There has been no shortage of outcries regarding foreign aid after Treasurer Joe Hockey's mid-year budget update on Monday. Dissatisfied responses emerged from both religious and secular organisations that are astounded at another withdrawal of support after the cuts in January that were called "heartless" by Labor Senator Penny Wong.
While record-setting is typically a cause for elation, the announcement that the foreign aid budget will be cut by the largest amount in Australian history did not result in celebratory emotions on Monday, after Minister Hockey declared the stripping away of A$3.7 billion over the next four years—$1 billion will be withdrawn in 2015. The plunge makes up over a third of the total cull that was made in both the May budget and the mid-yearly budget update.
A trio of official faith-based statements sought to clearly voice the impact of the Coalition's budgetary decisions on the people in need around the world, as well as the traditionally generous, caring foundation of Australian society. Caritas Australia, a Catholic relief agency that works with "the poorest of the poor", called for "no more cuts!" Caritas CEO Paul O'Callaghan described the cuts as "severe" and an "abandonment of the region's poorest", in a reinforcement of Caritas' belief that Abbott is diminishing a regional and global reputation built over six decades.
Ben Thurley, Political Engagement Coordinator for Micah Challenge Australia, represents a global Christian movement against poverty and finds the mid-year foreign aid news "absolutely disgraceful". Not only did Mr Thurley remind the public about the "real difference" that Australian aid has made, citing Indonesian and Bangladeshi examples, but he passed on the potential issues identified by Micah Challenge, which include:
- 600,000 fewer births attended by a skilled birth attendant
- 1.5 million fewer children vaccinated
- 1.9 million fewer people provided with increased access to safe water
The "devastated" chief executive of the the World Vision Australia charity, Reverend Tim Costello, was perhaps the most vocal and critical of the Abbott government's actions. Reverend Costello asked, "When is this madness going to stop?" of a government that he described as out of touch with both Australian and global values. For the highly regarded faith leader, "madness" is appropriate in a world that is dealing with the "most pressing humanitarian burden since World War II".
The list of secular organisations that joined in the outcry on Tuesday included Save the Children, the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) and Oxfam Australia. Save the Children chief executive Paul Ronalds called Joe Hockey a "Robin Hood in reverse", while Oxfam said that the government is treating the aid program like an "ATM".
On Tuesday, Mr Thurley called on Micah Challenge's supporters to engage in a campaign of "protest and prayer", concluding that Australia's politicians need to be reminded of the words of Proverbs 31:8-9 and Psalm 82:3-4.