The National Forum   Donate   Your Account   On Line Opinion   Forum   Blogs   Polling   About   
The Forum - On Line Opinion's article discussion area



Syndicate
RSS/XML


RSS 2.0

Main Articles General

Sign In      Register

The Forum > Article Comments > 2012 Budget: no votes in foreign aid > Comments

2012 Budget: no votes in foreign aid : Comments

By Jo Coghlan, published 9/5/2012

A strategic shift away from Australian aid reveals Gillard's hatchet job on Rudd's UN dream.

  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. All
Here Here.
Posted by Trav, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 8:52:49 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
*It also reduces the likeliness of Australia increasing its presence in the U.N., another Rudd dream.*

Err so what? Rudd clearly forgot that we are just 20 million
people, living at the arse end of the world.

Last time I read anything on how much foreign aid is spent, huge
sums were going to hiring various consultants earning enormous
salaries, so I doubt that the billions already being spent, is
being spent so wisely.

Next question, the elephant in the room remains the extra quarter
of a million people a day being added to the planet. Much of that
happens because women in the third world don't have access to family
planning. Yet AFAIK, virtually none of Australia's foreign aid
is spent on family planning in the third world, for fear of upsetting
religious lobby groups. Just throwing more billions at the third
world, is not their answer. Spending it a bit more wisely would
be a better place to start.
Posted by Yabby, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 9:40:09 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
The Author conveniently ignores a number of realities? We simply don't own a bottomless bucket of money, charity begins at home; or, in order to help others, you first must enjoy enough prosperity to be able to afford to do so!
She makes the point that the current refugee policy is costing billions, which she seems to conclude could be better spent on our foreign aid program.
Well that might be possible if our uninvited guests would join the queue. Sure there are places where there is no such queue. Well at least until they make it as far as Thailand or Malaysia? Which have UN sanctioned/administered queues?
My question to her is. Why do so many practising Muslims reject resettlement in relatively prosperous Malaysia, but take terrible risks and expend quite massive amounts of capital to reach a Christian country, which they almost invariably endlessly critique?
Sure an open door Island nation Greece plays host to a temporary one million intending asylum seekers/economic migrants/boat arrivals; but, tiny Greece has a population of just twelve million; and could only support those numbers, with the ongoing endless aid of other EU nations.
Look at the economic position of Greece today; and ask, how much did/does a million uninvited guests play in the economic problems, that a virtually bankrupt Greece wrestles with today?
And or, does she think we should emulate their open door policy and the enormous, if unintended adverse consequences, it seems to have created? Rhrosty.
Posted by Rhrosty, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 11:00:16 AM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Rhosty, you say “in order to help others, you first must enjoy enough prosperity to be able to afford to do so!” But it doesn’t get much more prosperous than this. Australia is one of the richest countries in the world, and one of the few developed economies to recover well from the global financial crisis. Our real wages have never been higher, and our per capita GDP is about five times the average level in the developing world.

The UN’s target for developed countries’ aid is less than 1% of GDP, but we have never met it. So much for Australia’s self-image as generous and compassionate.
Posted by Rhian, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 3:07:33 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Interesting issue.

However, i think breaking promises on foreign aid sign of things to come. In this era of free trade, we are supposed to give more, take more asylum seekers, accept more foreign products, let in more foreign workers, and live on less resources.

Dream on about hopes for much higher foreign aid.
Posted by Chris Lewis, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 3:44:32 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
Chris
What on earth has free trade got to go with it … except perhaps that it is contributing to the prosperity that makes Australia’s meanness indefensible
Posted by Rhian, Wednesday, 9 May 2012 3:51:00 PM
Find out more about this user Recommend this comment for deletion Return to top of page Return to Forum Main Page Copy comment URL to clipboard
  1. Pages:
  2. Page 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. All

About Us :: Search :: Discuss :: Feedback :: Legals :: Privacy