The Wire

Despite winning support from many corners, the recent move by the Federal government to boost aid to the Asia Pacific region has been criticised over a lack of focus development priorities. Last month the government backed up John Howard’s promise to increase aid spending to $4-billion by the end of the decade, with its Foreign Aid White Paper. Health spending will double, education spending will triple, and there’ll be twice as many scholarships for students from Asia and the Pacific to attend tertiary institutions in Australia. However, while the response to the paper has been generally positive, Andrew Hewett, Executive Director of OXFAM Australia, critiqued the white paper in a speech late last week, entitled Missed Opportunities for a Brave New World.