AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT'S NEW AID PROGRAM RENEWS COMMITMENTS TO THE REGION CANBERRA, Australia/ Medianet International- Asianet/ -- December 9, The Asia-Pacific region will continue to be the main priority area for Australian aid, the Australian Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer reaffirmed recently. While continuing to concentrate selectively on development needs in South Asia, the Middle East and Africa, Australian aid dollars would focus on assisting regional governments with their efforts to alleviate poverty in some of the poorer areas of the Asia-Pacific such as eastern Indonesia and the southern Philippines. The Minister said recent events such as the severe drought in Papua New Guinea, forest fires in Indonesia and the current South-East Asian economic turmoil served to bring home the diverse and urgent problems faced by Australia's nearest neighbours. Mr Downer made his comments in a speech to the Australian Parliament outlining the government's response to a report of a review on Australia's overseas aid, which the government had commissioned in June 1996. The Minister denounced the view expressed in some quarters that there was a choice between dealing with domestic problems and providing assistance overseas as a "misunderstanding and self-defeating". By promoting growth in developing countries, Australia's aid program helped foster stability and also addressed many threats to regional prosperity such as HIV/AIDS, global environment problems and narcotics. Fundamentally, by promoting human rights and addressing the needs of the world's most disadvantaged, Australia's aid program was "a clear statement of Australian values." It reflected the Australian ethic of "giving others, much worse off than ourselves, a fair go." The Australian aid program would be directed by six key principles. It would have a focus on partnerships with developing countries, be responsive to urgent needs and development trends, concentrate on practical efforts, be more targeted, have a clear Australian identity and be outward looking and open to new ideas. It would give priority attention to five key sectors: health, education, infrastructure, rural development and governance. The Australian Government has also indicated that it will continue to pay close attention to environment and gender issues which run across all five sectors. For further information please contactChris De Cure, Director, Images of Australia Unit, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Tel. 02 6261 3767; Fax 02 6261 2342.