AidWatch was founded on a simple idea: that the people most affected by poverty and injustice should determine the solutions – not donor governments, not corporate contractors, not military strategists.
Thirty-plus years later, that idea feels more necessary than ever.
Right now, Australian ‘aid’ is being deployed to advance geopolitical interests in the Pacific, to smooth the way for critical minerals extraction and processing, and to build the security infrastructure of a regional military architecture most Pacific communities never asked for. The communities on the frontlines of Australian mining expansion — in Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, across the Pacific — are rarely centred in Australian public debate.
Aid/Watch is changing that. And we need your support!
This year we are launching our most ambitious integrated campaign yet to connect the dots between Australian aid policy, the critical minerals boom, and the militarisation of our region. But we are not only exposing what’s wrong. We are also platforming what’s right: the Indigenous land stewardship, the community-led climate adaptation, the Pacific-led resilience initiatives that already exist and deserve to be resourced and amplified.
We believe Australian aid should mean:
- Community-led, not corporate-driven
- Climate reparations, not supply chain security
- Solidarity partnerships, not tied aid and boomerang money
- Long-term relationships, not short-term projects
- No militarisation. Full stop.
Before 30 June, please make a tax-deductible donation to help us build this campaign.
Your donation will fund the interactive map, the case studies, the webinars, and the research — all designed to shift the terms of the public conversation about what Australian aid is for and who it should serve.