Australia, a key global donor, plans to double its overseas aid to about four billion dollars (3.08 billion US) a year by 2010, Prime Minister John Howard announced here Tuesday.
He said the government decision reflected increased commitment to meeting its share of the global aid burden, adding that assistance programs would continue to have a particular focus on the Asia-Pacific region.
But Howard stressed that aid disbursement would be based on more stringent conditions to check corruption in recipient nations.
"The increase in aid will be conditional on strengthened governance and reduced corruption in recipient countries, he told a press conference on the sidelines of the UN Summit.
The Australian government has provided close to 12 billion dollars (9.26 billion US) in overseas development assistance since around 2000.
"With aid comes the reciprocal responsibility of working to strengthen governance and promote institutional reform," Howard said, citing particular concerns over corruption.
Australia was at the forefront of emergency relief operations in Indonesia during a tsunami disaster that struck a dozen nations along the Indian ocean coastline last December.
It offered one billion Australian dollars in donations and loans to help rebuild the devastated Aceh province in Indonesia.
More than 200,000 people were killed, almost all in Asia, when an earthquake off Indonesia's northwest coast triggered massive tidal waves.
Australia also announced it would send 10 million dollars (7.71 million US) to the United States to help authorities deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, which brought devastation to US Gulf Coast.
