Tag Archives: AusAID

Bob Carr: Foreign Aid Raider

Posted in: Foreign Aid, Migration | January 21, 2013 at 8:20 pm , by Guest Author/s

The Australian Government's so-called “aid raid”, exposed in 2012’s home stretch, has settled to little more than a blip on the radar. Olivia Rosenman doesn't think it should have slipped so easily off the radar, as it may reveal that the Australian public really doesn't care about aid....

How volunteeering in development became “Duchessed”

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Volunteering | January 8, 2013 at 11:31 am , by Guest Author/s

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Old time leftists used the term 'duchessed' to describe comrades neutralised of their radicalism when drawn into the system they opposed through flattery, rewards, promotions and other such enticements. Dr. Nichole Georgeou uncovers how development volunteering as been royally 'duchessed'. ...

“In-donor refugee costs”: breaking down Australia’s latest aid ‘cut’

Posted in: Aid Effectiveness, Foreign Aid, Migration | December 18, 2012 at 8:22 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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Australia's Foreign Minister, Bob Carr, announced that $375 million in foreign aid will be re-allocated to cover the expenditure of refugees in Australia. This announcement has been met with outrage and derision. In this post, Brendan breaks down what it actually means and why such practices need to change....

Proposal For AusAID To Establish Specialist Mediation Unit with Nate Shea | AidWorks

Posted in: AidWorks | December 10, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Albion Harrison-Naish

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Nate Shea is a masters student at the University of Melbourne, writing a thesis on the role of NGOs as mediators in intrastate conflicts. Albion and Nate discuss a recent suggestion calling for AusAID to involve itself more heavily in regional peaceful conflict resolution....

Empowering women in the Pacific with Meredith Burgmann of ACFID | AidWorks

Posted in: AidWorks | October 9, 2012 at 6:00 am , by Albion Harrison-Naish

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Australian Council for International Development's (ACFID) President Dr. Meredith Burgmann talks with Albion Harrison-Naish about the $320 million Pacific Women Shaping Pacific Development initiative, the situation for women in the Pacific and what we might hope to see achieved by this initiative....

Celebrating 20 years of keeping AusAID accountable with Liz Barrett | AidWorks

Posted in: AidWorks | October 2, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Albion Harrison-Naish

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Sydney-based AID/WATCH celebrates their 20th anniversary this year. Albion Harrison-Naish caught up with their Campaigner, Liz Barrett to discuss the highs and lows of the last 20 years as well as what still needs to be done. ...

Tobacco, Poverty and the Need for Global Action

Posted in: Health, Poverty, Research | August 31, 2012 at 7:00 am , by Sam Byfield

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The recent High Court judgement in Australia upholding legislation to enforce plain packaging for tobacco products provides a good opportunity to look at the impacts of tobacco in low and middle income countries, and what’s needed to stem the tide of poverty and mortality they cause. Sam Byfield, of the...

Reaching the most disadvantaged children through complementary basic education with WhyDev’s Brendan Rigby | AidWorks

Posted in: AidWorks | August 27, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Albion Harrison-Naish

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Children reading the SfL Dagbani textbook

In this extended and exclusive interview with WhyDev's Brendan Rigby, he and Albion discuss working for UNICEF Ghana, participation in education and the growth of the development blogosphere. In particular, Brendan reflects on his experience with UNICEF Ghana supporting a complementary basic education program targeting out of school children, explaining...

Murdoch’s war on Australian development aid

Posted in: Foreign Aid | February 23, 2012 at 8:00 am , by Brendan Joyce

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Questions about aid effectiveness and criticism of AusAID are justified in time and place. However, recent attacks by News Limited journalists on all things Australian development are often unsolicited and misinformed. In sorting the facts from fiction, Brendan Joyce actively rebuffs these criticisms and provides a reality check....

China’s moth-eaten social safety net: who will catch the poorest of the poor? Not corporations.

Posted in: China & Development | November 16, 2011 at 12:01 am , by Emily D'Ath

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China is, without a doubt, on a fast track to ‘development’ with an astonishing US$3.2 trillion in foreign reserves. But inequality, particularly rural and urban, is extreme and China’s growing wealth has resulted in multiple international aid agencies pulling out. So, who is going to pick up the slack? Emily...

Child poverty in context: more than one way forward

Posted in: Poverty | July 21, 2011 at 4:00 pm , by Janet Newbury

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CIDA, AusAID and USAID have prioritised poverty alleviation as a primary objective of their respective aid programs. Economic growth is also among the primary commitments of these governmental organisations. Janet Newbury argues that insisting on prioritising growth in efforts to alleviate poverty (at home or abroad) is not only misleading,...

Why isn’t Australian mining in Mali more transparent on tax?

Posted in: Ethics in development | July 8, 2011 at 3:00 pm , by Corinne Roberts

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Development in African countries can be supported through a simple measure, asking Australian mining companies to publish what they pay in tax to foreign governments. With investment in mining by Australian companies in Africa on the rise, Australia could be doing more to support initiatives that promote transparency in tax...

Australia’s aid review: what you need to know

Posted in: Foreign Aid | July 6, 2011 at 4:45 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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On Wednesday, 6th July, the independent review of Australia's aid program was released. The review, the first in 15 years, was commissioned after corruption and waste was revealed. This is a very timely and critical review, as both major political parties in Australia have agreed to increasing the aid budget...

Selling foreign aid to the public: it’s all about sex baby

Posted in: Foreign Aid | June 29, 2011 at 5:14 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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The latest Lowy Institute poll ask Australians what they think about foreign aid, for the first time. Not surprisingly, public opinion is in line with many results in other countries, where people tend to overestimate the amount spent on aid. In this post, Brendan analyses our results and hypothesises on...

Banking on the poor in China

Posted in: Microfinance | March 10, 2011 at 1:35 pm , by Brendan Rigby

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Earlier last week, it was announced by the central bank of Bangladesh that the Banker to the Poor, the Father of Microfinance, Professor Muhammad Yunus was being sacked. Professor Yunus and Bangladesh are synonymous with microfinance. And, although the Indian subcontinent accounts for the majority of the world’s MFIs...