ABSTRACT
Administrative legitimacy stems from the need to protect the minister and the government of the day from unnecessary risk by ensuring coherence in policy development and program delivery. To fully understand the trade-off between coherence and coping, and its impact on the administrative legitimacy of the aid effort, this chapter begins by asking practical questions about how different ministers have approached aid. The relationship with the Prime Minister in Australia is significant because, as long-time observer of Australian Cabinet processes Patrick Weller noted, they tend to dominate foreign policy. The key question that emerges from the Evans–Bilney period for those who care about the fortunes of development aid in Australia is whether the success of this ministerial combination is a consequence of the formal institutional arrangements or the key personalities. Australian foreign policy making is said to be a model of collegiality not competition, with the Canberra-based community small and tightly knit.
