Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to support this motion and I commend the member for Bonner for an excellent motion. I support every word of it. One of the things I am most pleased about is that, as we have moved through what has been a very difficult economic time, the one thing we have not debated in this place is the cutting of overseas aid. I think it is a tribute to the government and a tribute to the opposition that this has not become a political football in the course of the broader debate. So I commend the member on the motion and on her own genuine commitment to the outcomes sought by the motion.

Australia’s aid effort is significant. We are delivering $3.8 billion in overseas development assistance, or 0.33 per cent of our gross national income, with a commitment to raising this to 0.5 per cent by the middle of the next decade. There are very important objectives in the Millennium Development Goals that we seek to support by these commitments of foreign aid. Australia’s foreign aid payments are working in a global effort to help eradicate extreme hunger and poverty and achieve universal primary education, along with reducing child mortality, improving maternal health and delivering a sustainable environment. Other goals are to promote gender equality, combat HIV-AIDS and malaria and build global partnerships for development. It is a topic that I have spoken about on many occasions. In fact, in my maiden speech I commended the government for their commitments in this area, and I hope that together all members can acknowledge our ongoing obligation to those who share one thing with all of us, and that is our common humanity.

It is important, though, that we deliver foreign aid in a way that builds up our neighbours across the world, creating stronger and better societies and delivering new hope to individuals. I believe this is the intent of the motion before us this evening. Our aid should promote stability and growth among our neighbours, address serious health challenges, tackle the hard issues of debt relief and be responsive and flexible when disasters strike, as Australian governments of all persuasions have always demonstrated when these disasters have struck in the past. None of us will forget the response of the Australian government to the tsunami tragedy, which was so swift and overwhelming and which was responded to in kind by the Australian people in such an incredible fashion.

The coalition government also gave priority to these matters and was a keen supporter of overseas aid. Minister Downer made it clear when he said:

Australia’s overseas aid program plays a central role in Australia’s approach to addressing challenges to regional security and prosperity. Through the aid program, Australia is helping our neighbours realise the benefits of broad-based economic growth, respond effectively to the challenges posed by fragile states, and cope with humanitarian crises.

There is one thing I am concerned about, and particularly in the context of the motion that is put forward tonight. We need to focus on the health needs of women and children, and that is why I am personally very disturbed and concerned at the decision of this government to reverse a 13-year position that had stood in this place in overturning the ban on foreign aid used to pay for abortions. The ban was in place for a very good reason. A similar ban had been introduced by the Reagan administration in 1984. It was then overturned by the Clinton administration before being reinstated by President Bush in 2001. In this country, it was introduced by John Howard following a lot of work put together by Senator Brian Harradine from Tasmania. The government has recently overturned this decision, and it was completely within the Prime Minister’s ambit to ensure that that did not take place. Instead, I believe, he simply rolled over. This is despite protestations prior to the election to large constituencies within the Australian electorate leading them to believe that he would not allow such things to happen. He allowed himself to be rolled over on this matter and failed to stand up for the rights of unborn children in overseas countries.

This is a provision that has not been asked for. In Senate estimates, Senator Boswell asked AusAID about whether this was necessary. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade responded that they were not aware of any particular request to fund abortion related activities. This is about the priorities of our aid budget. I totally support a strong and growing aid budget to meet the millennium development goals, but we must have priorities for that budget. I fail to see how funding abortions could in any way get to the top of the list of funding priorities for overseas development aid. Given the serious issues that are noted in the motion tonight from the member for Bonner—and I support all of these—I am at a loss to see how funding abortions actually furthers these aims in priority to other initiatives that go directly to supporting the health and wellbeing of women and children in developing countries. The Prime Minster had the opportunity to stand up and be counted on this issue. He chose not to do that. He basically chose to roll over and allow people to pursue a domestic agenda with our foreign aid budget. For that I think the Prime Minister needs to explain himself to all those he led to believe he would do otherwise.

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