Prominent Australian Christian leaders are among more than 50 public figures who are calling for a bipartisan political commitment to rebuild the country’s foreign aid budget ahead of this year’s federal election.
Five years of cuts under Australia’s Coalition Government will see the country’s foreign aid budget drop to just .2 per cent of gross national income in 2019-20, its lowest level since 1961-62.
Among those who have joined the call are Rev Dr John Dickson, co-founder of the Centre for Public Christianity, Michael Frost, founder of the Tinsley Institute at Morling College, Matthew Maury, CEO of Tear Australia, Pastor Jarrod McKenna, and Brad Chilcott, founder of Welcome to Australia. They have joined with the likes of celebrity chef Julie Goodwin, TV and radio host Tom Ballard, comedian Judith Lucy, and Australian of the Year Simon McKeon in raising their voices on the issue.
Jody Lightfoot, director of the Campaign for Australian Aid which is organising a campaign to make foreign aid a top priority at the election, said Australian aid was “an essential way we come together as a nation to tackle some of the biggest challenges of our time”.
He said that since the year 2000 Australian aid had saved the lives of 230,000 children through health programs alone.
“Through Australian aid, we have supported people in Fiji to rebuild schools and health centres after Cyclone Winston, supported nearly 60,000 women and children in the Pacific to access crisis support services and contributed to the international aid efforts that have eradicated Smallpox and the near eradication of polio.”
Lightfoot also welcomed Labor’s announcement last year that it would rebuild Australia’s foreign aid budget if elected and called on the Coalition Government to match the move.
