Foreign aid an insult to victims of Debbie

7 APRIL 2017: NORTH Queensland cyclone victims are struggling to access government payments while billions of dollars are being sent overseas. Today, I called for a halt to all foreign aid while the nation is struggling to deal with its own domestic disaster. People had their homes blown to pieces, flooded, and left without electricity for more than 10 days but have been denied disaster relief funding. Meanwhile, they hear on the news that Australia has just committed another $320 million in foreign aid to Afghanistan.It’s an absolute insult to people who have already suffered horrendous losses to then be abandoned by those who are supposed to help. If we can’t afford to get aid to our own citizens in time of need, we shouldn’t be sending aid overseas.I raised the alarm with the State Labor Government last week that their bungled delivery of recovery payments was turning away the very people it was supposed to help. It’s been more than a week now and I am still getting calls from people at their wits end because the State Government is telling them they weren’t affected by the cyclone. Some of these homes were right in Cyclone Debbie’s path so I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the Big Bad Wolf that came and blew their roof off.Australia has witnessed a major natural disaster occur in a number of regions, starting with the tropical cyclone crossing the coast between Bowen and the Whitsundays. I believe charity should begin at home and if we can’t get that right there is no point sending charity overseas. It might look good on the world stage to puff out the chest and make a great display of generosity with borrowed money. But you garner no respect if you can’t even look after your own citizens. It’s embarrassing.Given the damage done in this community, large sums of money would be and have been directed here. But we haven’t had Category C of the Natural Disaster Relief and Recovery Arrangements activated yet, which would make $5000 payments available for not-for-profit organisations, $10,000 for small businesses, and $25,000 for farmers. Until this is sorted – not one dollar should be spent on foreigners.A lot of money will flow to the disaster areas in Queensland and New South Wales, but it should not be at the expense of other domestic priorities or increased debt. Once these areas are rebuilt, foreign aid can be reinstated. I am sure other countries that receive this aid will understand the need to make domestic aid in a natural disaster the top priority.