10 May 2019: Aid agency CARE Australia welcomes Labor’s commitment to begin rebuilding Australia’s assistance to the world’s poor, as revealed in policy costings released on Friday.

After five years of cuts, Labor would increase spending on international development by $1.6 billion over the next four years.

CARE Australia CEO Sally Moyle said the increase was a much-needed relief:

“Australia’s aid budget has been in freefall for five years, which has significantly limited our ability to save lives and lift people out of poverty. This is a great step towards meeting our international obligations, rebuilding trust with our neighbours and getting us back to the generous position we once held as a nation.”

The policy costings included an extra $10 million in 2019/20 to assist Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar to Bangladesh and an extra $8 million per year for the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.

“An effective international development program requires certainty and bipartisan support, and CARE Australia encourages both major parties to recognise that a strong aid program reflects our values as a nation,” Ms Moyle said.

“Australians are generous and believe in a fair go for all people. Australian aid is and has always been a very small proportion of overall government spending, but it means the world to families living in poverty.”

CARE Australia is an international humanitarian aid organisation fighting poverty, with a special focus on working with women and girls to bring lasting change to their communities. www.care.org.au

For interviews with CARE CEO Sally Moyle contact Iona Salter on 0412 449 691.