Intro: In the last generation, humanity has made great progress in shaping a more just and equal world: We’ve cut global poverty by 50% in the last ten years We’ve doubled the number of people who have access to clean water We’ve dramatically reduced the number of children dying every year, and we’ve nearly halved the number of women dying during childbirth. This shows where some of our foreign aid programs have had a beneficial effect and it is crucial that we continue to provide support to further resolve these issues. However, In May 2016 the Australian government handed down the 2016/17 federal budget which confirmed the final round of Australian foreign aid cuts: $224 million or 7.4% of the Australian aid program which is now less …show more content…
In a recent opinion poll, Australian voters naively believed that our foreign aid budget is ten time bigger than it actually is. In fact compared with other countries the government can not be seen as a big-hearted foreign aid donor and unfortunately due to the recent cuts there is little hope of improvement in the near future Australia’s decision to reduce its expenditure on foreign aid means it will drop out of the club of top ten OECD donors and also fall in the global donor generosity rankings. This will likely see Australia lose influence with some development partners and with its peers in framing the global debate on development..If other countries can recognise the enormous value of investing in aid, why can't our government? Para 3: Military aid is included in the definition of foreign aid which is the economic, technical, or military aid given by one nation to another for purposes of relief and rehabilitation, for economic stabilization, or for mutual defence. So could we use defence spending hand-in-hand with foreign aid? For example using military drones in peacetime to assist countries in assessing their crop
The 2015 budget has revealed Foreign aid contributions will be reduced by a further $3.7 billion over the next three years in an attempt to tighten Australia’s border security.
"In 2003-04, for example, the Australian Government contribution to legal aid funding was $130 million, compared to its contribution of $159 million in 1996-97", In what way the government thought this would assist in the search for affordable services for the Average Australian is hard to clarify. As a consequence, more and more people are having to either give up on their freedom or represent themselves in court which costs the courts large sums of money and employs an un-even playing
All the aid is given mostly to support people living in those countries who are not as fortunate as Australians and need money to help fund hospital bills, educational bills, to provide clean and safe water, sanitation and unemployment.
People could argue that since we are donating such a low percent of our GDP it would make sense for the US to increase aid levels. This would also be an argument for anyone that has certain religious beliefs. In the article A Call To Virtue, the author, Jeffrey Sachs shares one of the Pope’s various messages, “The urgent core of Francis’ message, which is the message of Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, challenges this American idea by proclaiming that the path to happiness lies not solely or mainly through the defense of rights but through the exercise of virtues, most notably justice and charity.” In some religions people believe it is morally right to help through charity to find happiness. Some people also argue that foreign aid levels should decrease because of the economic crisis that the US is in. The United States current debt is over eighteen trillion dollars right now according to usdebtclock.org. People believe that by decreasing foreign aid levels it will take away some debt. If the levels were to maintain there would not be worry about creating more debt by increasing levels and the US would also not have to worry about pulling out and not giving enough. Another argument is that aid should be unconditional and should be given to whoever needs it in time of crisis no matter
There are two main perspectives on foreign aid in Australia – are we giving too much or not enough? Foreign aid is given to developing countries, and is necessary to build an environment where policies and infrastructure can be in place to support other sources of finance. Australia is part of the worldwide foreign aid commitment as we value that everyone should have a fair go, and the country plans to give $3.9 billion over 2017 and 2018. We help countries in need by contributing, food, resources, providing financial assistance, exchanging goods, personal time and knowledge. The main types of aid are humanitarian aid, which is disaster relief and emergency aid and development aid, which is a long-term commitment between nations. Australian aid is strongly on development aid particularly focused on the Asia-Pacific region, but it also has a strong commitment to African and South Asia. Interestingly, 90% of Australia’s foreign aid goes to Asia-Pacific countries such as Indonesia and Papua New Guinea, because if they build into a developed nation, then we can build trade relations, regional security and partner in defence. This is a polarizing issue that divides the nation due to different views on Australia giving aid, however, a strong foreign aid program is vital for Australia to build successful relations and regional security.
Many skeptics challenge the reasoning for investing so much money into helping so many other countries when that money could instead help us improve internal affairs. After all, foreign aid spending has increased to $50 billion a year today, which could be put towards funding education to ensure that more kids go to college and possibly affecting the innovation of the future(Morris). Giving more than you receive is nice, but when it involves a country 's financial crisis, maybe it 's best if Santa cuts back some of this year 's presents. And although the argument may be valid, lending out a helping hand can create more allies than enemies to help us in return when we need it. In fact, foreign aid only accounts for 0.5 percent of the federal budget (Stearn). Compared to all the other matters at hand that the government is worrying about, the amount of spending put into aiding poorer countries is positive in both a moral aspect and a political aspect.
Ever had that one friend? The one who tries to help, but no matter how hard he tries, he just aggravates the situation. This friend, Steve, insists he is helping, and those around, too, would support that he is indeed helping. But Steve is actually worsening the circumstances. He is like countries who provide foreign aid to less developed countries. Foreign aid, defined as “the international transfer of capital, goods, or services from a country or international organization for the benefit of the recipient country or its population,” can be military, economic, or humanitarian (“Foreign”). It is often granted to less developed countries in order to evoke government reforms or to stimulate economic growth. However, foreign aid neither elicits government reform, nor does it consistently and reliably stimulate economic growth; therefore, the United States should discontinue providing foreign economic aid.
Foreign aid is a term referring to resources and money lent out or given to a ‘recipient nation’ who is in need by a wealthier ‘donor country’. This can be given either in long term ‘humanitarian aid’, aimed at improving the welfare and development of the human population, or short term ‘emergency aid’ focused on providing the daily necessities to a population after a war, or natural disaster. Despite common belief, the purpose of foreign aid is not only to help countries which are in need, but also to achieve a range of social, economic, cultural and geopolitical goals that will benefit our national interest. Australia is currently the largest foreign aid donor of its nearest neighbour,
As a civilized nation who is a leader in development and progress, the United States Federal Government has a responsibility to provide foreign aid.
As mentioned by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, Australia’s Aid program works in, “promoting prosperity, reducing poverty and enhancing stability”. Cuts in the foreign aid budget will not only affect the countries around us, but also Australia. Through Australia’s ongoing support to developing countries by AusAID (Australian Agency for International Development), we have strengthened our countries political stability and security by creating close ties with other nations. Australia donates around AU$5 billion each year to aiding the developing countries around us, particularly nations located in the Asia Pacific Region. By doing this we have improved their economies, bringing peace to these countries.
Riddell, Roger C. 2007. Does Foreign Aid Really Work? 1st ed. OXFORD: Oxford University Press, USA.
The money spent on foreign aid can be a lot more beneficial if it’s invested at on the future of the country, rather than helping countries scrape by in the present.
The purpose of Australian Aid is to help developing countries around the world eradicate poverty and to promote stability and prosperity both in our region and beyond, by providing different types of assistance and financial support. Although Australia receives a number of benefits due to aid, several disadvantages can also arise as a result of this link with different countries.
Canada’s aid policy has been the subject of significant criticism in recent history (Johnston, 2010). There have recently been exceptions to the criticism, the best known having been Canada’s impressive response to the Haiti earthquake (Johnston, 2010). The Canadian International Development Agency has been the focal point of the criticism, despite the fact that aid is a responsibility amongst numerous government offices (Johnston, 2010). When the Canadian International Development Agency was first developed, it was considered highly innovative and was attracting innovative and talented workers (Johnston, 2010). Now however, the Canadian International Development Agency is considered “bureaucratic, hidebound, out of touch, ineffectual, risk averse, contradictory, vacillating” (Johnston, 2010, 3). Most critics would argue that “nothing less than fundamental cross-government reform of
In our economical national interest, Australia allocates a sector to contribute significantly by providing aid and financial support to promote the stability of a variety of countries within the Indo-Pacific. Within 2016 to 2017, 90% of Australia’s aid will directly go to the