WHAT WAS CLAIMED
The Australian government has given $50 million to the Taliban.
OUR VERDICT
Misleading. The funding is given to aid agencies in Afghanistan, not the Taliban.
AAP FACTCHECK - Australian aid funding for Afghanistan is not being sent directly to the Taliban, despite claims on social media.
The funding is provided to UN aid agencies with various safeguards in place to prevent it from directly reaching the Taliban, although experts say some money indirectly leaks to the regime through operational expenses and taxes.
Foreign Minister Penny Wong announced $50 million in humanitarian support for Afghans on January 29, 2026.
An Instagram video claims this funding is being provided directly to the Taliban, which Australia does not recognise as Afghanistan's legitimate government.
"So since Labor took office in 2022, your insurance and energy is up over 35 per cent, your rent is up over 20 per cent, and Penny Wrong (sic) is out here giving another $50 million to the Taliban.
"Since 2021 we've given them $310 million … We have Australian families choosing between food and rent and we're out here giving $50 million to the Taliban."
The claim also appears in a Facebook post.
"Labor just gave the ruling government of Afghanistan and (sic) another $50 million of our money to help curb their cost of living crisis apparently. That is on top of the $260 million we have already given them since 2021. The ruling government of Afghanistan is the Taliban so these guys are gonna have a big old party tonight.
"Well done Penny Wong and Labor. Love to see you lot working on behalf of the Australian people."
However, this is misleading. The government and experts say the funding is not given to the Taliban.
Aid for Afghanistan will be delivered by UN agencies, including the World Food Programme and the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs' Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund, the foreign minister said in a statement.
The package focuses on supporting women and girls, food security, health services and the protection of rights, bringing the total humanitarian support provided since the fall of Kabul in 2021 to $310 million, she said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said that independent reporting and donor engagement ensure that UN partners deliver aid effectively.
"Australia works with established and long-standing partners to ensure our aid supports those most in need – not the Taliban," a spokesperson told AAP FactCheck.
While Australia does not directly fund the Taliban, experts said operating in territory controlled by the group does result in some unavoidable operational leakage, such as taxes and fees.
Nemat Bizhan is a former advisor to the post-2001 Afghan government and a senior lecturer in development policy at the Australian National University.
He said Australian aid funding bypasses the Taliban by going directly to the UN, international charities or aid groups.
"While this method of aid delivery safeguards against the Taliban leverage, it increases the cost of aid delivery due to involvement of subcontracting and overhead costs," he told AAP FactCheck.
"But the benefits surpass the costs."
The UN and other organisations use safeguards, including providing detailed reports, independent audits and traceable payment systems, to monitor how funds are spent in the country, Dr Bizhan said.
He said that while direct aid delivery methods bypass Afghan authorities, reports indicate the Taliban often interfere in aid operations and indirectly siphon some funding.
"This can include restricting female staff working with UN agencies and NGOs, imposing approval and registration requirements for NGOs, influencing hiring and the selection of beneficiaries and taxing aid projects or imposing informal fees," he said.
Shimada Haruyuki, a researcher focusing on state-building in Afghanistan at Japan's Ritsumeikan University, said that delivering aid in Taliban-controlled territory can lead to indirect funding leakage.
"Conducting aid activities within Afghanistan necessitates contracts for office and vehicle rentals, staff employment, and similar arrangements," Prof Haruyuki told AAP FactCheck.
"It is undeniable that aid funds flow as operational expenses to companies and organisations associated with the Taliban."
The Taliban has also interfered in international charity and aid group operations, Prof Haruyuki said, such as banning them from employing women in December 2022.
However, the level of intervention varies by region and between individual Taliban officials, he added.
"While regulations are strict in the south, such as in Kandahar, NGOs in the west seem to be permitted relatively free activity," Prof Haruyuki said
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