Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

There was the honourable member’s name sprinkled through the story, and he was on the radio first thing in the morning as if it was something he had just read in the paper and stumbled across. I think not, mon ami; I think not. I have been a member of parliament for over 20 years. I think I know what MPs get up to.

My point is this: we need to address the issue of poverty alleviation and the issue of climate change, not just one of them—and addressing poverty alleviation can sometimes lead to increases in CO emissions. For example, poverty alleviation in China has been achieved but it has certainly led to a massive increase in CO emissions. But I am proud of the role Australia has played over many years in assisting with poverty alleviation, even though I accept that in many instances that has led to increases in CO emissions. At the same time we now have to try to get CO emissions down. That is an important challenge. We have got to do both things.

So, if we were to set ourselves some sort of target to increase the aid budget from whatever the percentage is today—I simply have not calculated it, because we run programs that we think will be effective; we do not do it on the basis of the percentage. Setting targets is a great favourite of the political Left. Remember Stalin—he set targets, didn’t he, for steel production and things like that? Targets are a great favourite of the Left. To set ourselves a target for a certain percentage of—the honourable member is leaving. I will not bother answering his question.

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