On Wednesday, August 14, I was invited to join 34 other women to attend Parliament House. We entered with one agenda: to meet with as many of our nation’s leaders as possible and advocate for an increase in the amount of Australian aid sent overseas.
There was something special about being a part of this group. We were a group of women in leadership across our Australian churches and Christian agencies. Women from all different denominations, backgrounds and job titles, and yet all with one purpose. A simple yet urgent purpose- to be a voice for the one out of five children living in conflict-torn areas. A voice for the 700 million people who are experiencing extreme poverty.
Australia has fallen from being the 14th most generous wealthy country in 2015, down to being the 26th in 2023. Many Australians are unaware of what we spend on foreign aid, and when they find out, they are often embarrassed and assume it is more. We only spend 0.68% of our federal budget on Australian Aid. Micah Australia and their “Safer World For All” campaign are lobbying for that to increase to 1% of our federal budget.
We believe this is achievable, and at Global Mission Partners, we know it is desperately needed.
It was a privilege to be involved in these meetings and to share some of our mission partner stories with the Members of Parliament we met with. Many of whom were encouraged by the work being done by our overseas partners.
I’m not sure if our asks will be granted, if the percentage of Australian Aid will remain the same or if we will see an increase. However, the work that Micah Australia has done to reach this point has been inspirational. They have put time and research into this campaign, and their advocacy is making a difference. The survey that they conducted before our group went to Canberra showed that Australians felt compelled to provide aid and be generous because of the difference it made to people’s lives.
What a blessing it is to work for Global Mission Partners, and to know that our partners are doing that every day. We are grateful to all our churches and supporters, we know how generous you all are, thank you for your transformational partnership and helping us to be a voice for the voiceless.
Carly Cassidy,
National Church Relationships Manager