By Asia editor Catherine McGrath | ABC
The new Minister for International Development, West Australian MP
Melissa Parke, has brushed aside claims her support for human rights
issues could ruffle feathers in Indonesia.
Ms Parke is well known for her interest in human rights issues and
has previously supported campaigners from West Papuan independence
movement.
Last year, Ms Parke defied a request to Labor MPs - issued by
then-trade minister Craig Emerson - to not attend an event in support
the independence campaigners following Indonesian complaints.
Ms Parke would not comment on how her appointment would be viewed in
Indonesia, where she has been seen as sympathetic to the West Papuan
cause.
"That is not an issue I am going to canvass.
My background in human rights is well known," she said.
"My focus is on the aid programme and we are doing fantastic things together with the Indonesian government."
Indonesia is the biggest recipient of Australian aid.
Ms Parke says her focus will be on promoting aid spending to Australian voters to ensure they know how funding is allocated.
"In education, for instance, we are building and renovating 2,000
junior secondary schools and training 300,000 principals," she said.
"We are going to have thousands and thousands of young Indonesians
who are receiving a mainstream secular curriculum education and
contributing to the economic capacity and governance of this region.
"That has to be a good thing for all of us."
Professor Greg Barton, from Monash University, says it is unlikely that Ms Parke's appointment would cause concern in Indonesia.
"On the Indonesian side there is enormous difference in views across
Parliament and across the Cabinet there are sharp differences of voices
and opinions expressed," he said.
'Selling the message' of Australia's aid work
Australia currently spends $5.7 billion on aid.
Seventy per cent of the budget is spent in the Asia Pacific region.
Ms Parke says many Australians are not aware of the Government's work and says she will work to "sell the message".
"It is a really significant part of the Government's work that perhaps not a lot of Australians know a lot about," she said
"I would like to get out there and sell that message as best we can.
"Our aid programme is about saving lives and helping people out of
poverty."
The Government has reduced its future spending commitments, cutting from
the last budget nearly $3 billion from future spending promises.
It has also taken $375 million from the aid budget over the last two years to re-direct to funding asylum seekers in Australia.
But Ms Parke says Australia's aid commitments are not being neglected.
"This Labor Government has increased our aid commitment every years since we have been in government," she said.
"This year that was a $500 million increase."
Papua New Guinea an aid priority
Ms Parke says Papua New Guinea is another priority for Australian aid.
She says none of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – designed
to reduce poverty and help development – are being met in the country
"We know PNG is facing issues when it comes to gender inequality,
domestic violence [and] when it comes to literacy and health," she said.
"We know that a women in PNG is
more than 200 times more likely to die from pregnancy related conditions
or childbirth and that just isn't good enough."
Ms Parke says there is still much to do in t
