Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The role of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) is to help make Australia stronger, safer and more prosperous by promoting and protecting our interests internationally and contributing to global stability and economic growth. The department provides foreign, trade and development policy advice to the government. We work with other government agencies to ensure that Australia’s pursuit of its global, regional and bilateral interests is coordinated effectively. We manage a network of 96 overseas posts in five continents and we have over 4200 staff located in Canberra, state and territory offices and overseas posts. An additional 2400 are employed overseas as locally engaged staff. The Strategic Framework 2015-2019 is a high-level statement of the department’s purpose, what we do to achieve the outcomes expected of us by the government and Australian community, and our key priorities over the next four years. It also identifies the main assets the department brings to bear in carrying out its work and how we will conduct ourselves in doing so – our core values. What we do In partnership with government and non-government organisations, business and community groups in Australia and overseas, we lead the Government’s efforts to: •advance Australia’s security interests internationally •open up new markets and create conditions for increased trade and investment to strengthen our economy and create jobs •lift living standards and reduce poverty in the Indo-Pacific region and beyond •shape the regional and international environment and strengthen global cooperation in ways that advance Australia’s interests •project a positive and contemporary image of Australia as a destination for business, investment, tourism and study •provide high-quality passport and consular services to Australian citizens.