How to Advocate for Foreign Aid in Australia
Find out the facts., Stay informed., Reach out to politicians., Visit your local Member of Parliament., Write to your local federal Member of Parliament (MP)., Write to Senators from your state., Write to government Ministers who are responsible for...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Find out the facts.
There are a lot of misconceptions about foreign aid, so it's important to be able to discuss it in an informed way.
Plus, you can add statistics and information to your letters or campaigns.
Here are some important ones:
Amount Australia spends on aid:
Australia spends about
0.35% of its GDP on aid
-- that's 35 cents in every $100.
Amount of aid lost to corruption:
Corruption is an oft-mentioned issue, but the size of the problem is smaller than many people believe.
It is estimated that
0.028% of Australian aid is lost to fraud.Extent of the cuts: the "cuts" essentially amount to a reduction in the rate of aid growth to 0%; it will rise only in line with inflation.
As a result, Australia will not meet its commitment to give
0.7% of GDP (70 cents in every $100) to aid, and $4.5 billion of planned growth has been canceled.
Australia's own financial situation:
Australia has relatively low debt and the second-highest Human Development Index (standard of living) in the entire world. -
Step 2: Stay informed.
Keep an eye on the news and social media for updates, or information on campaigns you could join. , As foreign aid is the responsibility of the federal parliament, advocates need to send a message to politicians that we don't want to see it cut. , If you're game, get a few like-minded friends together and make an appointment to talk to your federal MP in person.
Be well-informed on the issues so you can talk about them, put forward your opinion intelligently, and answer questions.
More information on meeting your MP, and what will happen in the meeting, can be found online.
Find out which electorate you're in, who your federal MP is, and how to contact them.
This information can be found on the Australian Parliament House website., Part of your MP's job is to respond to concerns from the electorate.
Remember to address officials correctly; you're addressing the MP as your local MP, so even if they're a Minister, you can say "Dear Ms Bishop"
for example, instead of "Dear Minister."Don't panic! Being polite and sincere is more important than getting every single formal detail right. , First, you'll need to find your local Senators.
Each state/territory has several Senators
- they're not specific to particular areas of the state but can be found on the Australian Parliament House WebsiteThe Senate votes on decisions that have passed the House of Representatives (where your local MP sits), and can often make the difference between a decision passing or failing. , Prime Minister Tony Abbott: ultimately responsible for the government.
Contact details here Joe Hockey, Treasurer: announced the aid cuts.
Contact details here Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs: with the abolition of AusAID, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for Australian aid.
Contact details here.
Now you're writing to politicians in their capacity as Ministers, so you address them a little differently.
The difference is that you should put "Minister for..." (or "Treasurer" or "Prime Minister") on the envelope instead of "Member for..."
and address them as "Dear ., Some campaigns are already in place, so join forces to send a more powerful message! , While none have been organised yet, attending an event in person is one of the most powerful ways to communicate your desire for foreign aid to be maintained, not cut.
If you're organising an event, make sure you check any relevant laws. , While they're sometimes considered "slacktivism"
alongside other methods signing a petition can be powerful, especially if it gains enough signatures to be formally presented to Parliament.
At the time of posting, the largest obvious one is Carmen Dos Santos Monteiro's petition on CommunityRun, an off-shoot of progressive advocacy group GetUp., Micah Challenge, a Christian advocacy organisation partnered with World Vision, has a campaign of sending Christmas cards to politicians with messages in support of foreign aid.
They encourage people to use charity gift cards (where the purchase of the card is a donation), to add to the message of generosity.
You could also organise group card-signings, for example at family gatherings or after church services. , Ultimately politicians look for widespread support on an issue, so it's important to ensure you discuss it with others, as well as contacting politicians yourself.
Discuss foreign aid with people who don't agree with it.
Use information, remember to be polite and don't expect everyone to change their views.
Some people may be concerned about the cuts, but not know where to start in combating them.
In this case, you can use the information on this page to help.
You could even direct them to this page! , As of posting, a popular hashtag is #DontCutAid.
Adding the commonly-used #auspol (Australian Politics) hashtag will also get your message seen by other political enthusiasts.
Linking to news or advocacy articles about aid can be effective and interesting for your friends or followers. , This page was written using the information available at a particular time
- if you hear of a new campaign or event, such as a demonstration, this would be a great way of communicating it to like-minded people! -
Step 3: Reach out to politicians.
-
Step 4: Visit your local Member of Parliament.
-
Step 5: Write to your local federal Member of Parliament (MP).
-
Step 6: Write to Senators from your state.
-
Step 7: Write to government Ministers who are responsible for an area relating to foreign aid.
-
Step 8: See what's already going on.
-
Step 9: Be prepared to attend events such as demonstrations.
-
Step 10: Sign petitions.
-
Step 11: Send your MP a Christmas card!
-
Step 12: Talk to people about foreign aid.
-
Step 13: Discuss the campaign on social media.
-
Step 14: Add information to this LifeGuide Hub page.
Detailed Guide
There are a lot of misconceptions about foreign aid, so it's important to be able to discuss it in an informed way.
Plus, you can add statistics and information to your letters or campaigns.
Here are some important ones:
Amount Australia spends on aid:
Australia spends about
0.35% of its GDP on aid
-- that's 35 cents in every $100.
Amount of aid lost to corruption:
Corruption is an oft-mentioned issue, but the size of the problem is smaller than many people believe.
It is estimated that
0.028% of Australian aid is lost to fraud.Extent of the cuts: the "cuts" essentially amount to a reduction in the rate of aid growth to 0%; it will rise only in line with inflation.
As a result, Australia will not meet its commitment to give
0.7% of GDP (70 cents in every $100) to aid, and $4.5 billion of planned growth has been canceled.
Australia's own financial situation:
Australia has relatively low debt and the second-highest Human Development Index (standard of living) in the entire world.
Keep an eye on the news and social media for updates, or information on campaigns you could join. , As foreign aid is the responsibility of the federal parliament, advocates need to send a message to politicians that we don't want to see it cut. , If you're game, get a few like-minded friends together and make an appointment to talk to your federal MP in person.
Be well-informed on the issues so you can talk about them, put forward your opinion intelligently, and answer questions.
More information on meeting your MP, and what will happen in the meeting, can be found online.
Find out which electorate you're in, who your federal MP is, and how to contact them.
This information can be found on the Australian Parliament House website., Part of your MP's job is to respond to concerns from the electorate.
Remember to address officials correctly; you're addressing the MP as your local MP, so even if they're a Minister, you can say "Dear Ms Bishop"
for example, instead of "Dear Minister."Don't panic! Being polite and sincere is more important than getting every single formal detail right. , First, you'll need to find your local Senators.
Each state/territory has several Senators
- they're not specific to particular areas of the state but can be found on the Australian Parliament House WebsiteThe Senate votes on decisions that have passed the House of Representatives (where your local MP sits), and can often make the difference between a decision passing or failing. , Prime Minister Tony Abbott: ultimately responsible for the government.
Contact details here Joe Hockey, Treasurer: announced the aid cuts.
Contact details here Julie Bishop, Minister for Foreign Affairs: with the abolition of AusAID, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs is responsible for Australian aid.
Contact details here.
Now you're writing to politicians in their capacity as Ministers, so you address them a little differently.
The difference is that you should put "Minister for..." (or "Treasurer" or "Prime Minister") on the envelope instead of "Member for..."
and address them as "Dear ., Some campaigns are already in place, so join forces to send a more powerful message! , While none have been organised yet, attending an event in person is one of the most powerful ways to communicate your desire for foreign aid to be maintained, not cut.
If you're organising an event, make sure you check any relevant laws. , While they're sometimes considered "slacktivism"
alongside other methods signing a petition can be powerful, especially if it gains enough signatures to be formally presented to Parliament.
At the time of posting, the largest obvious one is Carmen Dos Santos Monteiro's petition on CommunityRun, an off-shoot of progressive advocacy group GetUp., Micah Challenge, a Christian advocacy organisation partnered with World Vision, has a campaign of sending Christmas cards to politicians with messages in support of foreign aid.
They encourage people to use charity gift cards (where the purchase of the card is a donation), to add to the message of generosity.
You could also organise group card-signings, for example at family gatherings or after church services. , Ultimately politicians look for widespread support on an issue, so it's important to ensure you discuss it with others, as well as contacting politicians yourself.
Discuss foreign aid with people who don't agree with it.
Use information, remember to be polite and don't expect everyone to change their views.
Some people may be concerned about the cuts, but not know where to start in combating them.
In this case, you can use the information on this page to help.
You could even direct them to this page! , As of posting, a popular hashtag is #DontCutAid.
Adding the commonly-used #auspol (Australian Politics) hashtag will also get your message seen by other political enthusiasts.
Linking to news or advocacy articles about aid can be effective and interesting for your friends or followers. , This page was written using the information available at a particular time
- if you hear of a new campaign or event, such as a demonstration, this would be a great way of communicating it to like-minded people!
About the Author
Gregory Stokes
Specializes in breaking down complex practical skills topics into simple steps.
Rate This Guide
How helpful was this guide? Click to rate: