Steven Ciobo (Moncrieff, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Let me help my colleagues and advise you that the third largest recipient of Australian aid was in fact a Pacific Island country. You might wonder who it was. 'Tuvalu?' I hear you guess. No, the third largest recipient of Australian aid was in fact the Australian Labor government, because the former Labor government ripped some $750 million out of Australian aid to pay for their failed border protection policies. The difference between the coalition and the former Labor government is this: when it comes to the coalition, we are using Australian aid to drive growth in our region, while the Labor Party used it to drive boats. When it comes to the coalition, we are building capacity in our region for Australian aid, while Labor built detention centres. The coalition is empowering women and girls, while all Labor could do was empower people smugglers— (Time expired)

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