Yvette D'Ath (Petrie, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to show my strong support for the Millennium Development Goals and those individuals and organisations who, through the Micah Challenge and the Make Poverty History campaign, are working so hard to see the Millennium Development Goals met globally and to ensure Australia is fulfilling its roles in achieving these goals. I know that this parliament will shortly welcome the Micah Challenge Voices for Justice representatives in Canberra. I will certainly be meeting with them and attending their events. Recently, as part of the Make Poverty History breakfast, Brent Marshall and Blake Chapman from the Petrie electorate met with me as part of the roadtrip summit to voice their concerns about the Millennium Development Goals and making sure that Australia continues to fulfil its commitments to these goals.

Last Friday I also had the opportunity to attend a Survive Past Five ceremony at Redcliffe State High School to raise awareness of child mortality rates around the world. The Micah Challenge Survive Past Five fifth birthday campaign is advocating for the 8.8 million children who die every year before reaching their fifth birthday, mostly from preventable diseases like diarrhoea and pneumonia. In front of a cupcake display in the shape of a giant No. 5 students presented me with a giant card signed by all students. The students have asked me to present the card and a letter to the Minister for Foreign Affairs requesting that the federal government increase aid spending on child and maternal health.

I also had the opportunity to meet David Martin from World Vision, who was also in attendance at the school, and the wonderful student council leaders, Toai Tumaai and Bianca King, who were speaking on behalf of the students at that ceremony. As we spoke in relation to the Millennium Development Goals every three seconds students laid down an egg cup to acknowledge that a child passes away every three seconds from poverty. The tragedy of child poverty is something that we should stop and we should be looking at what we are doing as a nation to address poverty. The 8.8 million children dying is 8.8 million children dying unnecessarily from preventable diseases.

I congratulate the Redcliffe State High School for their initiative and other young people around this country and in the electorate of Petrie who are voicing their concerns and getting involved in the Micah Challenge and the Make Poverty History campaign to see not just the globe but also Australia meeting its commitments on the Millennium Development Goals.