I hear a tiresome refrain when it comes to footing the bill for the devastating floods.
It comes from the likes of Senator Fraser Anning and Senator Pauline Hanson, and it is this: we should stop sending aid aboard and use it fix the problems in Australia.
It sounds logical at face value but it doesn't take into account foreign aid serves our national interests by helping sustainable economic development and poverty reduction.
Australia's aid budget for 2018-2019 is $4.2 billion, and over half that total goes to the the Indo-Pacific region.
Australia supports countries to improve their governance and promote private sector-led growth and equality for women and girls.
This money assists countries to build resilience to natural disasters and respond to humanitarian crises, guard against the spread of infectious diseases and fight threats such as extremism.
All of these things are good in themselves but they ultimately help Australia too.
There is no doubt the damage bill from our floods will be high - well into the hundreds of millions of dollars.
But taking it from the foreign aid budget is robbing Peter to pay Paul and highly counterproductive.
Australian aid generosity is already a fraction of what it once was. Australia’s share of aid to GNI declined to 0.22 per cent in 2016-17, its lowest level ever.
The fact is, Australia remains a very wealthy country in comparison to the countries we give aid to.
There is plenty of other low-hanging fruit we could use to pay for our repair bill.
How about a more equitable tax system for starters.
Australia is one of only four OECD countries with a "dividend imputation" system for taxing dividends. We are the only country that refunds excess credits.
How about fixing the system where about one-third of large companies have failed to pay any tax at all in 2016-2017, even though they made a gross profit.
For some reason, Hanson, Anning and co stay remarkably quiet about these tax dodges while complaining about foreign aid.
The old saying is that charity begins at home. That is true, but it should not end there either.
- Derek Barry
Derek Barry
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
Editor of the North West Star Mount Isa since January 2016. Prior to that, an editor at several regional southern Queensland newspapers. Passionate about telling local stories. Comes with a strange accent to due an Irish accident of birth.
