Last week Federal Opposition finance spokesperson Senator Barnaby Joyce caused a stir when he argued for cuts to Australia's foreign aid.
It was a case of populist politics at its worst. He was appealing to base self-interest.
Addressing the National Press Club on Wednesday, Joyce said we should not be sending money to feed the hungry in developing countries because we have the highest food inflation in the Western world.
That his arguments made little sense does not stop them from winning popular support. Many voters decide on the basis of emotion rather than rationality. And tapping voter greed is likely to be a more successful strategy than appealing to voter altruism.
But it's a poor reflection on the moral character of Australians and of Senator Joyce's estimation of it, that he should not even try to make us better world citizens.
Already Australia gives less than 40 cents for every $100 earned across the economy to foreign aid, compared to 60 cents in the UK and almost 80 cents in Denmark and Belgium.
Moreover, enlightened self-interest is the basis for much of Australia's existing aid effort. AusAID specifies that the program aims to reduce poverty and achieve sustainable development 'in line with Australia's national interest'. So we provide assistance to East Timor, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands in order to avoid having failed nations on our doorstep.
Australia remains a signatory to the 2000 Millennium Declaration that aimed to halve world poverty by 2015, whether or not it is consistent with our national interest. From this declaration came the eight Millennium Development Goals, which specify targets in areas such as poverty and hunger, education, the empowerment of women, and reduction of child mortality.
Labor backbencher Julie Owens is co-convenor of the Parliamentary Friends of the Millennium Development Goals. She reported to Paliament in October of the significant progress that has been made towards achieving the goals, but made it clear that continued progress requires Australia to maintain its level of foreign aid, especially in the context of the Global Financial Crisis.
But it would be out of character for most politicians to promote an altruistic cause such as the Millennium Development Goals. This is significant because ordinary people are inspired by the rhetoric and actions of their leaders. Gandhi and Mandela were two politicians of the 20th century who were also leaders of humanity. They were successful in their appeal to the voters'