Australia shows the way

Reports on today's news (13 May 2013) have stated that during tomorrow's budget the Australian government are to cut billions of dollars from their foreign aid budget and the unemployed are to receive extra money to help them survive on the dole and help them get back into the workforce.

Australia plans to cut foreign aid by around 3 billion dollars by deferring a promise to increase spending for the second year in a row and are spending an extra 300 million dollars helping the unemployed.

Mark Purcell from the council for International Development stated "Hundreds of millions of dollars spent in Australia is not going to help the poor of the world".

Well Mr Purcell, the taxes raised from Australians should be spent on Australians first. It is not the Australian governments job to financially assist the whole world.

Here in the UK David Cameron is refusing to cut the foreign aid budget preferring to target those on benefits and public sector workers to make the necessary savings instead. He has pledged to give 11 billion pounds per year in foreign aid.

While in the UK people are struggling to buy food.

13 million people live below the poverty line in the UK. The Trussell Trust, which now operates more than 300 food banks in the UK, has seen demand for its service increase year on year since the 2008/09 financial crisis. In 2011/12, 128,697 emergency food parcels were handed out – up from just 26,000 in 2008/9. In 2012-13 foodbanks fed 346,992 people nationwide. Of those helped, 126,889 were children. Half a million people a year will be in receipt of a food parcel by 2016, by which time there are expected to be 500 food banks.

Charity begins at home Mr Cameron. Cut foreign aid not benefits given to British people who are unemployed or on low wages because your government has made a mess of the economy.