[Nutta]

Im sure this has been discussed before but christ!

An email I received today.


How does this work ?

THE TOP EIGHT COUNTRIES THE AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT GAVE YOUR TAX DOLLARS TO IN 2010-2011

Indonesia $458,700.00 million

Papua New Guinea $457,200,00 million

Solomon Islands $225,700.00 million

Afghanistan $123,100.00 million

Vietnam $119,800.00 million

Philippines $118,100.00 million

East Timor $102,700.00 million

Cambodia $64,200.00 million

TOTAL = $ 1,669,000,000.00 - given away in 52 weeks

..but wait there’s more.

• Australia provides approximately 150,000 tonnes of food aid every year—about $65 million—to Bangladesh, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Sudan and Chad
•
• In 2005 John Howard committed Australia to double Australian aid to about $4 billion a year by 2010
•
• In 2010-2011 the Australian Government plans to spend almost $4.4 billion on development assistance
•
• In 2008 the Australian community contributed $812.19million to non-government organisations

And now Gillard will give $500,000,000.00 for Indonesia’s Islamic schools
which are largely moderate in outlook but there have been pockets of radicalism that
have produced terrorists in Indonesia, most notably the cleric Abu Bakar Bashir’s school in Ngruki, central Java, where some of the Bali bombers studied.


SO….. Ask your local member how come 2010 Queensland flood victims get $1 million ?

When insurers, such as Allianz and CGU, provide cover for storm damage but exclude flood from their home and contents policies.

Annoying isnt it!

 

[GU_Thomo]

No I do not think it is annoying at all, and you certainly can't link overseas aid with local disasters.
You need to educate yourself about the Australian overseas aid program (Ozaid) so you understand why we do it and how we do it.

Australia uses about one third of one percent of its GDP in its overseas aid programmes and has done for many years.
Large amounts of the $ go to Australian businesses to provide the aid via products or services.
In 1970 the rich countries of the world agreed to give 0.7% and we are nowhere near that figure.

Look here:
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance ? Global Issues

Don't you donate about that percentage of your income to charity each year?

Cheers
Parry

 

[Mic]

Well said thomo.

But what he's getting at (despite the fear mongering borderline racist/religeous undertones) is why are we spending lots overseas for aid, but not much here. One answer is we ave a very reslient population, industry and economy that can help each other and trhemselves.

 

[GUTourer]

Well said thomo.

But what he's getting at (despite the fear mongering borderline racist/religeous undertones) is why are we spending lots overseas for aid, but not much here. One answer is we ave a very reslient population, industry and economy that can help each other and trhemselves.

Tell that to the people that current have their homes floating in pieces in the Pacific ocean mic.

 

[Nutta]

No I do not think it is annoying at all, and you certainly can't link overseas aid with local disasters.
You need to educate yourself about the Australian overseas aid program (Ozaid) so you understand why we do it and how we do it.

Australia uses about one third of one percent of its GDP in its overseas aid programmes and has done for many years.
Large amounts of the $ go to Australian businesses to provide the aid via products or services.
In 1970 the rich countries of the world agreed to give 0.7% and we are nowhere near that figure.

Look here:
Foreign Aid for Development Assistance ? Global Issues

Don't you donate about that percentage of your income to charity each year?

Cheers
Parry

It must be just me, i have trouble accepting we give asia half a billion for their islamic schools and cant put air conditioning in ours!
Cheers

 

[GUTourer]

One of the things that ticks me off about foreign aid is it is mostly counter productive.

We are giving aid in the form, for example, of food aid. We were feeding 500,000 Haitians every day for 10 years out of the World Food Programme and never asked the Haitian Government to do anything in return.

So the Haitian Government could spend what taxes it gathered on itself and its luxuries and its travel and Haiti finished up with six fire engines.

The way that aid is being given to countries like Haiti or Timor Leste or close to home the Solomon Islands keeps in power corrupt governments which otherwise would not be in power.

So to that extent aid is actually damaging.

It is keeping, in the Pacific it is keeping in power elites that are corrupt, that are exploiting their people and that have resulted in most of the people in the Pacific having a living standard that is just appalling.

Before we spend as much money as we're spending we should make absolutely sure that it's not doing harm and that it is doing good. And it is still doing harm in large quantities.

 

[Mic]

One of the things that ticks me off about foreign aid is it is mostly counter productive.

We are giving aid in the form, for example, of food aid. We were feeding 500,000 Haitians every day for 10 years out of the World Food Programme and never asked the Haitian Government to do anything in return.

So the Haitian Government could spend what taxes it gathered on itself and its luxuries and its travel and Haiti finished up with six fire engines.

The way that aid is being given to countries like Haiti or Timor Leste or close to home the Solomon Islands keeps in power corrupt governments which otherwise would not be in power.

So to that extent aid is actually damaging.

Very good point. But these same gov'ts would do the same - just let the people die in the meantime...

 

[Nutta]

Has anyone seen the rebuilding Of Indonesia after the tsunami, I haven't seen any footage after all our donations and aid, I bet they're living in lean too's still.
The Indonesia gov would have taken care of that!

 

[iluvnorks]

Heres another take on it.. Read this in an article..

The reason Australia sends money and aid to poorer countries is because we're [considered] rich. As for funding Islamic schools - money buys influence. The theory is we're better off paying them to teach what they want instead of somewhere more radical paying them to do otherwise. Not a perfect arrangement but at what price security? -

 

[OILRIG]

i dont understand all this!!!!!!! billions overseas but in our own country,there are homeless people sleeping on the ****ing ground, schools without funds...... the queensland floods!!!!!! we have helped everyone else!!!! how about we start spending these kinds of figures on our own problems!!!

**** this angers me

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

i thought that compassion and generosity were encouraged.

obviously not.

 

[OILRIG]

what about our own??????? i cant believe people try and say that this is ok,i actually cant believe our own country spends so much overseas when our own country needs help!!!!!!

 

[bennoGU28]

Australia is part of the worlds leadership and with that comes our responsibilities.

Move to Antarctica or Alaska if you dont like it.

 

[OILRIG]

?????? so why isnt more being spent on floods, thats what im not understanding

 

[purplebus]

i thought that compassion and generosity were encouraged.

obviously not.

I agree with Yom.depends on where it is sent i suppose. i agree and disagree with everyone including myself. i think we should always help people less fortunate than ourselves regardless of who/where they are. thats the aussie way. sometimes its overseas, sometimes its not.

presently we need it as a country here in qld/nsw/vic to support the rebuild of not only peoples houses but more-so businesses, because thats where the dollar is. if you can go to work you can earn dollars to keep your house and spend a bit- continue circle to next employee/employer.
we work for ourselves and constantly get reamed by the govt. had to send the kids to private school to have air con etc. thought i paid that with the last cheque i sent the govt. who knows, i take heart in the fact that i can dribble on the net without fear of 7 blokes in army greens kickn my door in and bashing my wife and kids for this post. i can buy fresh fruit and vege instead of sending the kids to catch rats at the dump. i would love to see the govt not send any cash overseas for 1 yr and spend it here but unfortunately we will just have to roll our sleeves up and do it ourselves.

 

[OILRIG]

100% with ya glort

 

[akko]

100% with ya glort

Me too

 

[gordonmichaellee]

My opinion

When things like the floods happen I personaly would not object to paying an extra bit of tax.For example $20 for each working person, this would be a massive $200 million give or take, this would go some way towards getting things fixed, and if it's not enough then another $20 each. FFS we pay enough tax already for the government to put their hand in their pocket a bit deeper than just the loose change.

The problem arrises with the coruption, corperate ( companies put in extra large invoices), governmental ( they don't take away the extra taxes when theproblem is fixed ) and personal ( false claims etc).

So you end up with only getting $80 mil of stuff done fo your $200 mil.
Look what happened with the cash for schools, buildings overcharged, poor quality, embezlment etc.

Rant over, Gordo'

 

[truckster]

Glort =

 

[LycraMooseKnuckle]

The trouble with handing out money in australia who you hand it to.

There's so many here who put their hand up and do not deserve it.