Enlightened and proactive communities and voters can shape the culture and priorities of their elected representatives and the Australian Government in support of greater foreign aid to address the unmet needs of the poor in our Asia Pacific region and beyond. It can not be left to politicians to manipulate the aid budget just to achieve a surplus.

Diaspora communities in Australia play an important role in helping reduce poverty across the globe by sending money, goods and in-kind support to their families and friends abroad. This form of giving needs to be encouraged, celebrated and recognised by society and by the Australian Parliament.

For the last 100 years, the Macedonian diaspora in Australia has been providing all types of monetary and other forms of assistance to Macedonia and to other parts of the region where Macedonians live and have not waited on the Australian Government to provide assistance even though a strong case can be made that as Australian taxpayers they can demand at least some scholarships to be available for talented and needy young Macedonians.

Foreign aid is an international crime, keeping developing communities in poverty. With the exception of humanitarian relief for disasters, it should be abandoned. With free trade, light regulation and low taxes, poverty will be eliminated within a generation.

We see the total mismanagement of money here in Australia by our current Government. That is why foreign aid had to be cut.

Generalisations such as 'History is also on the side of the moral argument, showing that one place is generally wealthy at the expense of another.' is unhelpful. The huge untapped wealth stored up in many African nations leaves many in poverty. Generally it is corrupt and incompetent Governments as well as tribal mentality in these places that keep these people poor. Look at the billions poured into local aid in NT/QLD/WA and yet you still see great poverty. Very few Australians would object to giving to those less blessed than us however it is nice to give from generosity rather than guilt pushed upon us by social engineering.

Macedonia is in Europe Yes/No! Then why do they need financial aid!!

< The Federal government had committed to increase foreign aid from 0.35 per cent to 0.5 by 2015-16. The recent budget included the postponement of this commitment for a further year. >

Yeah. ‘Committed’, my bum!

We should be contributing the UN long-recommended 0.7% of GDP.

< Those who believe our aid contribution should be increased may also deeply disapprove of how the money is distributed and the conditions placed on recipients. >

We need to make sure that it is right sort of aid, directed at the implementation of sustainable societies, particularly the reduction of the birthrate in many countries, and at the causal factors of refugeeism….and at emergency aid in times of disasters.

There SHOULD be conditions placed on it. Strong conditions that the recipient countries do all that it can to further these causes.

<< Yet, most of us could easily divert 0.5 per cent of our own annual income and chose exactly where it goes. >>

Well, we should always be free to make contributions of this sort. But it shouldn’t be used as an excuse for our government to not contribute a reasonable amount that a developed country should be contributing.

< Nor can we rely on governments to act from a moral imperative, institutions don't have morals, only individuals do. >

Oh I think we CAN expect and demand that our government act from a moral perspective.

The trouble with individual morals and aid contributions is that they are all over the place. There are lots of different charities out there. Lots of them are not really addressing the baseline problems but are only dealing with the symptoms.

So as well as personal contributions, we need well-directed government-implemented aid programs.

Good article James.

Ludwig you've got to be kidding. Give even more money to those monkeys in suits at the UN, what are you thinking?

If NATO had not stepped in, after 4 years of monkey business by the UN, the slaughter in Bosnia would still be going on.

Move your view to the middle east & you have the monkeys, still trying to type out the works of Shakespeare, & doing just as well as usual. Unless someone else steps in the UN will kill thousands in Syria, by remote control as usual.

I feel sick every time I see these useless excuses for diplomats pontificating on TV. Hell, those in power in must be trembling in their boots. The monkeys are threatening to wag a finger at them.

Give more money to the UN, bull dust. What we should be doing is to help move the whole organisation to the ends of the earth, then push it off.

About the only thing Gillard could do to get me to vote for her is withdraw from the UN, & cancel all treaties we have been stupid enough to sign. Of course I still probably wouldn't vote for her, unless the other lot looked like rejoining. She has taught us well to lie.