Australia's Aid Program

Questions On Article


1. Summarize the article in dot points and then write a paragraph stating your view on what the author is presenting.

• Australia's Aid Donation amount is growing each year as it becomes less necessary to donate aid.
• Aid may not be doing much to help establish the developing world as they may already be developing without help.
• By 2015 we will be spending $8 billion on aid program to overseas nations. 
• Things we establish may be able to become established independently by developing countries.
• Richer countries donate money to assert power, maybe as they lose power (while developing countries experience economic growth) they feel a bigger need to assert it.

In part I agree with what the author is saying about the Aid programs currently set up in Australia. I agree that the amount being donated is too much for the amount that is needed by the developing countries. However, I believe that our donations do support and help the welfare of civilians of developing countries and having extra money can be more of a blessing than a burden. 

2. Why do you think Australia is giving more Aid? What would be the benefits of such a policy? What would be the negatives?

The reasons for Australia's donations are probably because the way it puts us in a powerful position and the way it looks to other countries by giving so much. The benefits of our policy at the moment is that we are viewed as a generous country, we have respect from other countries as we are in a more powerful position. The negatives of the program means less money is spent on our economy which may need the financial boost that reducing aid donations could supply.