The Australian government has delivered a huge boon to the Australian government bureaucracy with a massive injection of funds totalling $432 million in the 2004-05 AusAID budget.

The 2004-05 aid budget is being hailed by foreign minister, Alexander Downer as a huge increase in aid funding, yet the facts belie the spin, according to Aid/Watch's Tim O'Connor.

``If you deduct the money Australia is spending on employing Australian police in PNG and Australian troops in the Solomon Islands and the money going to Australian government departments, then we are giving much less in aid than Australia gave last year'' said O'Connor.

From Green Left Weekly, May 19, 2004.
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