2011年4月14日星期四

Aid review head queries offshore detention « Indaily's Blog

THE HEAD of an independent review into Australia's foreign aid program says classifying funds spent on overseas detention centres as foreign aid does little to help poorer nations.

Former Sydney Olympics boss Sandy Hollway is scheduled to release his Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness report this month.

With offshore detention centres counted as foreign aid, Mr Hollway said they did little to help recipients in poorer nations.

"I speak as an independent chairman rather than as a functionary of the government," he told ABC television's Lateline program broadcast on Thursday.

"I personally would not be comfortable with the notion that building a detention centre per se constitutes good development assistance."

Mr Hollway was asked about the former coalition government's Nauru immigration detention centre rather than the Gillard government's plans for a regional processing centre at East Timor.

Asked about whether some aid programs should be cut, Mr Hollway replied: "Cut, amalgamated, consolidated."

He said he had completed 75 per cent of his review.

Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd in November announced the first independent review of AusAID in 15 years.

It aims to ensure AusAID's effectiveness as its budget doubles to about $8 billion during the next five years.

World Vision chief executive Tim Costello said he hoped the review would bring about more transparency into aid, so the public understood the money was well spent.

"We've actually got something to be proud of," he told ABC television, adding fraud in the aid budget of 0.2 per cent was lower than Centrelink abuse.

"This review will help them know more about it, feel more committed to the fact that their taxpayer dollar … is actually saving lives."

But Rev Costello said he hoped more future aid would be spent on health rather than given to Australian companies.

AAP

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