For the second year running, the Federal Government has delayed its commitment to meeting its Millennium Goal target, citing Australia’s budget deficit as an ongoing challenge.

Australia was one of 189 countries to adopt the Millennium Declaration in 2000, committed to eight Millennium Development Goals aimed at halving extreme poverty by 2015. Part of Australia’s commitment to seeing these goals achieved was to increase foreign aid spending to 0.5 per cent of Gross National Income by 2015-16. This date was pushed to 2016-17 in last year’s Federal Budget.

Continuing its slow release of bad news before the Federal Budget announcement tomorrow, Foreign Minister Bob Carr came out today to say this goal has again been pushed back, now to 2017-18.

“… While that is disappointing it simply reflects the reality that you can’t borrow money to spend on aid,” Senator Carr told ABC radio this morning.

News.com.au reports the delay is expected to save the Government $3 billion in tomorrow’s budget.

Senator Carr told ABC’s AM program this morning that the government would still increase overall foreign aid spending 9.6 per cent year-on-year, equating to about $495 million in 2013-14.

The Government also announced a cap of $375 million on the controversial diversion from the foreign aid budget to bolster the Department of Immigration and its support of onshore asylum seekers, matching what it diverted last year from the foreign aid budget to domestic programs.

Christians have again come out in force today to express disappointment at the Government’s decision.

While the introduction of the cap on foreign aid spending to look after asylum seekers on Australian shores has been welcomed by World Vision CEO Tim Costello, World Vision still believes the cap should be at $0.

“To make ourselves the third largest recipient of our own aid…doesn’t make sense,” he told ABC’s AM program this morning.

In response to arguments that foreign aid should take its share of cuts given the budget deficit, Costello said foreign aid had already had a “very large hair cut” as a result of the diversion of aid to bolster the Government’s asylum seeker policy.

“It’s not as if aid hasn’t taken its share already before this announcement.”

Micah Challenge, which launched its ‘Don’t Divert Aid’ campaign following the Government’s announcement in December that it would be using part of the foreign aid budget on supporting onshore asylum seekers, says both the cap amount and the decision to delay Australia’s foreign aid commitment is very disappointing.

“It’s unprecedented in Australia’s history to divert the aid budget in this way. In the 11 years of the Howard Government, approximately $300 million was spent onshore – the current government outstripped that in 1 year, and are looking to do it again this year,” said Micah Challenge National Coordinator John Beckett.

“We think overseas aid budget should be used for exactly that–addressing the issues of poverty overseas.”

While Senator Carr pointed to other OECD nations diverting funds from foreign aid budgets to spend onshore, Beckett says percentage-wise, other OECD nations are spending only half of what Australia is. And while other OECD nations are indeed reducing their foreign aid budgets on average by 4 per cent for the coming year, Australia still sits at 13^th in terms of the percentage of Gross National Income designated for foreign aid.

Human rights advocate and World Vision youth spokesperson Jarrod McKenna made his views plain on Facebook earlier today: “My Aid Budget Summary: broken promises and theft from the global poor to pay for our human rights abuses of asylum seekers. To make it plain, this will cost lives. END DETENTION. END THE SPIN. END POVERTY. INCREASE AID.”

The Australian Christian Lobby also released a statement, with new Managing Director Lyle Shelton saying the decision will disappoint the Christian constituency.

“Despite our budget deficit, Australia is a wealthy country and it should be able to delivery a balanced budget whilst being generous to the world’s poor.”

In the lead up to the Federal Election, Micah Challenge, World Vision and other aid and advocacy groups continue to call on the Opposition to confirm its commitment and timeline to reach 0.5 per cent of GNI, and are challenging the opposition to better the position of the current Government.

“Is it likely they’ll better the Government’s position? That’s a good question,” says Beckett. “The opposition has expressed strong support for an effective and growing aid budget. It will take leadership, and a real commitment to prioritising the global poor, but it’s certainly possible for them to do it.”

How you can help (from World Vision Australia):

• Tweet or email Treasurer Wayne Swan and Prime Minister Gillard and express your deep disappointment in the Government’s decision to delay its promise to reach 0.5 per cent of GNI and divert the aid budget to fund asylum seeker costs.
• Tweet or call the Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop and ask her to confirm the Opposition’s commitment ahead of the September election to lift aid to 0.5 per cent of national income by 2016-17.
• Sign the Movement to End Poverty petition and show your support for future aid increases and a stop to the diversions.
• Join the conversation and have your say at #dontcutaid #dontdelayaid #dontdivertaid

For more:

• The budget axe must not fall on vital foreign aid – Tim Costello and Oxfam CEO Helen Szoke’s joint op-ed on SMH this morning.
• Charities say aid should be saving lives, not the Federal Budget – Eternity, December 2012
• Christian leaders unite in call for aid commitment – Eternity, June 2012