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The Forum > Article Comments > Assessing Australia's humanitarian assistance and development aid program 2007-2013 > Comments

Assessing Australia's humanitarian assistance and development aid program 2007-2013 : Comments

By Tim Costello, published 1/11/2013

The series of backward steps by both Labor and the Coalition sends a very negative message to the global community.

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Jayb maybe you will change you mind when you realize you have perhaps been giving to the wrong people.
I ask you to think a different approach.

It's no good giving to me because I do not accept donations.

Coff up some of your millions Jayb!

Try giving to the actual person/family in real need.
Posted by JF Aus, Thursday, 7 November 2013 7:38:54 PM
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I have not had time to read and digest the following, however they say a fifth of aid never leaves the donor country.
That is disgusting.
I think aid is aid and it should all leave as aid as it is stated to be.
f.y.i

http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2013/nov/06/rich-countries-foreign-aid-oecd-poor
Posted by JF Aus, Thursday, 7 November 2013 7:46:52 PM
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JF: however they say a fifth of aid never leaves the donor country.
That is disgusting.

No, that's a fifth of Aid is all that ever reaches the people for whom the Aid is intended.
Posted by Jayb, Thursday, 7 November 2013 8:42:01 PM
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Jayb, I think you are a little wrong there.
No money reaches the people.

The few building materials that have reached some SI people are not enough for non-capable or old people to have their houses rebuilt.
Also local builders need food for their families while doing the building.
Far away logs have to be sawn in the bush into building timber and then carried down to canoes. Those canoes require outboard petrol to get heavy timber loads home before weather swamps and loses canoe, timber and people.

On the other hand if disaster victims themselves had even just a little bit of cash they could pay for work and materials just like we do.

Petrol in SI is double cost of in Aust. Supermarket and building material prices are more than in Aust.

While a tree log can be free for a customary landowner that has not had trees all nicked by Western loggers, cost can be prohibitive for sawn timber for islanders because of high fuel cost and fact most local people have no paid income or other source of cash money.

Because of loss of traditional seafood trading including with shellmoney, SI people at least need just a little cash to survive.

Government impacted by burden from such impacted people need economic stimulus with no interest strings attached.
For example hospital and clinics are being inundated with people suffering non communicable disease that is linked to inadequate nutrition, protein deficiency malnutrition as evidence I have indicates.

At present hospitals and clinics can not afford adequate medication to treat people in dire need.
And Mr Abbott has fiddled and/or cut AID instead of increasing it.
Before Mr Abbott became PM he would not even respond to my two requests for an urgent meeting about the situation. Too busy bike riding and swimming and his other personal interests perhaps.

I just wish we had Malcolm Fraser middle of the road truly caring politicians in all parties, to truly help people in our own country too.
Posted by JF Aus, Friday, 8 November 2013 6:53:58 AM
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JF, I know what you are saying but it has been my experience that if you give people cash they then just sit on their ar$$3$e$ & wait for the next handout. No, demand another cash handout & that cash goes to the headman & trickles down from there.

Don't you just hate conversations like this that are started by people like the Rv. Tim Costello & they never contribute to the conversation. This is just a fishing expedition on how people feel about Aid. Very disappointing.
Posted by Jayb, Friday, 8 November 2013 7:33:01 AM
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Sorry JF Aus, you're going the wrong way with European building materials & cash.

Around Rabaul we had an interesting population. A couple of thousand Europeans, the locals, Chinese, then a large mixed race population of locals with European, Chinese, & quite a few with Japanese infusion.

Quite a few locals & mixed race had become quite wealthy. Many looking for prestige had built Oz style houses. They would use these for entertaining, but had a local style thatched home behind this, where they actually lived. The local houses were much more comfortable, unless the Oz style house was air conditioned. Anyone with even half a brain cooked some distance from the main house, in the open or in a cook house, usually just a roof.

Many plantations, where the power had to be generated, had older Oz style houses used as storage sheds, & the main house was native style. Bigger than the usual local homes, but the same thatch & coconut woven construction. Some of these used sawn timber for flooring, & that was towed behind a boat or canoe, to its destination, rather than carried.

This timber thus pickled, lasted much longer than not salt soaked, resisting dry rot much better.

I had the advantage of knowing many B4s. Old timers who lived there before the war. We lost a huge bank of knowledge & experience when we lost them. While many locals still know how to do things the best way, they would never presume to tell you what you are doing wrong. The old B4 would tell you in no uncertain terms you were dumber than a local, & to stand back & watch.
Posted by Hasbeen, Friday, 8 November 2013 11:50:06 AM
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