Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the document.

I take this opportunity in looking at this addendum to the AusAID annual report because it continues the work that was in the original report. I take the opportunity tonight to draw attention to the detail that was in the AusAID annual report and the fact that this was the first report that came out after the extensive review of AusAID that was done in 2010-11. This report picks up many of the recommendations that were put into that extensive review that was tabled and was widely read across the community.

I just want to make a comment that today we had the opportunity to meet a large number of young people who came to lobby across this parliament on the issues of stopping poverty in the world and stopping poverty through Australia taking its role in ensuring that we share in the national responsibility to address poverty in areas that desperately need our support.

The link to the actual document is the fact that these young people had intimate, detailed and professional knowledge of the way that the AusAID system operates. These are not juvenile enthusiasts who just take an interest in things that may excite them or the opportunity to be together with a group with whom they can meet and discuss; these young people understand the way that the AusAID process operates, they question it and they actually demand that the system operate effectively. They have personal commitment to ensure that they as potential Australian taxpayers—some of them are already taxpayers—understand and are part of decisions about where our aid is best used. They also have a genuine commitment to ensure that we as a government, we as a parliament, make a commitment to ensure that we increase our overseas aid commitment—that we move toward the public declaration that this government has made to 0.5 per cent of GDP. These people are not satisfied at reaching that commitment. I am sure many people in this parliament actually met with them and shared their enthusiasm, I trust. They want to have more of our GDP spent on meeting our international obligations. More than just saying, 'It should be more money,' they demand that the money be directed where it can best be used, and they have suggestions which they feed into what must be a national debate on this issue.

Too often we see the issues around AusAID being sensationalised in media contributions—and I am not going into the debate that we have just had about the role of media! In terms of the process, the positive stories about the way that Australian aid is being used across our globe to improve lives, to improve communities, to respond to the Millennium Development Goals which we share as a nation do not seem to have the credence and the attraction of being raised in the media of our country, which is very sad. We can raise numerous examples of where Australian aid is being used effectively. But if it can be used in a way to show that there could be some misuse, if it can be shown in a way to create some inappropriate and artificial competition between where aid is best used and where it is not, that creates media attention.

We saw last weekend some media stories going out which I think were attempting to raise the debate in this way. What I say to that, and what the AusAID annual report points out, is that there are audit processes within our AusAID system. That audit process seeks out the way aid is used, the way the budget is put into place and the way that feedback must be put through to ensure that systems are done effectively.

We know that across the globe there are serious corruption issues in several governments in countries which need and demand our support. The role of the Australian aid program is to investigate thoroughly any area where we are likely to invest any money, professional help or advice. That is part of the process of an effective system, which is highlighted in the report. Then we should assess regularly along the way how the aid is being used and what the way should be into the future.

I believe that all of us should follow through the annual reports the way that our aid budget is operating. We need to be part of the discussion to make it better. I think by working with the young people who came to see us today we can be part of ensuring that we can guarantee to all Australians that AusAID is acting effectively for all our communities.

I seek leave to continue my remarks.

Leave granted.

Ian Macdonald (Queensland, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Northern and Remote Australia) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I also wish to speak to the motion to take note of the addendum to the Australian Agency for International Development report for 2011-12.

AusAID has over many, many years done a lot of good work for the people in less developed, less favoured countries than Australia. Indeed, AusAID spends a lot of taxpayers' money trying to address some of the difficulties and problems, particularly related to poverty, around the world.

Like Senator Moore, I was also visited this afternoon by four young, enthusiastic, principled people from the Oaktree Foundation: Bronte Baldwin, Kani Martin, Kieran Dowling and Miriam Clarke. We had a chat for about half an hour about reducing poverty around the world. I was pleased to talk with these young people and to encourage them in the work that they do in trying to highlight the poverty around the world and how Australia, through AusAID and elsewhere, could indeed help.

I was pleased that they had a general view, as I do, that Australian aid should be directed, where possible, closer to home. It is my view that AusAID should be working principally in Indonesia, some south-east Asian countries, but particularly in PNG and the Western Pacific countries—countries to which Australia has, I think, a particular obligation. The members of the Oaktree Foundation and I had a chat about this and I was delighted to also hear their views.

As I said to members of the Oaktree Foundation today, whilst AusAID has over the years done a good job, there is some concern at present on the focus of AusAID and whether the delivery of some of its programs and some of its expenditure of Commonwealth money is appropriate. I would hope a government at the end of this year would have another look at that. There is a lot of disquiet up in my part of North Queensland about AusAID's work in the western province of Papua New Guinea in dealing with health and, in particular, TB issues.

I was asked by the young people who called to see me whether I would be prepared to make a speech in the parliament, making a commitment to the goal that we would all like to see or whether I would be prepared to attend a rally later in the year. I said to them, 'I'm not keen to go to rallies until I see what they're about and see whether there's an underlying agenda.' I also said, 'If it's going to be a rally where populist politicians get up and make all sorts of promises, then I do not think I want to be in the competition to make promises, unless I know I can discharge them.' I said, 'There are promises'—and I used the example of our Prime Minister, who, before the last election, promised hand on heart, that she would not introduce a carbon tax and then she did—'and that people at these rallies will stand up and talk about AusAID and say, yes, we are going to do this but, in the cold, hard light of day when the crunch comes and the budget figures come out, much as they would like to do it, they really are not in a position to commit themselves to that.'

I warned these young people—and they are only young; I do not want to discourage their view on politicians and the parliamentary process—and I said, 'Be careful of those who promise everything in relation to AusAID or any other issue that is of importance to you.' Certainly, AusAID does have a lot of money. It can be a force for real power and real good in our region. This report that we are discussing deals with some of the work that AusAID has done, but I am one of those who always think that AusAID can do a little bit better and I think the parliament needs to keep that under review.

Gavin Marshall (Victoria, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The time allowed for the consideration of government documents has now expired.