Did you know that Australia only gives one third of the internationally agreed target to foreign aid? Did you know that since 1998, UN human rights treaty committees have been critically scrutinising Australia's human rights record and our treatment of people seeking Asylum? Australia has the largest per capita greenhouse emissions- why are we not committed to reducing these in the face of potentially devastating climate change.
How Ethical Is Australia? assesses how well Australia is performing as a global citizen. It examines five areas of government policy with a global impact - foreign aid, the United Nations, overseas trade, the environment and refugees. Our record in four of these, the authors would say, is not one any country would be proud of". This essay by renowned Australian philosopher Peter Singer, argues that the Australian Government ought to be doing its part to make the world a better place, by working to protect the global environment and to reduce poverty worldwide. A more ethical approach to the world beyond Australia's borders is also in our national interest - if we take a broad, long-term view of what our national interests are.
Although the analysis concentrates on the performance of recent Australian Governments, the arguments apply more generally to any future government of this country. |