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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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As Chief executive of World Vision Australia, how much do you earn, Tim Costello?

Plenty of foreign trips to exotic locations? Four or five star hotels with the bill pi9cket up by the Aussie taxpayer? How much super have you got?

If Australia is cutting back on foreign aid Tim, it might be "sending a negative image of Australia" to foreigners, but it is sending a very positive message to people like me who will be lucky to earn $35,000 dollars this year.
Posted by LEGO, Monday, 4 November 2013 4:12:17 AM
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JayB,

Yes, I do say AID may not be sent, explaining ineffectiveness in countries in need, because you say, quote, "The Governments are sending 8 Billion overseas".

Why blame the victims of poverty overseas?

The AID is clearly failing.
Surely it should be asked and evidence examined, as to where such billions can actually be seen to be spent on AID overseas, or where it can be seen to be misappropriated overseas.
Posted by JF Aus, Monday, 4 November 2013 7:21:55 AM
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JF: Why blame the victims of poverty overseas?

I don't think anybody, especially me, is blaming these people. It's certainly not Australia's fault they are still poor after all the Aid that is supposedly being poured into them. Many of these countries have an elite that are super rich who do nothing for their people. Why is it up to the West to fix their problems.

Why are these people impoverished? Custom, Religion, Feudal Political Systems. Is the West tackling the problem at the wrong end? If so, can the West really do anything about it? Do the people really want to change their lifestyle? Just because Westerners, who live in a sterile world, don't like the mud huts & dirt floors, Do we have a right to interfere?

Why haven't we heard from Tim Costello?
Posted by Jayb, Monday, 4 November 2013 9:02:17 AM
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JayB,

You sound like a sensible and decent person.

The key word you mention there is “supposedly”.
Now, I cannot speak for Ausaid recipients other than Solomon Islands.

SI may have an elite class but many in my opinion are not super rich or even rich.
And those people do as best they can for their people.

The obvious problem in SI is lack of cash amongst the people and in the economy generally.
If Australian public donations reached the people things would be different.
If the Howard govt announced $800 million reached SI the whole country would be out of trouble.

Former SI – PM and economist and then Treasurer Bart Ulufa’alu, told me the fish devastation had gone unnoticed in SI and that now the SI economy needs to be monetized.
Until about 20 years ago, SI had fish that was used for trade, including shell money traded into PNG.

Yes the West is tackling the problem in the wrong way, even in Western countries. It appears cash (and AID cash) is being kept in short supply, so as to lure borrowers that generate interest.

Continued………
Posted by JF Aus, Monday, 4 November 2013 1:16:46 PM
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Cont’d…..

The West is advocating agriculture as a solution but consumers in SI have no cash to buy agricultural produce. Fertilizer and even chicken feed has to be imported.
Cost of end product is un-affordable by the majority of consumers in general.
The whole nation is being dragged down.
In my opinion SI is not the only nation with the money shortage problem.

Yes I think there are solutions but I find local Aus politicians unavailable to hear about the situation, the system of government is broken down.

Yes we all want our lifestyle changed by improvement.
We don’t want worry over shortage of money for healthy food, for heating and cooking etc.
We want cash to pay for our Aust children’s breakfast before they go to school, and for school lunch, in SI and elsewhere too.

We in Aus do have good government generally that has been developed by good public service people. But there are failings, such as with real AID.

So far the MDG program has virtually been all talk and no real action.
Those of us who are honest and decent have a right and a duty to interfere in phantom aid.

Will we ever hear from Mr Costello? He does not need donations to call on PM Abbott to call on the UN for a real life MDG progress hearing toward action and relevant solutions.
Posted by JF Aus, Monday, 4 November 2013 1:18:52 PM
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JF: I cannot speak for Ausaid recipients other than Solomon Islands.

I can't speak for SI, having never been there. My sister worked for an Accountant for a year & told me that the people were the laziest ar$#0(3s she had ever seen. The same thing was said by some diggers I know who went there to help. They went all over the SI's & said none of them wouldn't get off their ar$3s if they could get a hand out for free.

From my own experience in Malaysia. I can only concur. As the old saying goes, "Give a man some money & he'll be drunk for a week. Teach him to help himself & he'll feed himself & his family forever." A bit of license there. Sorry. After Darwin I have never given to Charity. Half the money disappeared & the Lawyers & Accountants got the rest looking for the first half. If you noticed the same sort of thing happens with the Flood & Fires in Australia.

BIG RULE. Never, never, give money.

I said it before. The only Aid Australia should be giving is Emergency Aid. Even then the Tent's, Generators & Water Plants, etc., should be returned when they are no longer needed. The Church Groups& other Volunteer Groups can provide other Aid if they feel the need, but they should be strictly monitored. I have a scrap of paper here somewhere with a list of all the Australian Charities & the Percentages of Donated money that is taken up by Administration.
I believe, "World Vision," Tim's Charity, is one of the worst for Administration Costs.

Tim. "Please explain."
Posted by Jayb, Monday, 4 November 2013 2:25:52 PM
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