Australian Government’s plan for Asia-Pacific aid
Snyder Rini became the shortest-serving Solomon Islands Prime Minister in history today, when he arrived at Parliament to find five of his ministers had defected to the Opposition benches, and the House was calling for his resignation, after eights days of rioting and protests. While a former Minister of the New Zealand Parliament says the Solomons should sue Australia for damages, claiming that the actions of our Federal Police ignited the unrest. It comes as the Australian Foreign Affairs Department releases an Overseas Aid Program white paper, with the aim of reducing poverty and bringing peace to the Asia Pacific region. Aid/Watch’s Tim O’Connor says while some parts of the policy are good, there is not enough attention on basic issues such as food security, for poorer Indigenous groups.