MORE than $600 million of Australia's foreign aid over the past two years never went overseas but was swallowed up in the coffers of a small Federal Government agency in Pitt Street, Sydney.These are the people who criticize the UN and Amnesty International, remember.
This is just one example of a shift in policy under which the Government dresses up as overseas development assistance money that never leaves Australia or is used to prop up its immigration policies.
Help for refugees in Australia, payments to support the "Pacific solution", and a legal bill at the AWB inquiry are other forms of aid which make the nation appear more generous than it is, a Herald investigation has found.
These are the people who speak hollow words about fighting the "global war on poverty" and "addressing the root causes of terrorism".
These are the people who talk about "Australia's important leadership role in the region".
More importantly, these people are OUR representatives on the world stage. This is what we have become.
