Pauline Hanson (Queensland, Pauline Hanson's One Nation Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate take note of the answer given by the Minister for Foreign Affairs (Senator Wong) to a question without notice I asked today relating to foreign aid.

I asked the foreign affairs minister today about foreign aid. At the moment, we're paying over $5 billion in foreign aid. I asked the minister the question about giving foreign aid. She said that it keeps peace in the region, we're actually doing it for our neighbours and we have to look after our Pacific and other neighbours. But it seems every time Albanese gets on a plane and travels anywhere around the world he's actually opening up the taxpayer's wallet and handing out money to these countries, and I have a grave concern about that.

I also asked the question about this foundation that Nasser Mashni is involved in: could government assure the people who are putting into this fund that it's actually going to the right cause and not to the terrorists? The minister answered my question, basically, by saying, 'Look, it's the government's money.' I'm not talking about just the government's money; I'm talking about the Australian taxpayers who are putting money into this fund for a cause. The government should be ensuring that this organisation that has been set up is legitimate and above board and that the money is not being funnelled to terrorist organisations, which it's being reported could be the case.

Also, when I spoke about the money going to these countries, it was about struggling Australians. As far as I'm concerned, we are here to look after the Australian people first and foremost. The Australian people are struggling. They don't have homes. They don't have houses. They're living in tents. They don't have the care and attention or hospitalisation when they need it. This is where the people should be looked after first and foremost—not worrying about Tuvalu, not worrying about climate change and setting them up for the future and all the rest of it. It's about looking after our own people. That's what I'm saying. Five billion dollars a year is a lot of money that could help a lot of Australians.

Question agreed to.