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

There is such a threat of a cut to the Australian aid budget. It came in this immensely detailed policy document about Northern Australia, which is weighty with detail. It proposes a huge excision in Australian development assistance abroad, without any justification. It is not compatible with the OECD guidelines that help us shape what is eligible and not eligible for Australian aid. It is a massive cut. They say that they would compensate by building a hospital in Australia, but that is not how you help the Solomons with their problem of malaria. It is not how you help get rid of polio in Pakistan. It is not how you stop the spread of TB—