It's not usual for sitting or former MPs, let alone prime ministers, to travel the world being rude about the policies of other countries. Nonetheless the former Danish PM, Helle Thorning-Schmidt gave it a good run on Q&A; recently. Surprising, since her time in office will not be written up as the most glorious years of Danish government.
I thought taking a selfie at Mandela's memorial with David Cameron and Barack Obama was on the low side of tacky but maybe that's just me. The photo is not being released because she says it's not a great shot. It's reassuring to know that if she looked great in the photo it would be released. We are assured by her remarks that it was just a bit of fun. This is, of course, why we attend memorial services.
![Former Danish prime minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt on Q&A on Monday.](/web/20170412033343im_/http://www.canberratimes.com.au/content/dam/images/g/v/c/x/7/a/image.related.articleLeadwide.620x349.gvfzxu.png/1491910839299.jpg)
Condescension is a bad thing. No one I know and like enjoys talking down to others. There's another side to it that gets little attention, namely, that you think you are superior. Her remarks on Q&A; to the effect that Australia was not "taking its place in the world" in regards to humanitarian aid, and, particularly "we kind of miss you. We miss Australia" was a pearler. The "we" is some sort of club to which she sees herself as belonging and which she needs to point out we do not. Poor us. No doubt the people at Save The Children, which she now heads, have turned their minds to whether sticking sticks in the eyes of governments is a successful ploy on their part.
That may be why there was a subsequent opinion piece that sought to repeat the criticism of us but make it appear softer by mentioning how well we'd done in the past ... thanks for that! The piece was an opportunity for her to remind us how much she understood because she had been a prime minister.
What she didn't say in that piece was that as a former politician she would also understand with crystal clarity the impact of her going on a program like Q&A; and making those remarks. This was no off-the-cuff comment ... she sees herself as someone very special. More to the point she might have not fully understood Australia's long-term and current contributions to the rest of the world.
Unlike most countries we have a long-term immigration program and are one of a small number of countries that have consistently set aside a part of that program for refugees. We're not the ones who wait until there's a huge crisis. We know people are in need all the time, so every year we take people from crisis spots and refugee camps.
Last time I looked we were per capita and by GDP the largest taker of refugees for permanent resettlement. That's quite another thing from just holding out a friendly hand when there's a mega crisis. We also have a long-term budget problem. We've been spending happily for years and now we have to rein it in.
I'm a big fan of foreign aid so if I want it to return to a higher percentage of GDP I'll have to nominate where else we can make savings, ie, cuts. This is no simple point. The next time you travel on an aircraft listen to the safety instructions. You will be told that if you're unlucky and oxygen masks are needed you should help yourself first before helping others. You just can't help others as effectively if you're not in a strong position.
Then there's the overall question of whether we are lifters or leaners. We shouldn't be judged on a few difficult years. Nor should we pretend that we haven't cut back. We have and it's not ideal. Not much in the world is. Another point, overlooked in the condescending "we miss you at the table" line is that not all help for developing countries is included in the aid budget. Sometimes there are huge contributions that fall elsewhere.
Take Defence for example. I must confess that Cyclone Pam in Vanuatu didn't grab my attention. Nonetheless we provided $20 million in support. Due to the understandable rules and frameworks only about 15 per cent gets counted. And yet our total spend for Cyclone Winston in Fiji was eligible. We spent around $220 million on peacekeeping which inevitably improves the lives of people in horrific circumstances but not much of that gets counted either.
Then there's the question of how you spend whatever money you have got. Gone are the days when we hear people saying "just give them wheat". Everyone understands that one size does not fit all and to get a bang for your buck you need to be smart. The Foreign Minister has done a number of things that make a real difference. There's a focus on women and girls. That's a good thing. Educate a mother and you educate a generation.
There is also a focus on the private sector. We can do really good things by leveraging off private sector involvement in developing countries . We work with others, for example in the Private infrastructure Development Group. Every dollar of member contributions there leverages around $17 of private sector capital into infrastructure projects. Then there's the Business Partnerships Platform and the innovation exchange. In short I have a suspicion that the selfie-loving Thorning-Schmidt was seeking to make herself look relevant to her peers who sit at this secret table with her.
In the process she has not done herself or Save the Children any favours. The table to which she refers is full of people who feel especially good about themselves because their organisation has altruistic objectives. The rest of us are meant to just give them money and, unaccountable to anyone, they'll spend it, wastefully or otherwise. Cold showers might be in order.
Amanda Vanstone is a Fairfax Media columnist and a former Coalition minister.
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