$375 million dollars is to be diverted from the aid budget to help pay for costs associated with asylum seekers in Australia.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr says that this is totally justifiable and still falls within the definition of foreign aid. Just about everyone outside of Labor and some within say otherwise.

It is a vexed issue. I don’t want to see our aid budget reduced, which is effectively the case here. But neither do I want to see the enormous amount of money that asylum seekers are costing the country lead to less money for health, education, etc, etc.

Perhaps the better thing to have done would have been to allocate money of this sort of magnitude from the aid budget to decisively stopping the boats.

This would hopefully only take a one-off cut to the aid budget, whereas the diverted money that will be spent on refugees will not address the core of the problem and is bound to carry on next year and the year after… until the government gets it through their thick heads that they have to take the strongest possible action to stop this incredible onshore asylum seeking debacle.

Surely the thing to strive for is a complete shut-down of onshore asylum seeking and a boost to foreign aid to 0.5% of GDP, and then to the UN-recommended 0.7% a few years later.

As Tim Costello says, this money is vastly more effectively and efficiently spent in addressing poverty and other issues related to refugeeism in countries that require that sort of aid, and in bringing perhaps 20 000 of the most needy of refugees to Australia each year via our formal immigration program, than it is in paying for onshore asylum seekers once they have reached Australia, or its offshore detention/processing facilities.

Should Labor have diverted this money?

Is it being wisely reallocated?

Has Labor broken yet another promise by going against their plan to increase foreign aid to 0.5% of GDP?

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/political-news/labor-mp-slams-foreign-aid-cut-20121217-2bjd1.html

http://afr.com/p/national/diversion_of_foreign_aid_absolutely_krbkM981Vf4zB3uWj3RiVO

Well Ludwig, I am no fan of the government but ultimately it is paid
by the taxpayer.
Look at this as just the first change that is to take place.
When/if the coalition takes over there will have to be a lot more of this.

Where does charity begin. It is still foreign aid, being spent on new arrivals.

Ludwig,thanks for what will be an interesting thread.
We however can not ignore the truth in Bazz post.
Sure offshore aid is to suffer.
But in truth these boat economic refugees have been doing that for ten years.
Jumping the Que, and getting refugee spots others should have.
I can see the dribble to come, redneck rage at Labors apparent owner ship of this massive increase.
NO DOUBT they play a part.
As Abbott,s dream to be PM has.
But while we in my opinion MUST STOP THE BOATS, how do we do it.
Ludwig truth is if these interlopers.
Did not come, several BILLION dollars could be spent on things such as the currently unfunded disability scheme.
In the end those screaming in rage against our failure to stop them.
Leaves this question. how would you stop them, to every poster who blames Labor
Greens? hang your heads in SHAME.
An easy ride for them yet, they are as intractable as Abbott.
And in the end they hand the issue to Liberals to fix.

As most of you already know, I have a serious problem with Foreign Aid as a matter of course. For all the rhetoric & Politically Correct Speak very little of Foreign Aid gets where it supposed to go & what does get to where it's supposed to go does little good. In fact half of it does more harm than good.
There is a good lecture in TED Talks by Ernesto Sirolli. “Want to help someone? Shut-up & listen.”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=chXsLtHqfdM&playnext=1&list=PL09F124638C1B6513&feature=results_video
Now I know that some of you refuse, point blank, to look at something that may be different to your ideal. But I implore you to watch this. Its terrifying.
Should we be cutting our Foreign Aid? Yes.
Should the cut be going to the Asylum seekers? No.
Where should this Aid money be going? To help our own people who need Aid. EG, Homeless & the disabled.

I think it is a good thing but like usual Labor will stuff it up.

Now if the money was taken from the cause of the boat problem it would help stop them namely Indonesia and Malaysia after all they let them into there countries KNOWING they are not tourists but are on there way to Australia. (Indonesia receive more money from us than any other country)

Notice how the charities are jumping up and down in protest, 1 reason is if you can get the figures check out the salary of the top executives. For them charity begins with thyself.