Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is also to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Fierravanti-Wells. The OECD Development Assistance Committee 2018 peer review of Australia, published this week, on Tuesday, has found that cuts to Australia's international development budget have impacted on Australia's international profile and reputation and that 'Australia now needs to restore its official development assistance'. Since 2013, the Abbott-Turnbull government has slashed Australia's international development budget by well over $11 billion. Can the minister confirm that, under the Turnbull government, Australia's total spend on international development assistance is projected to fall to 0.2 per cent of gross national income by 2020-21? That's the lowest level since records were first kept.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Moore for her question. Can I say at the outset that we welcome the report. We have an open and transparent approach to aid and we support periodic public reviews. This is part of a process that OECD DAC members go through, and we encourage other nonmembers to consider undertaking public reviews. It's a bit rich for the opposition to come in here and attack our overseas development assistance. When you were last in government, $750 million was diverted out of the overseas development assistance budget to pay for your blowout in border protection. You became the third largest recipient of your own overseas development assistance program, and this meant that assistance was cut to 25 developing countries, including—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Fierravanti-Wells, please resume your seat. If I call ministers to order during an answer, I ask them to resume their seat while I address the point of order. In this case, it is being raised by Senator Moore.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's on relevance on the particular question, which was: can the minister confirm that the current development assistance is projected to fall to the lowest level since records were kept? That is the only question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That was part of the question, Senator Moore. There was a preamble to the question. Ministers are entitled to address the preamble to a question.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I just want to follow up on your ruling. I accept the discussion about the preamble, but the particular question was just about that particular issue about the level. Could you draw the minister's attention to that part of the question.

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Moore, if a minister is being directly relevant to part of a question, they are relevant to a question. That has been a longstanding principle since the word 'directly' was inserted in the standing orders.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian overseas development assistance program remains focused on delivering high-quality results within the budget determined by the government. The government does not support a prescriptive time-bound aid target as a percentage of GNI. As I was saying—

Opposition senators interjecting—

Those opposite don't like to hear this, but I will go on. They were, when they were in government, the third largest recipient of their own aid budget. This meant 25 developing countries, including very small Pacific island states, had their assistance budgets cut. They cut the emergency humanitarian assistance fund by $30 million. But let me go back to the last federal election. They promised to increase the aid budget by— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Moore, a supplementary question.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister rule out any further cuts to Australia's development budget in this year's May budget?

Senator Cash interjecting—

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As Senator Cash says, we can certainly rule out being the biggest recipient of our own aid budget like those opposite were. I go back to the 2016 election. Those opposite promised to increase the aid budget by—

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Order! Senator Fierravanti-Wells, I remind you of the terms of this very specific question from Senator Moore. There was not a preamble on this occasion.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I'm sure you'll all stay tuned on budget night. It will be in May. I am sure, Senator Moore, you will find that out in May. As I was saying, in the 2016 election, those opposite promised to increase the aid budget by $800 million over four years. Deputy Leader of the Opposition Plibersek had previously promised to increase foreign aid spending by almost $20 billion. Where's the money coming from? They boasted of almost doubling the aid budget during the Rudd-Gillard-Rudd years at the time when they were pursuing a seat on the United Nations Security Council. As soon as they got into power, they cut $5.7 billion out of— (Time expired)

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Moore, a final supplementary question.

Claire Moore (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Women) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

What representations have the minister and the Minister for Foreign Affairs made to the Treasurer and the Minister for Finance to ensure that there are no further cuts to Australia's international development budget?

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As I have said to Senator Moore, and as I repeat in this chamber, Australia's overseas development budget is almost $4 billion. Ninety per cent of that money is spent in the Indo-Pacific area, a third of that actually in the Pacific—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I rise on a point of order on direct relevance. It was one question. Could the minister possibly get close to being relevant to the one question that Senator Moore asked?

Scott Ryan (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I note the minister has 42 seconds remaining, and she has been reminded of the terms of the question.

Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you very, very much. This government has stabilised our overseas development assistance budget; we've actually increased it. We are maintaining our overseas development assistance budget at about $4 billion over the next two years.

Senator Wong interjecting—

It's all very well, Senator Wong, for you to bleat. You issue press releases about increasing aid, but where are you going to get the money from? But, of course, you are raiding the pockets of pensioners and retirees. That's where you're going to get the money from.