Media release
Joint Statement -
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer and
Australian Minister for Trade, Mark Vaile
9 May 2000
Priority Aid Assistance for East Timor
Funding for Australia’s continuing role in the reconstruction of East Timor and its development into a viable, independent nation is the key feature of the 2000-01 Foreign Affairs and Trade portfolio Budget. Funding will also be provided to maintain the quality and comprehensiveness of the consular services provided to the growing number of Australians travelling overseas.
In the 2000-01 Budget the Government has delivered on its commitment to provide substantial assistance to East Timor. There is overwhelming community support for continued assistance to East Timor. Consistent with Australia’s capacity to assist and East Timor’s development needs, the Government has committed $150 million over the next 4 years towards the reconstruction of East Timor. This will help establish a stable and increasingly self-reliant East Timor - something which is very much in our national interest - and builds on the significant humanitarian assistance provided to East Timor in 1999-2000.
Australian aid to East Timor will focus on restoring basic services, supporting the establishment of government and administrative structures, rebuilding livelihoods, promoting reconciliation and supporting multilateral reconstruction and development efforts. Austrade will continue to assist Australian businesses to tender for reconstruction work in East Timor.
Trade
The Coalition will continue to strongly promote Australian products and interests overseas in 2000-01. $312.7 million will be provided for Austrade to undertake export promotional activities. Around 1.7 million Australian jobs depend on exports of goods and services. This represents one-in-five jobs. In rural and regional areas, exports account for as many as one-in-four jobs.
The Export Finance & Insurance Corporation (EFIC) will continue to support Australian export efforts by providing innovative and internationally competitive finance, insurance and guarantee services. In 1998-99 EFIC supported exports worth $7.6 billion and paid a dividend this year of $13.1 million.
Boosting Consular Services
The Government has recently reviewed the efficiency and effectiveness of the consular services that the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides to Australians travelling overseas. The review confirmed that Australians are provided with one of the most comprehensive and high quality consular services in the world and at a cost which compares favourably to that of other governments.
The review also found the number of overseas visits by Australians each year would increase from 3.46 million in 2000 to 4.152 million in 2003. In the 2000-01 Budget the Government has allocated an additional $1.1 million per year to meet the consular needs of the growing number of Australians travelling or living overseas. This funding will boost the consular network by ensuring that essential travel advice and information is better targeted. It will also enable the development of global on-line case management technology and the extension of access to the existing 24-hour Consular Operations Centre.
Fees for the notarial services provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade — such as certifying documents and witnessing statutory declarations — will increase to cover the cost of the growing call on the consular network, but will remain the lowest of any comparable service provider. The provision of consular services is exempt from the GST and the increase in notarial fees contains no GST component.
Aid Budget Highlights
Total Official Development Assistance for 2000-01 will be $1.6 billion — an increase of nearly $100 million over the 1999-2000 Budget figure and a real increase of 4 per cent.
In addition to the assistance to East Timor outlined above, Australia will maintain its commitment to help Indonesia in meeting the enormous challenge of implementing political and economic reform, with total aid flows to Indonesia in 2000-01 of around $120 million. Australia has also committed $35 million (over the period 1999-2000 to 2001-02) towards the IMF/World Bank Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative, bringing Australia’s total contribution to the Initiative to $55 million (in nominal terms).
Media contacts:
Matt Francis (Mr Downer’s Office) Tel: (02) 6277 7500;
Bruce Mills (Mr Vaile’s Office) Tel: (02) 6277 7420;
Fionna Douglas (AusAID): Tel (02) 6206 4960;
Note: The way that the GST affects Budget estimates, accounting statements and appropriations is described in Budget Paper No.4.
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