ACFID: There should be a timetable for foreign aid

Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) has said major parties must back their commitments to effective Australian aid programs with a timetable to reach their aid funding policy target.

“In response to ACFID’s 10 questions on aid policy, four political parties across the political spectrum have told us they support an effective and expanded Australian aid program,” said CEO ACFID Marc Purcell.

“The Liberal, Labor, Australian Greens and Family First parties all agreed aid funding must rise, but they differ markedly on how they would approach this.

“The two major parties’ policy for the past decade has been to provide 0.5 per cent of gross national income (GNI) to the aid program as part of their effort to reach the UN goal for of 0.7 per cent GNI.”

ACFID has called on the Liberal and Labor parties to commit to a timetable for aid funding increases.

“Past Labor and Liberal governments have repeatedly made international commitments to provide 0.7 per cent GNI in aid funding to help eradicate poverty. It is for this reason that it is important to make time bound commitments that meet that responsibility,” said Purcell.

“A clear commitment by the Liberals, Labor and the Greens to gender equality as an aid program priority will be well received by the Australian aid community.”

ACFID has put together a comparative table with a summary of the parties’ responses to ACFID’s 10 questions and our 2016 election platform.