Travel and living costs for the position were funded by the Australian government, with the appointee's salary continuing to be paid by their current employing institution.
Assessment and selection of candidates is undertaken by the Council of Heads of Australian Herbaria (CHAH), who advised the Australian Biological Resources Study Advisory Committee (ABRSAC) to recommend the Minister approve the appointment.
In 2009, a review was conducted by ABRS, CHAH and the Advisory Committee which determined that there was no strong need for the ABLO position due to advances in digital technology which gave detailed access to herbarium specimen data over the internet, and the position was discontinued.
A research grants system replaced the program, which aimed to fund overseas placements at botanical institutions other than Kew Gardens.
[1] (List sourced from Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water)[2]