Guest Blogger: The Very Reverend Richard Humphrey, Dean of Hobart
Kevin Rudd spoke at a forum at the University of Tasmania on 15 February about Australia’s Foreign Aid Policies. Hundreds of people came to listen, comment and ask questions.
The key reasons why Rudd said Australia’s Foreign Aid is so important were firstly for our own economic interests, our national security interests, our humanitarian interests and also because it is simply the right thing to do. He emphasized that as Australian’s we believe in “a fair go for all.” He announced AusAid’s plan to cut a large chunk of overseas technical adviser positions in order to “translate that back into the core elements of on-the-ground programs that materially change people’s lives.” His hope is that this will redirect approximately $80 million to fund more of these “on-the-ground programs.”
We should be supporting the bipartisan move to increase foreign aid budget to FROM .3% to .5% of GDP. I encourage you to contact AusAID with any comments or questions by contacting AusAID’s Head Office.
For more information on AusAID’s involvement and policies visit their website: AusAID: The Australian Government.
Link, Australian aid and character under threat.
I am concerned that we are still seeing foreign aid as bipartisan. The opposition has suggested cutting aid for education in Indonesia as a way of funding flood and cyclone reparation. This recommendation comes not from backbench opposition members but from the shadow cabinet.
Can we accept that the opposition is still adopting a bipartisan approach to foreign aid?
Hi Philip,
My understanding is that the Opposition retains its commitment to 0.5%. If it does not, then it has clearly broken that commitment.