How many children will die as a direct result of wanting to build roads before helping the world's poor?
This is disgusting.
Foreign aid 'not ATM for parties' by: Brendan Nicholson
From: The Australian
September 06, 2013 12:00AM
THE Coalition's plan to slash foreign aid by $4.5 billion if it wins government has been widely condemned by aid agencies.
Oxfam Australia chief executive Helen Szoke said the proposed hit announced by Treasury spokesman Joe Hockey came at the expense of the world's most vulnerable people.
Dr Szoke said the Coalition was continuing the alarming trend of political parties raiding the aid budget. "The aid budget is Australia's commitment to the world's poor and vulnerable, and is not an ATM for political parties in search of cash to prop up their bottom line," Dr Szoke said.
During the last election both major parties made a promise to increase Australia's investment in fighting global poverty and hunger, but the pursuit of a budget surplus had left the nation with a compassion deficit, Dr Szoke said.
ACOSS chief Cassandra Goldie said while Australia's most vulnerable appeared largely to have been spared further cuts, it was disappointing that some of the poorest people in the world would be forced to go with even less, to fund the Coalition's bottom line.
"This is completely unnecessary," Ms Goldie said.
"As the global community watches Australia take up the presidency of the G20 as well as the presidency of the UN Security Council, these actions will only diminish us all. We are one of the wealthiest countries in the world, where the majority of us are enjoying living standards better than ever before. We must carry our responsibilities as global citizens."
Australian Christian Lobby managing director Lyle Shelton said the aid cut was deeply disappointing.
"Under the Coalition's plan, we'll now build better roads for ourselves with money that could have helped keep kids alive in countries where sealed roads are a luxury," he said. "We all want to see Australia prosper but compared to many countries in our region, we are rich and our aid budget is very modest compared to what we spend on ourselves."
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/election-2013/foreign-aid-not-atm-for-parties/story-fn9qr68y-1226712538909