News that Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will plunder Australia's aid budget to pay for overseas climate action creates a credibility gap for the PM and will result in increased hardship when aid programs are cut, Greens overseas aid spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon said.

"Prime Minister Turnbull's $1 billion fund for climate programs in low income countries will come from cutting back essential programs in those same countries possibly resulting in health, education and sanitation projects being wound up," Senator Rhiannon said.

Greens overseas aid spokesperson Senator Lee Rhiannon has called on the Turnbull government to move quickly to restore aid funding to the Fred Hollows Foundation and other non-government aid groups to ensure people in low income countries do not miss out on vital care and assistance.

"The Lateline report on critical programs run by the Fred Hollows Foundation that restore the sight of young children should be a wakeup call to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop to restore funding to the Australian NGO Cooperation Program," Senator Rhiannon said.

Australian Greens Leader Dr Richard Di Natale joined Greens spokesperson for international aid and development Senator Lee Rhiannon today to announce the Greens plans to fund international development.

“Australia’s foreign aid budget should be 0.7% of Gross National Income, and today the Greens are proud to announce an election commitment to achieve that by 2025,” said Senator Di Natale.

With the world on the cusp to become polio free, the Greens have have expressed their dismay at the Australian government's cut to polio eradication funding by half.

"The Global Polio Eradication Initiative was started by an Australian in response to the worldwide tragedy that is polio," said Greens spokesperson for international aid and development Senator Lee Rhiannon.

"The complete eradication of polio is in sight. To back away from our full funding commitment to this initiative is incredibly irresponsible

Following the leaking of text from the Pacific free trade talks, the Greens are calling on the Australian government to end negotiations and undertake the necessary social and environmental impact assessments.

A draft chapter titled "Development and Economic Cooperation" from the regional free trade agreement known as PACER-Plus has been leaked by the Pacific Islands News Association.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/nvk242n

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (20:57):

Senator RHIANNON: On another matter: overseas aid budgets, traditionally associated with poverty alleviation, are increasingly going to boost company profits. Examples from the British government's Department for International Development and the World Bank show that poor people in low-income countries run a poor second to powerful and well-connected companies. The following concerning examples of this massive misuse of aid money should serve as a reminder to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Julie Bishop, to not allow Australian aid money to be misused for private wealth.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (19:25): Another matter concerns Malawi, which is also one of the low-income countries of Africa. In fact, it is regarded as the poorest country in the world according to the World Bank development indicators. The former Prime Minister Julia Gillard brought in the Mining for Development initiative, a new approach to overseas development where the mining industry is given aid money supposedly to assist it for its work in low-income countries, the argument being that this will benefit people in those countries.

Senator RHIANNON (New South Wales) (16:04): I ask that general business notice of motion No. 777 standing in my name for today, requiring military logistical support not to be accounted as foreign aid, be taken as a formal motion.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Is there any objection to this motion being taken as formal?

Senator Fifield: Yes.

The DEPUTY PRESIDENT: Formality is not granted, Senator Rhiannon.Senator