Television viewers are being bombarded with election campaign commercials, but Victorian Senator John Madigan is going to some unusual lengths to get their attention.
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Continuing his calls for more effective use of Australia’s foreign aid budget, the DLP Senator and blacksmith has received the support of Kevin Rudd impersonator Anthony Ackroyd for his latest commercial.
Mr Ackroyd – known as The Ruddster – tells viewers he will discuss the growing Indonesian economy at an international summit, while Senator Madigan questions an almost 20 per cent increase in foreign aid from Australia.
Wearing an ill-fitting wig and impersonating some of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s distinctive body language and favourite phrases including “fair shake of the sauce bottle”, Mr Ackroyd says no one asks he or Opposition Leader Tony Abbott about foreign aid.
Senator Madigan said aid to Indonesia will total $647 million this financial year - making the country our largest beneficiary of bilateral aid.
“These ads are about making our government accountable for where Australian taxpayers’ money is spent and raising public awareness about human rights abuses happening so close to our shores,” Senator Madigan said.
“By not demanding answers from the Indonesian government, Australia is complicit in the crimes being committed against West Papuan people.
“The time is now for human rights observers and international journalists to be allowed into West Papua to report on what’s actually going on, rather than allowing the definitive news source to be the Indonesian government’s propaganda machine.”
The commercials were created with the support of business man and human rights campaigner Ian Melrose.
Mr Melrose decided to become involved in campaigning for more effective foreign aid after reading about the death of a young Timorese girl from worm infestation – a curable condition using inexpensive medication available in Australia and other developed countries.
“How dumb are we to be giving $647 million in foreign aid to a country that spends $8 billion on its military annually?” Mr Melrose said.
“Hard questions need to be asked about the huge number of people killed throughout Indonesia’s military occupation of West Papua and considering journalists aren’t doing that, this TV campaign will.”
The commercials are set to screen nationally and will be launched by Senator Madigan, Mr Melrose and The Ruddster in Melbourne on Thursday.
This month, the government’s pre-election budget update revealed a further $879 million would be cut over four years from foreign aid.
UNICEF condemned the decision and said the cuts were disproportionate to the rest of the Australian budget.
