Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Citizenship and Settlement) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise this evening to speak on behalf of my constituents and the people of Australia in regard to the future direction of this country's foreign aid program. At a time of economic uncertainty, many Australian taxpayers understandably expect results and value for money. Australians are generous and have a long tradition of domestic and international giving.

Today I attended the presentation of the government's Independent review of aid effectiveness. I welcome the report and place on record my thanks for the dedicated work undertaken by the panel to produce this report. The 39 recommendations made by this report seek to do exactly what we in the coalition have always sought—that is, to increase transparency, scrutiny and effective­ness. In addition to the government's aid program we are fortunate, through the generosity of the people of this country, to have increased corporate social respon­sibility, volunteerism and cause related projects by NGOs which all give rise to substantial international giving.

The community's expectation is that their personal donations, corporate philanthropy, NGO fundraising and foreign aid money are spent on improving people's lives and we need to ensure that these goals are achieved. We also need to ensure that the effectiveness of our aid is maintained by increased scrutiny and transparency. The coalition not only believe in the delivery of a tougher, more accountable aid program but also have always believed that there should be greater emphasis on a cooperative approach, partic­ularly through working with other governments and other aid organisations, as well as with Australia's corporate sector.

Given the size and significance of our foreign aid program, the coalition will appoint a minister for international develop­ment assistance to work with the foreign affairs minister to oversee our aid budget and to have responsibility for AusAID and the delivery of aid. To maximise the benefits and assistance that we can provide, the coalition have always believed that Australia's corporate aid programs need to be well coordinated to mesh with our global focus and our country-specific programs. In addition to AusAID spending, greater coord­ination and tracking of international aid donations and philanthropy should be identified and coordinated.

The coalition's approach to international development assistance is to place a greater focus on harnessing the efforts of all contributors investing in the future of our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region. Internationally, Australia is recognised for its leading role in the region, particularly in PNG and near Pacific nations. Australia's aid is even more important given that two-thirds of the world's poor—some 800 million people—live in the Asia-Pacific region, yet receive less than one-third of global aid.

Our objective should be to support, encourage and work with our neighbours to invest in health and education, create employment, increase trade and investment, and pursue inclusive growth that benefits their populations. We believe a greater focus on basic education, particularly for girls, is the most effective form of long-term educational investment. Current rates of females being educated remain much lower than that of males, and addressing this is the first step in our commitment to the development of women leaders in our region. Improved educational opportunities for girls will also translate into improved economic and health outcomes.

It was a coalition government that established the Office of Development Effec­tiveness, which was designed to oversee the activities of our aid program. It is really disappointing to note that the last annual review published by the ODE was for the year 2009. Therefore, I wholeheartedly welcome recommendation 30, which would enhance the oversight undertaken by the ODE. I also support a whole-of-government approach to strengthening planning, mon­itoring and reporting. The establishment of the Development Effectiveness Steering Committee to achieve this is also very welcome.

Our focus should be on the Asia-Pacific region, but there is no question that we should continue to assist other areas of the world where the need arises. We recognise that foreign aid spending in other parts of the world is essential. We support the recommendations, and the major focus of the foreign aid budget should primarily be within our region and continue to grow there. The coalition welcome the report and its recommendations, particularly those that support our view, encourage greater transp­arency and describe steps and performance indicators that should be implemented to provide a further safeguard for Australia's aid program.