McMullin supports new partnerships in aid program
Post date: 29 April 2008
The Parliamentary Secretary for International Development briefed members of the Australian Council for International Development
Bob McMullin, the Parliamentary Secretary for International Development, briefed members of the Australian Council for International Development in Melbourne and Sydney on April 7 and 8.
Mr McMullin highlighted the Labor government's commitment to increase the overall aid budget over the next seven years, and the emphasis on health within this. He indicated that a higher proportion of the aid program would be focussed through multilateral agencies, and through support for greater NGO involvement.
Mr McMullin talked about the need to involve a broader range of individuals and organisations in aid delivery - including domestic organisations, professional societies and the private sector. The new HIV Consortium for capacity-building in Asia and the Pacific, of which ASHM is part, was cited as an example. Mr McMullin expressed his support for new partnerships and collaborations which will deliver increased coordination in aid delivery in targeted areas. He also stressed his openness to discussing ways of facilitating and administering this involvement.