Australia is in its first week of a Federal election campaign called by new Prime Minister Julia Gillard. Decision day is Saturday 21 August. There is already speculation about what the result might mean for overseas development and the local aid community. The online medium is being used extensively to highlight the issues.

John Beckett, National Coordinator of religious-based NGO Micah Challenge Australia, has speculated about how a change of PM might change things:

Over the last five years since Micah Challenge started we have seen some success in getting policies regarding global poverty changed in this country. We now have bi-partisan commitment to 0.5% GNI going to development assistance by 2015. We have seen increased funding to health, education and sanitation.

But he emphasises the importance of the long-haul:

However, policies and politicians will come and go. The events of the past weeks only serve to highlight the importance of lifelong advocacy.
A Gillard Government - what does that mean for the poor?

Oxfam Australia was quick to appeal to the political parties. Tim Norton writes:

This federal election, the Australian Council for International Development (of which Oxfam Australia is a member) is calling on all major political parties and all political candidates to commit Australia to play its full part in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
ACFID 2010 Federal election call to the parties

Some recommendations include:

MORE AID

• Announce a clear timetable for accelerating growth in the Aid Budget to 0.7% of Gross National Income and collaboratively develop a Strategic Framework to position AusAID to manage the growth in the Aid Budget more effectively

BETTER AID

• Increase the share of development assistance delivered through NGOs and skilled volunteer programs from 7% to at least 10% of the Aid Budget
• Create the position of Ambassador for Women’s Rights, to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in our region

JUST AID

• Increase humanitarian funding within the AusAID Global Program budget to 10% and create predictable multiyear contingency funding for emergencies

ACFID's full Key Recommendations are here. Click the image above for the pdf.

Meanwhile, online media organisation Crikey and Australian Centre for Independent Journalism have been running an investigative series that raises a number of serious allegations about AUSAID and some of the private for-profit organisations that are main players: Topics covered so far include:

• 'technical assistance making business rich';
• the stories of private aid companies GRM International and GHD, public companies Cardno and Coffey;
• and 'a shameful record when it comes to Timor aid'.
  Who profits from our foreign aid?

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The series of Make Poverty History electoral forums is continuing throughout the campaign.

The featured image is from the Oxfam Australia story.