On Tuesday 9 May the Australian government will release its annual federal budget and it looks like it's going to deliver another devastating blow for the world’s poor.

Reports in The Australian today indicate the government will be redirecting more than $321 million of Australia’s Overseas Development Assistance (ODA) budget to fund the Australian Secret Intelligence Service (ASIS) (Australia’s spy agency) and the Australian Federal Police for counter-terrorism measures.

This comes just two years after the Coalition Government cut $1 billion from Australia’s foreign aid budget in 2015, the largest ever single year reduction. Then in 2016 we saw a further $224 million slashed from the ODA budget.

Read more: Former Prime Minister of Denmark Says Australia Should Give More Aid

So what does this year’s budget have in store? It looks like we may yet again have another significant cut to this important program, which is not only critical to ending extreme poverty, it’s also an important part of Australia’s national security agenda.

The government has made national security one of its biggest priorities, but to simply take money from Australia’s foreign aid program, and spend it on defence is short-sighted.

We must continue to invest in our region through our Australian aid program, to improve education, health, better governance, equality for women and girls, and access to clean water and basic sanitation. This in turn builds peace and stability in the indo-pacific region and will ensure that Australia continues to prosper and be a good neighbour.

By investing in foreign aid, Australia is doing far more than fulfilling humanitarian ideals, we are investing in national security by preventing the spread of disease to our shores, and promoting foreign political stability which leads to avoiding military conflict.  

If the government decides to fully implement the Australian Defence White Paper, spending on defence will increase from $32 billion per year to almost $60 billion per year by 2025.

There is a legitimate fear that defence spending will be given priority at the expense of other key foreign policy measures, such as ODA funding, which also keeps countries like Australia safe and secure, but for a fraction of the cost.

Currently Australia is a long way from meeting the United Nations target of 0.7 percent of national income contributing to foreign aid.

"We've lost perspective. We're still the third richest nation per capita on the earth and we've cut aid, which is really a measure of our sense of perspective," World Vision Australia’s Tim Costello told The Sydney Morning Herald.

We know that Australian aid works and goes a long way in saving lives in our region, rebuilding communities and empowering families to lift themselves out of poverty.

It will be devastating to see aid cut to an all time low especially at a time of humanitarian crisis around the globe.

Read more: Global Citizens of Australia Say They Want Their Country to Engage with the World

Australian aid also has an important role to play in eliminating polio once and for all. These cuts look to ensure no continued funding to this critical program that will see polio eradicated.

Failure to eradicate polio from the last remaining strongholds could result in as many as 200,000 new cases globally every year, within 10 years.

During World Immunisation Week, Global Citizen, along with world health experts from WHO, UNICEF, and Rotary International joined forces in Australia to urge the Australian Government to support worldwide polio eradication efforts.

We are in a race against time to end the transmission of polio once and for all, and reducing funds now will hinder this. This could be the parliament to end polio for good.

We want to see the 45th Australian Government show leadership and hold firm to its commitment to end polio by providing at least $15 million each year until 2019.

Follow the budget live at 7.30pm AEST via www.aph.gov.au and www.budget.gov.au.

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Demand Equity

Leaked Reports Reveal Australian Aid Will be Cut Yet Again in Tomorrow’s Budget

By Marnie Cunningham