The Commonwealth Budget of 2008-09 presented on 13 May 2008 has allocated $52.333 million to ACIAR. Full details of country priorities and budgeted allocations for ACIAR in 2008-09 are available through the Centre's Annual Operational Plan (to be released in June). A summary of revenue and expenditure information is also attached below. Details on the Full Budget can be found at the Government's Budget website [1].

Details on the Budget appropriations for the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Ministerial Aid Statement can be found at the Foreign Affairs website.

View the budget details for the DFAT portfolio [2]

View the budget details for ACIAR [3]

ACIAR’s appropriation from the Australian Parliament is allocated as part of Australia’s official development assistance program.

Each year ACIAR budgets planned expenditure, based on that appropriation, along with amounts from AusAID and other sources. In consultation with the Minister for Foreign Affairs and relevant partners, we seek to ensure the geographic spread of bilateral projects reflects the priorities of the Aid program and Australia's areas of comparative advantage, by allocating expenditure by region within agreed parameters:

PNG and Pacific Islands: around 20%
Southeast Asia: > 45%
South Asia: around 15%
North Asia: < 15%
Southern Africa: < 5%

Bilateral research receives the largest single allocation of funds followed by multilateral research carried out through international agricultural research centres. This allocation has an Asia-Pacific focus. Education and training, impact assessment and communicating research results complete expenditure on research.

Remaining budget is allocated to support ACIAR’s overseas offices and administration costs in running the Centre. Key features of ACIAR's operations for 2008-09 include:

• a targeted program on avian influenza to implement effective control programs in Indonesia and more broadly in South East Asia
• the first phase of the Smallholder Agribusiness Development Initiative (SADI) in Eastern Indonesia
• two major multidisciplinary horticultural initiatives in the southern Philippines
• completion of the first year of a new ACIAR-University of the South Pacific scholarship scheme
• new agricultural research for development programs in South Central Coast and the North West Highlands of Vietnam
• a new program addressing adaptation of rainfed farming systems in Mekong and South Asian countries to climate change and climate variability
• a joint Indian-Australian funded program, on application of molecular markers as a selection tool in wheat breeding
• completion of the Agriculture Sector Linkages Program in Pakistan
• assisting in post-conflict agricultural reconstruction in Iraq and Afghanistan.

For more information see the budget details [4].

AusAID's media releases on the 2008-2009 budget [5]