 2020–21" (PDF). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
  3. ^ "Budget highlights 2020–21". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e "Portfolio Overview" (PDF). Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  5. ^ a b "Portfolio ministers". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 23 May 2022.
  6. ^ OECD. "Development Co-operation Profiles 2023 - Australia". OECD Publishing, Paris. Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  7. ^ a b c "History of the Department". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 8 August 2007.
  8. ^ "Our History". Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 11 May 2020.
  9. ^ Parliamentary Handbook of the Commonwealth of Australia, 20th ed, 1978, pp. 289-290
  10. ^ "Fact Sheet Forty Seven: Australian Overseas Information Service photographs". National Archives of Australia. 2000. Archived from the original on 12 February 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2006.
  11. ^ "Australian News and Information Bureau". The Dictionary of Sydney. Retrieved 27 December 2020.
  12. Commonwealth of Australia. 18 September 2013. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 14 October 2013. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  13. ^ "Ministry List as at 1 June 2022" (PDF). Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 4 June 2022.
  14. ^ Harris was Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs beginning on 3 September 1984 until it was renamed the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in July 1987.
  15. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  16. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  17. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  18. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  19. ISSN 1833-7538
    .
  20. Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  21. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  22. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  23. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 10 November 2013. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  24. ^
    Commonwealth of Australia. Archived from the original
    on 20 December 2014. Retrieved 27 October 2013.
  25. Commonwealth of Australia. 3 December 2012. Archived from the original
    on 29 October 2013. Retrieved 28 October 2013.
  26. ^ Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (2016), Biography of Ms Frances Adamson, Australian Government, archived from the original on 17 August 2016
  27. ^ Doran, Matthew (20 July 2016). "Frances Adamson appointed as DFAT's first female secretary". ABC News. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 5 August 2016.
  28. ^ Mannheim, Markus (20 July 2016). "Frances Adamson becomes Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade's first female secretary". The Canberra Times. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on 17 August 2016.
  29. ^ Turnbull, Malcolm (20 July 2016). "Ms Frances Adamson appointed Secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade" (Press release). Australian Government. Archived from the original on 21 April 2017. Retrieved 18 August 2016.
  30. ^ "Secretary and Deputy Secretaries".
  31. ^ "Announcement of Department Secretaries". Prime Minister of Australia. 22 June 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
  32. ^ "Foundations, councils and institutes - Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade". Dfat.gov.au. Retrieved 17 October 2018.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Department_of_Foreign_Affairs_and_Trade&oldid=1182128048"