Michael Sukkar (Deakin, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Why is it important that the government deliver a responsible and affordable aid program in the context of fixing budget deficits and debt?

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Deakin for his question. In the recent budget the government confirmed that Australia would spend more than $5 billion on development assistance in the year 2014-15. Australia will continue to be ranked in the top 10 group of major donors in the OECD world and 92 per cent of Australian aid will now be spent in our region—an increase over previous years.

I want to contrast the approach that we have taken—the affordable, responsible, sustainable approach—to aid with that of the former government. Former Labor foreign minister, Bob Carr, has shed light on Labor's handling of not only the economy but also the aid budget. Behind closed doors, Labor admits what it refuses to tell the Australian people. I quote from Bob Carr's travel log. He said: 'Wayne Swan told me the fiscal situation is ruinous.' That is the only truth that Wayne Swan ever told when he was in government. He certainly got that right: the debt and deficit legacy under Labor would have been ruinous had they stayed in office. According to Bob Carr, the former Treasurer had no option but to announce increases in the aid budget—not because of any concerns about poverty but because of factional fights within Labor. I quote again from the shadow minister's mentor, Bob Carr, who said about increases to the aid budget that Swan 'would have risked a Ruddite revolt otherwise'. So, no sooner had the shadow minister for foreign affairs shift her support from Julia Gillard to Kevin Rudd, that he cut a further $878 million from the aid budget—taking Labor's total budget cuts in the aid budget to $5.7 billion over the last 15 months. Having the left the country with record levels of debt, of some $667 billion—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

We have a rule about charts. We put the chart down.

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am prepared to share this document to which I am referring. The opposition deputy leader has now committed Labor to finding an additional $16 billion. Here it is; here is her press release of 14 May. They have to find an additional $16 billion for the aid budget.

The member for Sydney owes it to the Australian people to reveal what areas of the budget Labor will cut to find this $16 billion additional funding for the aid budget. Coincidentally, $16 billion is what the government spends on higher education. So I call on the Deputy Leader of the Opposition to rule out cuts of $16 billion to higher education. What about ruling out $16 billion—

Mr Thistlethwaite interjecting—

Mrs Bronwyn Bishop (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Member for Kingsford Smith!

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Where else are you going to find the money? What fantasy world do you live in? You had better let your friends in the Socialist Alternative know of this plan—because they will have something to protest about then. Affordable, responsible, sustainable—that is the mantra of the coalition. (Time expired)