New polling shows 57 per cent of Australians support funding foreign aid to developing countries,compared to 52 per cent in 2019. In the poll of 1027 voters conducted by YouGov,the majority also said they supported increased Australian involvement to tackle issues exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic in these regions.
Plan International Australia chief executive Susanne Legena said without additional aid,Australia risked losing years of developmental gains.
“The pandemic has increased the number of people in extreme poverty and weakened health systems globally,” she said. “The lives and livelihoods of our nearest neighbours are at risk and we should be doing everything within our power to help them.”
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After ripping billions of dollars out of the foreign aid budget since it came to power in 2013,the Coalition last year quietly increased spending on foreign aid throughhundreds of millions of dollars in temporary measures.
But a $304.7 million package for the Pacific is set to expire in 2021-22,including $67 million in funding for Papua New Guinea,which is still being ravaged by a COVID-19 outbreak.
A coalition of aid groups,called End COVID For All,is calling on the government to extend the Pacific response package to 2024-25,commit $50 million to address regional vaccine hesitancy and contribute an additional $420 million to purchase vaccines and other treatments for the region.