Who’s getting the benefits of aid …

by Tim Wilson, February 22, 2010

It’s rare that foreign aid becomes a headline story in Australia, but a front page story last week in The Australian highlighting the incredible salaries of aid contractors is no doubt making some aid activists stomachs churn about the supposed beneficiaries of lifting foreign aid contributions.

But for those who have worked in foreign aid it is hardly a surprise. It is hard to attract technically expert people to go and regularly work in the Pacific Islands unless they are well paid, but there is also a lot of other expenses that weren’t mentioned including when foreign government officials visit Australia under our aid program they stay in five star hotels, get paid good per diems and have most meals covered by the Aussie taxpayer.

For years the government has been contracting out foreign aid work for the very good reason that the expertise of the public service is in policy, not program delivery. But it has also meant many aid contractors have very fat stomachs funded by money to deliver programs to help the world’s starving and poor.

Foreign aid is important. Disaster relief aid is essential. But to be effective non-disaster relief aid has to be targeted and focused. There’s not enough discussion on the importance of targeting aid and what its priorities should be and these even a lack of discussion about this in fora designed to get to the bottom of how Australia’s aid program should be prioritised like at World Vision’s recent One just world debate.

Thankfully some in the media, like the Weekend Australian’s quality columnist, Rowan Callick, had a good piece highlighting the distorted priorities of the current government’s aid program.

But we still need to have a proper, informed public discussion about foreign aid and what our priorities should be. If for no other reason than to give confidence to the public for when it can be beneficial.

• Tim Wilson's Blog
• Permalink
• Categories: Blog Posts
• 1 Comment