ABSTRACT
The decades between the end of the Second World War and the formation of the Whitlam government witnessed a rapid expansion of the aid program through a combination of the Colombo Plan, SEATO, contributions to the Bretton Woods institutions and assistance to Australia's overseas territories. By the end of the first development decade, Australia's aid program, while still largely seen as a diplomatic effort in service of foreign policy objectives, was beginning to emerge as a distinct entity within Australia's bureaucratic architecture. Joining the DAC would have numerous implications for the Australian aid program, but the most significant relates to measurement. The OECD DAC definition of official development assistance (ODA), has become the globally accepted measure of individual country contributions. The dispute about what to do with the retirement benefits of Australian expatriates working in the Papua New Guinean public service came to a head in the deliberations leading up to what would become the ill-fated Whitlam government's final budget.
