Australia's federal budget has delivered an additional half a billion dollars to overseas development assistance, bringing the foreign aid budget to 4.3 billion AUD next year, Australian ABC reported on May 12.
It quoted Foreign Minister Stephen Smith as saying that the government is on track in a sensible, managed, scaled way to implement election commitment, which is to increase its development assistance to 0.5 percent of gross national income by 2015-16.
He added that the change to a new international standard for calculating national income will deliver 2-3 billion AUD more to aid in coming years, and that is on track to meet government aid funding goals. Meanwhile, the executive director of Oxfam Australia, Andrew Hewitt, is pleased by the increased funding, saying that money will make a real difference to people's lives in developing countries around the globe.
The Australian Government recently has also announced a review of the use of technical advisers in delivering aid amid concern the money may not be used appropriately, said the news./.
It quoted Foreign Minister Stephen Smith as saying that the government is on track in a sensible, managed, scaled way to implement election commitment, which is to increase its development assistance to 0.5 percent of gross national income by 2015-16.
He added that the change to a new international standard for calculating national income will deliver 2-3 billion AUD more to aid in coming years, and that is on track to meet government aid funding goals. Meanwhile, the executive director of Oxfam Australia, Andrew Hewitt, is pleased by the increased funding, saying that money will make a real difference to people's lives in developing countries around the globe.
The Australian Government recently has also announced a review of the use of technical advisers in delivering aid amid concern the money may not be used appropriately, said the news./.
