Costello (Tim, that is) backs Rudd on poverty

from The Age

Ben Doherty

TIM Costello is backing Labor on the issue of foreign aid, in a move that could jeopardise his brother Peter's chances of becoming Prime Minister.

The World Vision chief says the Coalition's failure to match Labor's promise to increase aid could be a "vote-clincher" for the Opposition, particularly among Christians.

"We'll be telling all the churches that Kevin Rudd is way ahead of the Prime Minister on this issue," Tim Costello told The Age last night. "About 7 per cent of the population go to church every week. Extrapolate that across the population — it's a significant number."

Labor has pledged to lift Australia's foreign aid contribution from 0.3 per cent of gross national income to 0.5 per cent by 2015. The Coalition commitment is to lift it to 0.36 per cent by 2010.

Australia's current commitment is about $3.1 billion. Lifting it to 0.5 per cent would increase that by up to $2 billion a year by 2015.

Mr Costello said the difference between Labor and the Coalition's policies would save the lives of 140,000 children, and provide clean water and sanitation for 37 million people in the Asian region.

"It's not too much of an exaggeration to say this issue is life and death," he said. "For Christians … this will be potentially a vote-clincher, maybe a deal-breaker in terms of how they see this election."

He said he remained hopeful the Prime Minister would match the Labor commitment, which would neutralise the issue politically. "This is a moral issue, not a political one, make it bipartisan," he said.

But Mr Howard said he was happy with the Coalition's position. Asked if he would match Labor's commitment, he said he would look at Mr Rudd's policy, adding: "We have made an announcement about that, and we are very proud of it."

Under Mr Howard, Australia's aid contribution dipped to 0.26 per cent of GNI in 2001, according the the OECD, before being restored to 0.3.

Tim Costello said he believed his brother would support a further increase. "I know there are members within John Howard's own party who support the proposal strongly," he said.

"I credit Peter as the one who got the increase that brought the level back to 0.3 per cent. I think he would be very comfortable with this (proposed increase). But he's not Prime Minister."

The Make Poverty History campaigner Hugh Evans said his organisation would launch a "full-scale" campaign of public meetings in marginal electorates, doorknocking, sending text messages and emails urging people to support Labor's position.

He said one anti-poverty organisation, the Oaktree Foundation, had more than 20,000 names on its database, and World Vision 400,000.

The church-based campaign on the issue of aid comes in the same week the Coalition has stepped up its bid for the Christian vote and The Australian Christian Lobby began a campaign targeting churchgoers in marginal seat.

Health Minister Tony Abbott said Labor politicians did not have the same "degree of Christian commitment" as Coalition MPs. He cited the fact that half the Labor MPs did not take an oath on the Bible after the last election, and the preference deal with the Greens, who he said were hostile on many issues important to Christians.

Mr Howard and Peter Costello have had meetings with evangelical Christian leaders in the lead-up to the election, including controversial Catch The Fire pastor Danny Nalliah, who The Age revealed this week, has addressed a meeting of the anti-Semitic League of Rights.

Mr Nalliah said the League of Rights was wrong to deny the Holocaust, but said he might speak to it again.

While Mr Howard has not ruled out further meetings with Mr Nalliah, he said yesterday that he had "no plans to meet him again".

Mr Nalliah told followers he had held one-on-one meetings with Mr Howard and Peter Costello, after God told him to "prophetically prepare" Mr Costello as the future prime minister.