What Plibersek didn't say about aid budget

Deputy Labor leader Tanya Plibersek has criticised the coalition for gutting Australia's aid program of billions of dollars while glossing over her own party's plans for helping needy countries.

In a major speech on foreign policy to the Lowy Institute in Sydney on Tuesday, Ms Plibersek said the aid program was "now the weakest in our history".

While Labor supported a strong aid program because of Australia's moral duty to offer a helping hand, Ms Plibersek avoided saying the opposition would restore only $800 million over the next four years, more than half of which is funding for the UN's refugee agency.