Australia has been warned it's losing its global influence on the world stage due to lacklustre contributions to foreign aid and humanitarian efforts.
"We kind of miss you. We miss Australia. Australia should be big influential, taking your space, helping with humanitarian (disasters)," former prime minister of Denmark, Helle Thorning-Schmidt told ABC's Q&A.
Ms Thorning-Schmidt compared Australia's foreign aid contributions to those of the UK. Australia only commits 0.22 of its gross national income compared to the UK's 0.7.
However, Ms Thorning-Schmidt did not make her accusations lightly.
"I'm a foreigner and I shouldn't be telling Australia what Australia should be doing," she said.
"This is an amazing country, there's so much compassion in this country, there's such a generosity of spirit in this Australia. The only thing I can say is when your development budget is at an all-time low, which it is right now, it feels like Australia is not taking its place in the world."
The former Danish PM used some time before the panel to discuss Islam critic Ayaan Hirsi Ali who cancelled her appearance on the show at the last minute due to safety concerns.
"Of course she should be able to come and speak her mind. I don't necessarily agree with everything she says but that's not the point when you talk about freedom of speech," she said.
"She should have the right to come to Australia to put her points of view across, this is what democracy is all about."
Ms Thorning-Schmidt was joined by Nobel Peace laureate Muhammad Yunus, Shadow Minister for Human Services Linda Burney, Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg, and The Australian's editor Paul Kelly.
"We have contributed $3.8 billion [to foreign aid]," Mr Frydenberg said while defending the Australian government's foreign aid.
"But the barometer has to be not necessarily the dollar sign, but how far is that money going? What is actually occurring in those countries? And some of the results are very positive."
