As Federal Parliament resumed today, Tim Costello, CEO of World Vision Australia, has just recently announced that the Australian Labor Party is considering backing down from its pledge of $210 million to The Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria by 2015.
It was considered as part of the flood levy response to delay the target date to 2017.
While this was widely rejected, Labor sources are saying that this is still a real threat.
Leading NGOs met last Friday to strategise a response.
NGOs agreed to get as many people as possible to make some noise and express their support for aid to our politicians.
At this stage it is thought that the focus should be on MPs/Senators and NOT THE MEDIA.
(The consensus is that this is not a mainstream issue, and a mainstream media debate on "Should we cut aid?", may not be altogether helpful right now.)
Please do the following:
- Share this message to your group members and others who you feel will take action!
- Ask them to email/write to/phone their MPs and Senators (from ANY political party) ASAP!
(This can also be incorporated into letters from our latest Fact and Action sheet.)
Contacting your MP/Senator is particularly important if:
- Your MP/Senator is from the ALP
- If your MP or Senator is a senior member of the Government
- You are from Queensland
- Your MP is one of the Independents (Windsor, Oakshott, Wilkie, Katter) or Green MP Adam Bandt.
Attached are some dot points (developed by World Vision) highlighting the importance of maintaining our commitment to aid: click here.
Keep in mind that there are millions of the world's poorest people who also have to face the overwhelming effects of natural disasters minus the resources we have here in Australia.
Keep in mind that there are millions of the world's poorest people who also have to face the overwhelming effects of natural disasters minus the resources we have here in Australia.
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