Scott Morrison (Cook, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Housing and Local Government) Share this | Hansard source

I second the motion and I commend the member for Parramatta on her moving of it. The global financial crisis highlights more than ever the central role that economic development and economic growth have in our fight against poverty. The recent report of the World Bank on the Millennium Development Goals and our progress towards them makes this point crystal clear:

The impact of the global financial crisis on developing countries is reflected in sharp reductions in their projected GDP growth to rates that are the lowest since the 1990s. Average projected GDP growth in developing countries in 2009 is now only about a quarter of what was expected before the financial turmoil intensified into a full-blown crisis in the latter half of 2008 and a fifth of that achieved in the period of strong growth up to 2007. For developing countries as a whole, growth is now projected to fall to 1.6 percent in 2009, from an average of 8.1 percent in 2006–07. Growth in Sub-Saharan Africa is projected to slow to 1.7 percent in 2009, from 6.7 percent in 2006–07, breaking the momentum of the region’s very promising growth revival of recent years.

When you add to this the issue of what is happening with food prices, the report states:

The sharp slowdown in growth can seriously set back progress on poverty reduction and other MDGs. Food price increases between 2005 and 2008 pushed around 200 million more people into extreme poverty, and about half of them will remain trapped in poverty in 2009 even as food prices recede from their peaks.

The truth here is that, as we see these economic events unravel and while we have been incredibly fortunate here in this country for many reasons which we have debated in this place, for those not in this place and not in this country the situation is very desperate. I refer to the impact on the lives of individuals who will be lost as a result. I quote the report again:

Experience suggests that growth collapses are costly for human development outcomes … Countries that suffered economic contractions of 10 percent or more between 1980 and 2004 experienced more than 1 million additional infant deaths. It is estimated that the sharply slower economic growth resulting from the current financial crisis may cause as many as 200,000 to 400,000 more infant deaths per year on average between 2009 and the MDG target year of 2015, which translates into 1.4 million to 2.8 million additional infant deaths during the period.

These figures are extremely disturbing and, as I said at the outset, I think they highlight just how important economic growth is to releasing people from poverty. It has been the process of economic reforms, the growth of trade, the growth of our economies and the pursuit of policies that have pursued growth that have lifted literally hundreds of millions of people out of poverty like nothing else. It is these policies that we must once again rely on to ensure these people have a future, because we can do all we can through our own efforts, but if their economies do not grow and the jobs do not come then children will die. That is the absolute lesson of history when it comes to these matters. Failure of their economies will lead to a drastic failure in human outcomes, which can be translated into nothing other than the deaths of children at the most extreme level.

A few weeks ago youth representatives of the Micah Challenge came to visit me here in Parliament House. As we know, the Micah Challenge is a church based campaign that promotes action on global poverty and in particular on the Millennium Development Goals. I think one of the great achievements of movements like the Micah Challenge is that they have raised global awareness of this issue. While there will be debates in this place about the need to do what we are doing or not do what we are doing, and on what the government is doing in terms of expenditure, one thing that I am pleased has not become a debate in this place is whether we should be rolling back our aid commitments to overseas countries. I think it is a proud statement for all in this chamber that we have been able to commit ourselves continuously to the support we provide to others in other places.

Poverty, when we are exposed to it, should horrify us. It should cause us great grief and we should not seek to walk away from that or try to suppress it because it has a purpose; a purpose which should prompt us towards action. I commend the government on the actions they have taken in this area, and with the support of the coalition we will continue to support these countries, but the question remains for each of us: we can look at countries and we can look at governments and ask what they should do, but what we should do? There are many things we can do in our own right. (Time expired)

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