BY DONALD HOOK
AUSTRALIA’S FOREIGN MINISTER Kevin Rudd has announced reforms to Australia’s aid program to ensure it is strategic, more transparent and gets real results.
He says the Australian government is determined to ensure every aid dollar makes a real difference to the lives of the world’s poorest people.
Mr Rudd was welcoming the findings of an independent review he commissioned to focus on aid effectiveness, take a comprehensive look at the management and quality of Australia’s aid, and give direction to the future of the government’s aid program.
The government has agreed, or agreed in principle, to 38 of the 39 recommendations made. “These are the most far-reaching changes to our aid program in more than a decade,” he said.
Mr Rudd said that making a difference - delivering real results - outlined the government’s response.
“Decisive action will be taken when aid programs are found to be not performing. The transparency of the aid program will be strengthened through a new Transparency Charter under which accurate and up to date results on all aid projects will be published.”
Mr Rudd says there will be more opportunities for Australians to become involved with the aid program, including more volunteers and closer links with business and community groups.
He added that Australia would continue to focus its aid efforts on close neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region, with Indonesia and PNG remaining the largest recipients.
I have just been reading the report in the Daily Telegraph (1.7.11) exposing the huge salaries of advisors and contractors.
It seems that now that the review has been completed, AusAID has sunk even further into the swamp of ignorance and denial.
How can they ever justify consultants receiving such high incomes from projects that are supposed to be helping unfortunate and disadvantaged neighbours of ours.
I thought they were determined to resolve the issues concerning the inefficient distribution of aid. Obviously not.
Even the people who were paid good money to conduct the aid review have let everyone down.
What does it take to introduce a fair system that has, as its first priority, aid to the needy.
An example of a group who struggle to operate in the provision of aid is YWAM medical ships. They continually have to seek donations from Australians in order to operate a medical ship in remote parts of Papua New Guinea.
Their work is invaluable using volunteer doctors and staff. Why don't these wealthy consultants take a huge pay cut and use the money to support such worth while operations such as YWAM.
It seems to me they don't really care about worth while aid instead they seem to be more interested in their daily bank balance.
Personally I am disappointed in the aid program and obviously the aid review ignored most of the submissions. Sorry PNG
Posted by: Trevor Freestone | 11 July 2011 at 08:55 PM
Finally, Principle 37. A Transparency Charter should be developed,committing the aid program to publishing
documents and data in a way that is comprehensive, accessible and timely.
Agree.
Yes, but the devil will be in the detail. Comprehensive, accessible and timely to who?
Posted by: Paul Oates | 08 July 2011 at 03:29 PM
Wow! that sounds fantastic!
I'm pleased to report that some of the old teachers from Keravat National High School, who have been behind the push for it to be turned into a School of Excellence for the gifted and talented children of PNG, were actually invited to contribute their ideas to the AusAID people involved in helping this aim to be achieved.
An architect, Rhys Gwilliam, from Alexander and Lloyd group, architects and project managers used by AusAID, was asked by AusAID to go to Keravat to assess the 70 buildings and work out what needed to be done to upgrade the school and cost it.
He then met with a group of us at my place and I was able to give him a copy of my book on the history of Keravat which explains when all the buildings were built.
He has just about completed his work and it is now up to the PNG National Department of Education to work out with AusAID what should be done. AusAID will then use a British Company to call for tenders and oversee the work.
I wonder if this has all come about due to the appeal that I sent to AusAID earlier this year, in connection with the PNG Attitude appeal for people to send in their ideas on how Australia should be helping PNG.
I hope AusAID will continue to use all the information about PNG people, culture and conditions which can be supplied by people with PNG experience.
Fortunately, in this case, Rhys has had plenty of PNG experience himself and knew the importance of "talking to the old hands".
But the buildings are only part of the problem. I hope if any AusAID people are reading this they start to realize that the PNG National Department of Education will need some help on the educational side e.g. with appropriate syllabuses, equipment, computers, DVDs, etc etc
Also, as has been mentioned recently in some of the discussions on PNG Attitude, there will need to be scholarships for the gifted and talented children to attend these new schools as often their parents have a low cash income. It would be great if AusAID could provide the scholarships.
At the moment I'm trying to help, Karina Sereva, the Librarian from the National Library in Port Moresby, find suitable books to buy for the upgraded Keravat Library. If any of the readers have any suggestions I would love to hear them.
I think it will be great if AusAID focuses on our close neighbours. The world is becoming smaller, world travel is available to the masses and it was great to read in the Sydney Morning Herald this morning about the abbatoir man at the centre of the recent trouble with the beef exports.
Lets hope this paper and other TV programs will start to feature PNG. I would love to see good TV programs on what is happening in PNG!
People around the world love PNG Attitude and there is certainly a lot of interest in what is happening in PNG today.
Posted by: Barbara Short | 08 July 2011 at 10:40 AM