Australia has been told to spend more on foreign aid but rename it to something else because people don't like it.
A cross-party group of federal MPs has recommended a significant jump in Australia's foreign aid funding, which has gone backwards under the coalition.
Even despite a scare in 2018 when the government realised China was making diplomatic inroads into the Pacific, the latest foreign aid budget revealed funding will decrease again.
A report released on Wednesday night from the joint standing committee on foreign affairs, defence and trade recommended the foreign aid budget reach at least 0.5 per cent of gross national income within five years.
"Since 2013, the aid budget in cumulative terms has been reduced by over 30 per cent, and the ratio of (overseas development aid) to GNI is now at a 'historic low'," the report said.
Australia spends just 0.23 per cent of GNI on foreign aid, but the MPs want to legislate a 0.5 per cent floor within five years and 0.7 per cent within a decade.
The foreign aid program also faces another problem - Australians don't know what it does and vastly overestimate how much money the government sends overseas.
The report found that on average, Australians think 14 per cent of the entire national budget is spent on aid, while the real figure is below one per cent.
So the MPs recommended the aid program be rebranded "development partnerships" to emphasise the mutual benefits of the funding.
The report found that when Australians were told the United Kingdom spent significantly more on aid, then they were more likely to argue for Australia to spend more.
Labor has promised to lift the foreign aid budget every year, with the aim of reaching the 0.5 per cent GNI target.
