Five years after the Taliban returned to power, Australia is facing a difficult balancing act: helping millions of Afghans survive a worsening humanitarian crisis while refusing to legitimise the regime controlling the country.

The issue has gained renewed attention as Afghanistan enters another year of severe food insecurity and restrictions on women and girls. The United Nations says more than 20 million Afghans require humanitarian assistance, while funding shortages are threatening essential programmes.

Australia has continued providing assistance despite not recognising the Taliban as Afghanistan’s legitimate government. In January, Canberra announced an additional A$50 million in humanitarian support, taking Australia’s total assistance since the Taliban takeover in 2021 to A$310 million. The funding is delivered through humanitarian partners rather than directly through the Taliban authorities.

International Development Minister Anne Aly has defended that approach, arguing that Australia can support Afghan civilians without endorsing those in power. Food, healthcare and support for vulnerable communities remain key priorities, particularly for women and children.

But aid itself is becoming harder to deliver. Taliban restrictions have severely limited women’s access to education, employment, healthcare and public life. The United Nations has warned that cuts to programmes supporting women could further deepen the crisis, with more than half of surveyed women’s organisations at risk of closing within a year.

The pressure is also creating a wider policy question for Australia: how far should humanitarian assistance go when the government receiving international engagement is accused of systematically denying basic rights?

Australia has taken steps beyond aid, including sanctions against Taliban figures and legal action under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

As the Taliban marks five years in power, Canberra’s challenge is increasingly clea, maintaining a lifeline for Afghan civilians while keeping pressure on a regime Australia refuses to recognise.