Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific. Will the Minister outline the priorities of the Australian government's aid program? How have these priorities changed over time?

Opposition Members:

Opposition members interjecting—

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

It is good to receive a warm welcome from the opposition. I thank the member for Brisbane for her question. I know that she has taken a long-term interest in Australian aid and the benefits that flow from it. I am pleased to advise that the Australian aid budget will provide some $4 billion of assistance over 2015-16, which makes Australia the 13th largest donor in the OECD. In fact, in terms of percentage of gross national income, Australia's foreign aid places us above the United States, Canada, Japan and Korea. Australia's aid program is directed towards boosting economic growth. We want to promote prosperity, to reduce poverty and to enhance stability in our region. I can advise the House that the three largest recipients of Australian aid in 2015-16 will be Papua New Guinea, Indonesia and the Solomon Islands.

Just last week I had the opportunity to travel to Papua New Guinea to have a look at the difference that Australian aid is making on the ground. I had the opportunity to go along to the PNG governance and leadership precinct to have a look at how Australian taxpayers' dollars are making a difference in training the next generation of the PNG civil service. I went to Buk bilong at Pikinini. This is an important Australian aid program where Australian aid is making a difference in helping young PNG children to read.

Australian aid priorities have changed over time, as the member for Brisbane suggested. Fifteen years ago, the Philippines, China and Thailand were among our top 10 recipients. Today those are thriving economies. After receiving my incoming brief from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I asked for a history of Australia's priorities when it comes to our aid program. I have to say that the years 2012 and 2013 stood out a little bit. In those years, Indonesia was the highest recipient of Australian aid and PNG was second. What was unusual was who the third largest recipient of Australian aid was.

Jamie Briggs (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Cities and the Built Environment) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Who was the third?

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

Who was it?

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