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Foreign Aid or Lemonade?

One can hope that a very bright light is shone on the foreign aid Australia also provides in the billions, too much of which ends up in Swiss banks.

After 22 years working in the Middle East and Asia, I have observed that we are regarded as the little boy with a big mouth and too much pocket money and too often we allow our natural empathy and generosity for which we are well known to blind us to reality.

It is long overdue to change Aid policy to fund volunteer teams with skills and experience appropriate for the task, along with the food and medical aid and a battalion of troops to deliver it to the cooking pots if necessary.Mogadishu is an example.

Or we will still be doing this again and again for another 100 years. All smiles, at banquets backslapping and handshakes in front of the camera with the incestuous UNHCR?.We would have a better standing of our generosity among the recipient nations if we were to break our aid from the UN and go it alone.

To view subject and comment online go to:
http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/beleagured-minister-calls-it-quits/st...

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on August 19, 2012 at 12:57pm

I agree with you Bob re a need for a change in policy.... No more free handouts but targeted to volunteers, water purification techniques, digging of wells, teaching of farming techniques, medical aid and training of health workers, vaccinations etc.

Have missed chatting with you.

Fond regards

Caroline

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 19, 2012 at 10:30pm

It is not just the Incestuous UNHCR Bob but also way too many of the NGO groups as well I would hazard a guess that only 15~20% of NGO Organisations are trustworthy as well.

To make the point I personally Donated thousands to Royal North Shore Heart Research Foundation,A very worthy cause who especially target young children for help but I began to smell a rat when every time I was contacted the "Required Donation' always seemed to be increasing.

Some research into this led me to find that many Charities in Australia subcontract out the Call centre work to a group in Melbourne,This group take their cut but also operate on a Commission basis for call centre workers.

This is not Disclosed and explains why the callers always push for an increase every time they ring you,Then I started receiving calls from other Organisations that were unsolicited.This led me to believe the Call Centre was selling contact information on the open market as contacting RNSHF showed me they were unaware of such practices and were also able to accept donations directly.

So be aware when donating to worthy causes even in Australia much of the funding gets siphoned off even before it gets anywhere near Swiss Bank accounts.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 20, 2012 at 12:54pm

Ai do you think Bob Carr is getting any receipt for the $20 million he just gave to the UN for Syria?

alan mikkelsen said:

Whenever any charity contacts us by phone, and if we think they may be worth support, we say "Post us an official request / authority form before next June, and we will consider it". If they want to debate, claim they can only do it by phone, suggest or ask for a 'pledged amount" or anything else of that nature, we politely say goodbye.

We get official receipts back from every charity we support, which form part of our tax returns. I am happy with this procedure as I know at first hand that that way, the money does get through. It's only fair that any organisation, including a charity, pays its contractors fairly, no matter how 'annoying' we find them. But how much and when is their problem!

A final caveat. In filling in authority forms, we always ensure that all other suggested amounts other than the one we write in are plainly deleted, along with any questions re interest in bequests, questions about us personally (such as our ages and more), and whether we want to nominate a regular donation! And we always endorse each slip with a signed and dated statement "Once only donation of $....... , and keep photocopies of all slips. Touching wood (as in his head :-) we have never had a problem, but we do get nice letters.

Cheers bro' al

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Permalink Reply by Jeff Hutcho on August 20, 2012 at 3:37pm

Cool down Cate,

This mongrel isn't worth blowing a fuse over.

The Red Queen is just as bad for calling him in and giving him the Foreign Affairs portfolio, as part of her agenda.

I'd like to see both go the lethal injection route, using battery acid.

Maintain the RAGE though, just don't you pay for it.

Cheers

Hutcho

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 21, 2012 at 2:42am

I'm here Cate, and unseen everywhere else with a stronger conviction that the enemy is here.and been here all the time. As I think back - ever since Whitlam. But now, there is movement at the station, a rustle in the trees. The Spirit of Eureka has awoken to the sleaze. Are we not ashamed?We allowed it get this far? Who else now would sell us down the drain, other than Bob Carr? Is it Emerson or Hanson-Young? Or the ignorant Combet? Australia should have none of this and cast them all away.

Cate Stuart said:

Oh, lol - JT - that was me being cool calm and collected - hope the others can cope with it! lol Bob, Bob where are you Bob? :)

This time last year Peter Whytcross - Convoy #1, Rashida, Len and so many others were camped at Bourke - NSW - tomorrow ready to head to Canberra!

We had a huge fire blazing at the campground and it was cold, the locals were terrific, there was so much excitement in the air - so many of us able to talk about Gillard, Carr, Rhiannon, Brown etc...sad isnt it - 12 months later, and nothing has changed down there - BUT - people had hope given to themselves, from each other - something a damn govt had taken away - lets hope on the anniversary of the 22nd of August, people remember that hope, and be loud.

Scott Ludlam - Greens, attacked Rashida on the raido - the night of the 22nd of August 2011.

Rashida and I were sitting in our truck, on the internet doing updates for Just Grounds - the call came in from the radio station where Ludlum the spineless little green jerk told Rashida that "we" (convoy participants) were not nice people, and that we were violent...the next day Rashida invited him to meet her on the podieum...Scott hid in his office - so a green with a big YELLOW streak sits in Canberra making decisions that affect Australians - how damn embarrasing...

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 21, 2012 at 8:33am

I'm a'workin' on it Cate, for there is much at stake.

Cate Stuart said:

Ah Bob, you have such a way with words, you are very fortunate indeed to have such a gift! Now mate, how to kick their sorry butts out of the releam (? how do you spell that word! lol) of ACT!

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 21, 2012 at 11:09am

Cate, Cate, tell me quick where do I send the money?..er, but its the lemonade For what exactly am I buying? and do we know if this was successful and by how much? More importantly was there a public audit? Exactly who got the money? Perhaps Bob Carr knows and is preparing an encore.
Cate Stuart said:

Oh,lol...here you go Bob, something to fit in with your "Foreign Aid or Lemonade?"...here is Live Aid..(yes, running ducking weaving now ) :)

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 21, 2012 at 9:57pm

I know I certainly would not have any Lemonaide offered by Labor or the Greens as it would more likely have more in common with the "Koolaide" the Rev Jimmy Jones gave his flock at Jonestown.

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Permalink Reply by Stephen Cox on August 21, 2012 at 10:08pm

Cate to answer the Question about the Money the best answer I have come up with is it is Irrelevant the reason being was the 25 odd year old Eithiopian Famine that triggered the Geldorf Christmas song,the Formation of Bandaid and the We are the World Song and USA for Africa are all irrelevant because of one simple fact.

Twenty Five Years ago Eithiopia had a Population of roughly Fourty Million when it suffered the drought and War induced famine and was ruled by a Marxist Government,Today while the Government is somewhat better and they have no current War they have a Population of Eighty Million,So when they have absolutely no idea of self control the World will never be able to save them from Famine.

That is why Foreign Aid is a total waste of Time and Money until it encompasses the real cause of the problems as I have just illustrated.

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 22, 2012 at 6:45am

Gillard now has come undone,
And Shorten thinks his day is won
But in the bush the air is clear
And nothing here for us to fear
For soon, the writing on the wall
Will show how liars come to fall
Should there be a Block Supply?
Then hurry up, before I die

Cate Stuart said:

Ah Bob, you have such a way with words, you are very fortunate indeed to have such a gift! Now mate, how to kick their sorry butts out of the releam (? how do you spell that word! lol) of ACT!

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Permalink Reply by Bob Stewart on August 22, 2012 at 7:13am

This is also true of the current call for flood donations from some obscure organization in the Philippines. Their address is listed at The Tower in Ayala Ave in Makati. Now in my years there I could never afford such an office address, settling for the Dona Nacissa Building alongside Bank of America in the Paseo de Roxas. As for suggesting they are or will be first on the scene, it has always been the Army. Mabuhay

Ethiopia? Not only Ethiopia where idle hand are tools of the Devil

Stephen Cox said:

Cate to answer the Question about the Money the best answer I have come up with is it is Irrelevant the reason being was the 25 odd year old Eithiopian Famine that triggered the Geldorf Christmas song,the Formation of Bandaid and the We are the World Song and USA for Africa are all irrelevant because of one simple fact.

Twenty Five Years ago Eithiopia had a Population of roughly Fourty Million when it suffered the drought and War induced famine and was ruled by a Marxist Government,Today while the Government is somewhat better and they have no current War they have a Population of Eighty Million,So when they have absolutely no idea of self control the World will never be able to save them from Famine.

That is why Foreign Aid is a total waste of Time and Money until it encompasses the real cause of the problems as I have just illustrated.

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Permalink Reply by Dr Caroline Wright on September 18, 2012 at 1:08pm

How is the weather at your place in S.A. Bob?

Meant to tell you that I contacted our local Tasmanian Senator about Foreign Aid funding political activities by environmental groups. It was some time back but I can not remember the Discussion Topic it was for so thought that I would put it in here with your afternoon lemonade :-)

The response from Senator Bob Carr to our Tasmania Senator and then to me arrived yesterday. I will paraphrase the content from the response but if anyone is interested in the original I will find a way to post it onto the site.

My Carr is of the opinion that:

Non-Government Organisation (NGOs) are not funded by the Australian Government to undertake political activities;
Any monies received by NGOs from AusAID must be used in a manner that is directly in line with the aid program's objectives to reduce poverty;
A number of AusAID accredited NGOs do use funds to inform the Australian people about developmental issues and aid programs overseas and that the purpose of such was to increase people's understanding of developmental issues and the results achieved by the aid provided by Australia and to promote transparency in the use of these public funds. It is also stated that such activities must not include lobbying or other political activities;
AusAID assesses all Australian NGO's credentials and requires them to account for any public funding they receive;
NGOs that receive grants must provide AusAID with annual financial and project plans and reports. Also Annual Plans are required to outline objectives, outputs and targets for all activities thus ensuring funds are used in an appropriate manner to assist poverty-stricken people.

May you enjoy your lemonade Bob. If your memory is better than mine and you can recall which discussion topic helped initiate these letters just let me know and I can copy the posting over there.

My fond regards

Caroline