DAVID ADAMS reports…
Australian Christian organisations have welcomed the Government’s decision to increase the size of its foreign aid budget by $486 million in Tuesday’s Federal Budget but say it doesn’t go far enough.
The move puts Australian’s foreign aid program at $4.836 billion which represents 0.35 per cent of gross national income. The Federal Government has said it was committed to reaching 0.5 per cent by the 2015/16 budget, a figure which is still below the Millennium Development Goals target of 0.7 per cent. |
The move puts Australian’s foreign aid program at $4.836 billion which represents 0.35 per cent of gross national income. The federal government has said it was committed to reaching 0.5 per cent by the 2015/16 budget, a figure which is still below the Millennium Development Goals target of 0.7 per cent.
DJ Konz, executive director of child advocacy at Compassion Australia, said he applauded the recognition that “if we are doing it tough in Australia, millions of children, mothers and families are literally struggling to survive in our neighbouring countries and beyond”.
“Keeping our international aid commitments at this time is a deeply human gesture of concern for those who live in much worse circumstances than we do, and is critical to helping prevent the deaths of over 22,000 children who die, most needlessly, every day.”
But he added that, along with the rest of the Micah Challenge coalition, Compassion Australia was encouraging the federal government to “look beyond” the next few years and outline when Australia will “come into line with the rest of the international community and give 0.7 per cent of GNI to development assistance”.
Compassion have also expressed concern that proportion of foreign aid spent on health aid has dropped – from 14.54 per cent to 13.27 per cent – although they note that a large portion of currently unallocated funds is also expected to be directed towards health.
Micah Challenge, which represents more than 50 aid and development agencies, also expressed concern about the lack of a significant increase in child and maternal health spending.
Spokesman Rev Scott Higgins said while it was pleasing to see the government sticking to past foreign aid commitments, it was “disappointing” to see that government rhetoric on the “priority” of health was not being backed up “in dollar figures”.
Micah Challenge says there is a general consensus among aid agencies that form the Micah Challenge coalition that health should account for 20 per cent of the aid budget by 2015, a figure which it says the budget is not on track to meet.
Welcoming the move to increase the amount of foreign aid Australia gives, Lyle Shelton, chief of staff at the Australian Christian Lobby, said Australia can afford to be generous with overseas aid.
But he too pointed out that the government’s target is still well below the 0.7 per cent of the Millennium Development Goals. He said the organisation had also been disappointed by the 2009 decision to allow Australian overseas aid to be used to fund abortions.
The ACL meanwhile has said it remains concerned about plans to tax the commercial earnings of charities which don’t contribute to the organisation’s “charitable purpose”.
~ www.micahchallenge.org.au
~ www.compassion.com.au
~ www.acl.org.au
