Luke Simpkins (Cowan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Thursday, 14 March 2013, I had a visit from Cowan delegates from the Roadtrip to End Poverty. I thank Shenae Hunter, Jade Contarino, Nasreen Lang and Rebecca Miller for coming to see me. I appreciate their keen interest in foreign aid.

I would say clearly that I support foreign aid, and I hope that this country will soon be able to reach the goal of 0.5 per cent of GDP. I support foreign aid that makes a difference and that goes to making improvements in the capacities of communities. I do not believe that all of our foreign aid is effective. By example, in 2012 the Australian reported that World Vision was working with a group that has 'deep links' with the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine group, a proscribed terrorist agency.

It is also notable that some NGOs that receive aid funding had been actively lobbying against the Labor's now abandoned decision to prioritise a budget surplus ahead of increasing aid funding. They are within their rights to lobby for the government to increase government aid spending, but, when there is a perception that they use that money to lobby in Australia, that is not providing faith in the effectiveness of the aid. I also understand that the Australian Conservation Foundation uses aid funding to run programs to promote grassroots engagement on climate change policy and to support the Labor government's introduction of the carbon tax.

I referred before to capacity development. It has also been noted that in some cases aid funded NGOs are engaged to undermine the objectives of Australia's aid program to promote sustainable economic development. There is unwillingness to accept that the use and development of natural resources in developing countries helps those countries to move from subsistence economies to manufacturing and eventually to service based economies.

It should be remembered that AusAID recipient organisations cannot be engaged in political activity that is primarily isolated to partisan activities. It is a fairly narrow definition of political activity, meaning they can be engaged in political campaigns so long as they do not involve directly endorsing parties in Australia or abroad. I do wonder whether aid funding is being used for political activity in this country.

As I said on the day of their visit, in all my doorknocking I have not once been asked about foreign aid. Yet, despite that, I do support the concept of foreign aid, and I and the coalition support the goal of 0.5 per cent of GDP. What I would, however, like to do is to remind all those who visited parliament last Thursday that it was this Labor government that cut foreign aid by $3 billion in the 2011-12 budget. It was this Labor government that ensured that goal of 0.5 per cent of GDP going to foreign aid would not be achieved by 2015.

I know that it is fashionable for many that support foreign aid to always see the coalition as somehow being against foreign aid. Those same people vote Green or Labor because they falsely believe that those parties are the friends of foreign aid. As we know, anyone who follows the Green how-to-vote card will end up voting Labor. Those that support the 0.5 per cent of GDP ambition should ask themselves: which side of politics stopped that goal being achieved? Who was responsible? The answer is that it was this Labor government that cut foreign aid. It was this Labor government, which was maintained by the support of the Greens and was the recipient of so many Green preferences, that cut foreign aid. That is the fact of the matter.

I therefore call upon those that lobby so hard on this issue to hold to account Labor and the Greens. They failed you, and if you wish to be taken seriously then you should do this. But the sad truth is that it seems there is no interest in holding those responsible to account. It is far easier, it seems, to start talking about a 0.7 per cent goal, the next goal, glossing over the betrayal of the left side of politics and instead talking about getting the coalition to commit to that goal, and to be negative about us. It is far easier to do that than it is to speak of the reality of what the Labor Party has done to you.

I actually expect that the vast majority will continue to support the left, blinded by a political dogma that falsely supposes that compassion exists only on the left and is oblivious as to who made the cuts that trashed the 0.5 per cent of GDP.

In spite of that, I reiterate that I support the 0.5 per cent of GDP goal. I do support it, but I would take this opportunity to speak of the certainty with regard to poverty.

The certainty is that, through a strong economy, jobs are created and poverty can be alleviated. That is why capacity building in economic growth and education are the areas that must particularly be targeted. To achieve maximum effect in this area, we need governance to also be addressed. I often wonder what could be done in these countries where poverty exists and those living with poverty are held down by the decisions of self-serving governments. So I say yes to foreign aid, but keep every dollar away from political activity particularly here, and concentrate on building strong economies and better education. These are outcomes for effective taxpayer funded foreign aid.