Senate debates

Monday, 25 June 2012

Motions

Foreign Aid Budget

3:38 pm

Photo of Lee RhiannonLee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | | Hansard source

I, and also on behalf of Senator Milne, move:

That the Senate—

  (a)   congratulates the Prime Minister (Ms Gillard) on her appointment to co-chair a global leadership group on achieving the Millennium Development Goals;

  (b)   notes that:

     (i)   in 1970, Australia endorsed the United Nations target to allocate 0.7 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) to foreign aid,

     (ii)   the former Prime Minister (Mr Howard) endorsed the 0.7 per cent target when he signed on to the Millennium Development Goals, and

     (iii)   on 22 November 2011, the Senate voted to reaffirm a bipartisan commitment to increase the International Development Assistance Budget to at least 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015; and

  (c)   calls on the Government to:

     (i)   recommit to 0.5 per cent of GNI to be allocated to Australia's foreign aid budget by 2015, and

     (ii)   commit to re-evaluating the provision of 0.7 per cent of GNI to the foreign aid budget in order to bring Australia in line with achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Photo of Stephen ParryStephen Parry (Tasmania, Liberal Party) Share this | | Hansard source

The question is that the motion moved by Senator Rhiannon be agreed to.