Australia will pump $50 million into a fresh global push to eradicate polio.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has announced the money will go to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) over the next four years.

The money will help purchase vaccines and monitor outbreaks.

While the GPEI has helped slash polio rates by 99 per cent since it began its work in 1988, it needs renewed support to finish the job in countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria.

Ms Gillard made the funding announcement on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Perth alongside her counterparts from Britain, Canada, Pakistan and Nigeria.