Australia could boost its diplomatic presence by expanding the ABC's overseas services, the public broadcaster's managing director says.

Mark Scott wants more money for the corporation's international broadcasting arms - Radio Australia and Australia Network - to help establish a presence in Africa, Latin America and the Middle East.

More funding would also improve Aunty's services to the Asia-Pacific.

If Australia wanted more global influence and a better understanding of its values, culture and democracy it needed to use the greatest influential tools, Mr Scott said.

"And they're the tools in the modern media," he told ABC Radio on Thursday, adding that other G20 (Group of 20) countries were spending a lot of money on soft diplomacy through international broadcasting.

Australia was spending just $35 million per year on the ABC's Asia network compared to the $900 million plus invested in Britain's BBC network, $600 million each by France and Germany, and $200 million by Japan.

The Chinese were outlaying $8 billion on international media expansion.

Mr Scott rejected the notion that using news gathering and its presentation for a diplomatic agenda compromised the ABC's independence.

"No not at all, we've been doing it for 70 years here through Radio Australia.

"You can have an independent, robust news service that you broadcast to the world that puts Australia on display."

Even doubling annual funding to $70 million would enable Australian quality news and current affairs content to be broadcast into dozens more countries on other continents, Mr Scott said.

Mr Scott will launch his plans for the network's global ambitions at a lecture to Sydney's Macquarie University on Thursday night.