Ged Kearney (Cooper, Australian Labor Party, Assistant Minister for Social Services) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Today I rise to recognise the important work of Union Aid Abroad—APHEDA. APHEDA was born out of the Australian union movement in 1984, sparked by the courage and imagination of a remarkable young nurse, Helen McCue. She believed that the values that shape our union movement—solidarity, fairness and collective strength—should reach far beyond our workplaces and even beyond our shores. From that simple but profound idea, a global justice organisation took shape. I've had the privilege of working closely with APHEDA both as secretary of the Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation and as president of the ACTU, and as a board member of APHEDA itself. I have seen firsthand the integrity, commitment and humanity that guides their work today.

Today, APHEDA partners with 42 trade unions and community organisations across 14 countries throughout South-East Asia, the Pacific, the Middle East and Southern Africa. Together they carry out more than 30 projects dedicated to improving health, expanding education, strengthening workers' rights and building sustainable, resilient communities. Their mission speaks deeply to two causes that have shaped my own life—the power of unionism and the importance of international solidarity.

I highlight today some of the remarkable work APHEDA is doing in supporting Timor-Leste, a place that holds a personal meaning for so many in our movement. During my time in the union movement, I had the honour of standing with those who fought for Timor-Leste's independence. To this day, it remains one of our proudest moments as a movement that the unions of Australia were awarded the medal of the Order of Timor-Leste for our solidarity.

Today that solidarity continues. Around 80 per cent of people in Timor-Leste rely on subsistence farming. Yet, despite their resilience, many communities still struggle with limited access to land, the pressures of a changing climate and restricted access to markets. In response, extraordinary local organisations work with APHEDA and support more than 12,000 farmers who are now organising themselves through municipal unions, grassroots committees and an international agrarian reform network. Education has been at the heart of this transformation, and graduates of these programs are now leading cooperatives, supporting community groups and stepping into roles in local government.

Coffee, one of Timor-Leste's most important crops, has long been controlled by global supply chains dominated by large companies, and small growers struggle to compete. In response, farmers formed the Federation of Solidarity Economy, a cooperative network connecting growers directly with ethical markets. Already, more than 1,000 tonnes of organic Timorese grown coffee have been exported to Japan, with new opportunities emerging—including here in Australia. As Jenito Santana from the Kdadalak Sulimutuk Institute said so beautifully:

This is not just about buying coffee. It is about valuing the work of our farmers and investing in local production systems that benefit communities, not corporations.