Parliamentary Secretary Visits ADRA Australia

13th August, 2008

Parliamentary Secretary Bob McMullan MP (centre) discussed the Australian Government’s plans for international aid with ADRA Australia staff, including incoming CEO Jonathan Duffy (left) and Acting CEO and International Program Director Harwood Lockton (right).

Wahroonga, New South Wales — Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance, the Honourable Bob McMullan MP, visited the office of the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) Australia on Tuesday 12 August, as part of his engagement with non-government development organisations.

Mr. McMullan spent one hour with ADRA Australia staff and board members discussing issues relevant to international aid. “I’m here to listen and respond to the issues that agencies want to raise,” said Mr. McMullan. “The Australian Government is now making decisions about what its international aid program will look like in five years, so this is an important dialogue. There is no better time for aid agencies to raise and discuss issues with us.”

Mr. McMullan explained the government’s immediate focus on three key areas of international aid, before answering questions from staff and board members. The three areas of particular interest to the Australian Government are a review of its relationships with non-government organisations (NGOs), a commitment to increasing the federal aid budget from 0.3% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.5% by 2015, and an increase in community engagement in international aid issues.

The increase in the government’s international aid budget may also see an increase in funding to non-government agencies such as ADRA Australia. “Although we haven’t formally decided to, we are looking at giving more funding to NGOs,” said Mr. McMullan. The Australian Government currently gives 4% of its aid budget to Australian-based NGOs.

The AusAID-funded Church Partnership Program (CPP) in Papua New Guinea (PNG), which partners with seven Christian denominations including the Adventist Church to deliver health and education services to communities in need, was also discussed. “We acknowledge that a lot of service provision happens through churches,” said Mr. McMullan. “The CPP in PNG has been very successful by all accounts. We’re interested in seeing if this model can be replicated.” ADRA Australia partners with ADRA PNG and the Adventist Church in PNG as part of this project.

Mr. McMullan was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance following election of the Rudd Government in November 2007. Prior to this role, Mr. McMullan has been Shadow Minister for a number of portfolios, most recently for International Development Assistance and Federal-State Relations. In the former Labour Government, Mr. McMullan was the Minister for Trade.

ADRA Australia is a non-government organisation (NGO) engaging in sustainable community development and emergency management for people in Australia, the Pacific, Asia and Africa. It is fully accredited with the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID) and is signatory to the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID) Code of Conduct. The ADRA network has a presence in 125 countries. For more information about ADRA Australia visit www.adra.org.au.

Media Enquiries:
Candice Jaques
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