The following is Bono's statement that he made after meeting with Australian Treasurer peter Costello.

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“I very much enjoyed my meeting with Treasurer Costello, he seemed to be personally very interested in the plight of the worlds poor and determined to figure a way for his country to play a more committed role.

If the Minister is as serious about increased aid as he is about effective aid then I think the two will combine to transform Australia’s role in the world of engagement with the poorest of the poor. The Minister cautioned me not to let this become a left versus right, Liberal versus Labor debate - I took his point and described to him the breadth of the Make Poverty History movement, from church groups to student activists, from soccer mums to rockstars. I described it as the ‘New Australia’ - proud Australians who have told me that at the moment they feel their continent is behaving as an island, they want to be a leader, not a laggard, in facing these great challenges of the age.

We talked a lot about the Global Fund, how it is proving itself as a most effective intervention in the fight against AIDS, TB and malaria. The combination of these three diseases takes 15,000 lives per day. This seemed to be an area that Australia might consider a leadership role in ensuring that it is adequately funded.”