Last night's 2012/13 budget represents a core promise broken by the Gillard Government. It will affect the lives of millions of men, women and children who depend on Australian aid.
The Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), the peak body for aid charities, is extremely disappointed that the Government has abandoned its commitment to lift foreign aid to 50 cents in every $100 of Australia’s national income by 2015.
“Pushing this commitment back to 2016-17 is not good enough,” said Marc Purcell, ACFID Executive Director.
“Australia alone cannot fling aside the international goal to halve poverty by 2015, agreed by over 180 nations.”
“John Howard made this commitment in our name 12 years ago and tonight Julia Gillard had promised to deliver,” he said.
“Mr Howard committed Australia to help halve global poverty in the year 2000. Years of bipartisan effort and bipartisan promises have been put into this commitment. An independent review has been held and a roadmap released to achieve it by 2015.”
“Just last year, the Prime Minister restated her commitment to doubling Australia’s aid by 2015 in the Government’s own leaflet for developing countries. The catch-cry of the leaflet was: Australia: We Do What We Say.”
“But tonight, the Government has choked at the crucial moment. Instead of doing it’s part as promised in this global effort they have put their commitment off until 2016-17 to make a budget saving.”
“This puts the Government’s plan to reach 0.5 per cent of national income towards aid not only beyond the next election, but the one after that.”
“Tonight we could have saved an extra 800,000 lives,” said Mr Purcell. “We are calling on the Coalition to now keep their promise to save those lives by 2015.”
“Mr Swan said today that this Budget would look after the most vulnerable and uphold the ‘fair go’.”
“But what about a fair go for the 15 mothers who will die or suffer permanent disability today alone during childbirth in PNG?”
“The Treasurer said yesterday that Australia ‘walks tall in the global economy’ and ‘we in Australia have done so much better than many other countries around the world,” said Mr Purcell. “Yet, we rank below average out of the 23 wealthy nations who give aid. That isn’t walking tall.”
“Tonight’s budget is so disappointing not only because the Government has broken a promise, but because this decision will deeply affect the lives of the poorest people in our region and beyond,” Mr Purcell concluded.
