Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question and congratulate her on her assumption of the leadership of the Greens. I think all Australians can be proud that in the next three years our aid spending will help to vaccinate more than 10 million poor children against preventable childhood diseases. I think every senator here can be proud that our aid spending over the next three years will see 8.5 million people with access to safer water. I think all Australians can be proud that, as a result of this record budget and the increase in spending on aid, we will have 30 million people in the world who are vulnerable to conflict and famine provided with food. That is as a result of our record aid spending. A further four million boys and girls will be able to enrol in school and 45 million children will obtain a better quality education as a result of our record aid budget. And 2.3 million poor people will access better financial services, including loans and support, to start small businesses as a result of the increase in aid in this budget. While other countries are reducing aid because of the pressures of the international economic situation, Australia is increasing aid. Under acute budgetary pressures, the only concession that has been made is that it will take only one year longer to reach that honourable goal, that noble goal, of 0.5 per cent of gross national income allocated to aid. In all the circumstances, I think it is a good achievement of this government to increase and not reduce the aid budget, and all Australians can be proud of that.