If there’s one thing that Christians almost unanimously agree on, it’s Australian Aid.

We have a common desire to see our nation be generous at a governmental level, and to extend the blessing we experience (simply by virtue of the fact that we are Australians!) to those in other nations who live with the daily reality of poverty.

 So we are calling on ALL CHRISTIANS to INTERRUPT JOE HOCKEY as he works on Australia’s budget for the year.

 

JoeHockey.gif

We are joining with over 50 other agencies in a Campaign for Australian Aid, to interrupt Mr Hockey and let him know that, like Jesus, we stand with the poor and the oppressed.

We are interrupting Mr Hockey to let him know that, as he represents us in the role of Australian Treasurer, we expect to see him represent our Aussie values of generosity and 'a fair go’, too.

We are interrupting Mr Hockey to encourage him to find creative solutions to prioritise Australian Aid for those who the bible describes as ‘the least of these’.

And we are interrupting Mr Hockey to make him aware that, as a movement of Christians, we are praying for him and his team during this season, and believing that righteousness will prevail.

Join your voice to thousands of others to INTERRUPT JOE.

Did you know that last year Australian aid gave access to critical services to 66,000 survivors of violence against women? We gave 2.9 million people access to safe drinking water and responded to emergencies in 24 countries including, Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines and flooding in Solomon Islands? All this and much more only cost around 1% of the federal budget. These are beautiful examples of how Australia has stood alongside our poorest neighbours.

Last year, though the government announced massive cuts to Australian Aid over the next four years. It is expected that Joe Hockey will announce the first cut, of $1 billion, on Budget night (12 May). If he goes ahead, it will be the biggest cuts in Australian aid history and make us the least generous we’ve ever been. This will hurt millions of people living in poverty, working hard to break down the barriers of poverty that prevent them from achieving independence.

Let us not, as a Christian community, fail to speak up at such a crucial time in our nation’s history. Instead, let us be those who in prayer and in action, make a stand for Jesus and justice.