Australia’s Motives Providing Foreign Aid in Health and Education Sectors in Nauru 2019-2020

Abstract

This study examines Australia's aid diplomacy in supporting Nauru's health and education sectors during 2019-2020, coinciding with the Pacific Step-Up policy implementation. Using Carol Lancaster's foreign aid theory, this qualitative research analyzes the multifaceted purposes of Australia's assistance through government reports and international organization publications. Australia provided AUD 25.8 million in total aid, with AUD 5.2 million (20.1%) allocated to health sector focusing on non-communicable diseases and healthcare infrastructure, and AUD 3.9 million (15.1%) to education through teacher training, curriculum development, and scholarships. The findings reveal that Australia's aid serves dual functions: promoting genuine development through infrastructure support and capacity building, while strengthening strategic regional influence amid geopolitical competition. The study demonstrates humanitarian response, through medical supplies and vaccine distribution. This research concludes that Australia's aid diplomacy exemplifies multifunctional foreign assistance, successfully integrating developmental outcomes with diplomatic objectives. The findings validate Lancaster's framework, showing how aid serves both humanitarian and strategic purposes while highlighting tensions between development goals and donor dependency in small island developing states.