The “…abject poverty” which the authors tells us is being fought ‘admirably’ by Australians is a natural method of population control, and it is not admirable to fight it. Poverty exists because of high, uncontrolled population growth. All foreign aid does is barely keep alive people who will continue multiplying to produce more poverty-stricken people.

Rather than admire the foreign aid do-gooding industry and the people who contribute to it, we should be condemning them as global criminals. Most people ‘help others’ for their own benefit – they feel good. Organised foreign aid is just an extension of this, and it is doing more harm to the recipients than good.

The cost of Australia’s armed forces has nothing to do with poverty; anyone who thinks, as these authors do, that money not spent on the military would go into foreign aid, has clearly lost the plot. And, we need a defence force. We definitely do not need the high world population we now have, thanks, in no small measure to the aid given by Australia and other countries. And, we should have a DEFENCE force; not reserve force for other countries to use to help fight useless wars in tin pot countries which can do with a reduction in population that comes from killing each other.

When we despair of our politicians, we should be thankful that, bad as they are, they are not as woolly minded as Lyn Allison and Tim Wright.

Leigh when are you going to join the defence forces, you obviously like the thought of killing everyone bar yourself, which is what every politician thinks, as long as it is not me, when we pay big money to film stars, sports people, Politicians and others including Royalty,let us become more humane to the poor, bullets create poverty in itself, a useless exercise

Ojnab - banjO .. never a person in more need of punctuation, ever!

Where did you get the idea Leigh wanted to kill people, I read the post as a comment from an observer. A lot of wildlife documentry makers now have got the message, don't mess with what you're fiming, don't save the wildebeast calf, or the lion cub from certain death - it's the way fo the wild. A lot of what foreign aid does is prop up bad situations and extend the suffering of people, excluding them from natural selection.

One day we may have to adopt the documentry maker's policy, I agree Leigh, and not help every plea for help. Tough love, but that's an equaliser and a natural way of reducing the population.

Sure I wouldn't like it if it were me, but I'm fortunate to live somewhere civilised and that has moved beyond living in mud huts eating dirt .. progress.

It might be us one day, yes, that's tough luck - I'm sure you all feel good handing out a little pittance to everyone who wants it, and everyone who asks. Do you think it really helps in the long run?

Charity begins at home, stop wasting taxpayer's money (ordinary, working people) on every basketcase overseas, we have so much need here e.g. our own poor and homeless.

Thanks, rpg. I certainly don't want to kill anyone, but every time I expound my opinions on population, there is always someone who wants to call me a homicidal maniac.

Your wildlife analogy is a good one; culling is often used when a species starts eating itself out of existence. I understand that kangaroos know enough to stop breeding when conditions are tough. What does that say about us?

I have no religious convictions, but I do believe in the forces of nature, and I am not advocating culling people; nature is doing it for us, and I believe that it is wrong for people looking for kudos to interfere in that process. For a long, long time Australia and other rich countries have been giving aid to over-populated countries unable to look after themselves, and all of it has made no difference at all – in fact, it might have made things worse, as meddling in the process of natural selection usually does.

Leigh just says it with out a lot of padding and fluff. It's good I reckon!

The problem is that countries like India and China who have pop problems see this era of instability to distract attention from home woes thus unite their country,lose a few unwanted people and expand their empires.

There is a lot of money to be made from war.The Central banks of the world loan to Govts who spend $ trillions on weapons.These Govts are then in debt to the banks for decades latter.

We may have to spend a lot more on defence,since the US may no longer be an assured ally.

We have to find ways of curbing pop growth.China is doing it's best and countries like India will have to bite the bullet.No one will win the next war since the temptation to use the ulimate force
if invasion threatens,will be too great.