Page updated:
Friday, 7 September 2007

SPECIAL REPORT - Part 4

COMMUNICATING DEVELOPMENT...

Workshop reports

Building the constituency

THE CONSTITUENCY of aid and development include:

• donors
• members of organisations
• the media
• teachers and, through them, students
• politicians
• business
• non-donating supporters
• churches.

Behavioural change desired of constituents:

• increased voluntarism
• campaigning for increased social expenditure
• encouragement of debate on issues
• change in personal lifestyle and the building of community
• an ethic of global citizenship
• ethical consumption
• financial support of agencies
• support for an end to the erosion of aid funds.

Linkages with other projects:

• globalisation > identification and action on commonalities due to globalisation
• encouragement of politicians to visit projects
• local community involvement in projects > needs commonality for connection > must be more than an abstract idea
• community linkages > sister communities/ villages > reinforces local connections
• study tours
• visits by developing country people to Australia
• activities that reinforce the idea that change is possible
• NGO-NGO links in developed countries.

Discussion on defending and increasing overseas development assistance

In developing development education and associated media products:

• focus on elements other than money, such as achievement
• point out that today's trading partners were Australia's aid recipients 20 years ago
• identify what has not been tried
• gain ministerial support for activities
• focus on what AusAID does
• focus on the quality of the aid budget
• produce arguments in tune with the government's stated priorities
• produce a manifesto on positive aid
• change argument away from altruism towards Australia's national interest
• invest in our children's future
• set up electorate targets - MPs visit projects
• the valuation of aid by recipients.

Research workshop

Report back from the Research workshop:

• keep doing research
• involve aid agencies in research through ACFOA.

Recommendations:

1. ACFOA set up a research committee
2. catagorise questions that all agencies would be interested in
3. carry out exploratory research to test whether the question interests all and consult with agencies
4. agencies to consider contributing funds
5. AusAID to consider contributing funds
6. carry out the annual tracking of public opinion on aid.

Comment

• AusAID indicated that it would be prepared to seed the process but ACFOA would have to contribute financially later
• agencies carrying out their own research should collaborate
• the way forward is by AusAID - ACFOA collaboration.

Final comment

Janet Hunt...

The media thrives on conflict and accentuates differences rather than commonalities.

We need to talk about how we deal with media coverage.

Phillip Hazelton (APHEDA - Australian People for Health and Education)...

• we should identify and jointly tackle a common enemy
• we should not pander to media reporting
• the government has reduced the overseas aid budget and nobody cares
• NGOs need a forum to reform the agenda and for AusAID to join in dialogue with NGOs.; what end result do we want for overseas aid?

AusAID...

People in AusAID cannot engage in fully open dialogue due to the organisation's relationship with the government