Sharon Bird (Cunningham, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to speak on international development assistance and the work of the TEAR group in raising awareness about the plight of the less fortunate in our world. As members will be aware, Australia has a long history of providing development assistance to emerging nations. It is something which many Australians are justly proud of. Indeed, it is something which engages many of the young people in our community in the wider world in which they live. Unfortunately, the government has not kept pace with the instinct of Australian people to reach out and help those who are less fortunate than themselves.

Under this government, our international assistance to the poorest of the poor has fallen dramatically. Australia is now in the bottom half of donor countries in the OECD. By 2004 our aid budget had fallen as a percentage of gross national income to 0.25 per cent—far below any previous Australian Government contribution. In 2005, the government announced an increase of 0.3 per cent of GNI. However, this still compares unfavourably with the OECD average of 0.46 per cent of GNI. Labor, on the other hand, has made an historic commitment to lift Australia’s international development assistance performance to hit the intermediate UN target of 0.5 per cent of GNI by 2015.

The date 7 July 2007 marked the half-way point of an ambitious international project—the global commitment to make poverty history. Many of us have participated in activities in our electorates and here in Canberra to show our support for the Make Poverty History campaign. At the turn of the century, to mark the new millennium, the international community adopted the Millennium Development Goals. It is worth reminding the House of what the eight Millennium Development Goals are: first, eradicate extreme poverty and hunger; second, achieve universal primary education; third, promote gender equality and empower women; fourth, reduce child mortality; fifth, improve maternal health; sixth, combat HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases; seventh, ensure environmental sustainability; and, eighth, develop a global partnership for development. These are laudable goals.

The people of Cunningham want the Australian government to help make their achievement a reality. I met with the TEAR group recently at my electorate office, where they presented me with a petition calling on the government to increase the aid budget to 0.5 per cent of gross national income by 2010 and to 0.7 per cent of gross national income by 2015. Unfortunately, the petition is not strictly in accordance with the parliamentary rules. However, it does show the feeling of many in the Cunningham electorate, so I am taking this opportunity to bring before the parliament the views of the local group and the 78 local people who signed the petition on the one day that it was available.

As members will be aware, TEAR is a Christian movement that works with a range of denominations on issues affecting the poor in our community and in the global community. The Wollongong convenor, Mr Craig Gaymer, and the other members of this group deserve our thanks for their continuing commitment to work to help the poor and to raise awareness of the many issues affecting those less fortunate than us in the world. I am pleased to present their concerns to the House.

At a fair day in our local area, 78 people took the time out from fairy floss, rides and taking the kids around to buy show bags to sign the petition. They want the House to be aware that they are requesting the government to go further than its current target and to reach the target of 0.5 per cent by 2010 and the target of 0.7 per cent by 2015. They request that the aid budget be explicitly directed towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals, as well as the goal to halve global poverty by 2015. I am very proud to present their support for these goals to the House. I also indicate my ongoing support for their work in addressing this very important issue of global poverty.