Foreign Aid Budget boosted

The foreign aid budget was announced yesterday.

We will see an increase in the aid program of nearly half-a-billion dollars compared to 2010-11.

Our aid level will increase to 0.35 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI), and Australia remains on track to reach an aid level of 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015.

This is positive news to be recognised.

Actions you can take:

1) Respond to a short article in The Sydney Morning Herald 'Boost to Neighbours'

2) Make a comment on more general Budget articles in any newspaper. For example:

Not tough but definitely responsible
(Comment on the responsibility by working towards the targeted aid level of 0.5 per cent) 

Rudd's legacy as PM slashed in search of savings

(Comment on increasing aid as an example of Rudd's 'legacy') 

RESULTS hopes to provide its own analysis of the Budget by tomorrow in terms of our Current Campaigns.

In the meantime, you can review the analysis of the Budget by the Australian Council for International Development here:

ACFID Budget round up

Aid Promise: On Track to Save Thousands of Lives

Marc Purcell, Executive Director of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID): "This is a responsible move. 18 out of our 20 closest neighbours are developing countries. Some of them rank amongst the poorest nations in the world. It is the right thing for Australia to build a more secure, peaceful neighbourhood through the aid program."

ACFID applauds the increase in core funding to health in the aid budget, moving from 14 to 17% of total Australian aid. “Australian aid saves lives. It helps to inoculate children against life-threatening diseases and saves mothers from death during childbirth," Mr Purcell said. 

Finally, and belatedly, an article 'Helping those beyond our shores is good business', from May 9, by Australian of the Year, Simon McKeon, in support of increasing our aid:

...I've also had the opportunity to see what a difference the aid provided by our federal government makes in some of the poorest countries in the world.


Given this generosity, it is both disappointing and perplexing that our government's overseas aid program is not well recognised.


Contrary to widespread belief, our federal government spending on overseas aid is not the most generous in the world. Notwithstanding our relative economic prosperity, we currently rank only 15th out of the 23 OECD countries...