John Faulkner (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Cabinet Secretary) Share this | Hansard source

I can inform the Senate that Australia is a founding member of the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, the first meeting of which Mr Smith attended at the UN General Assembly last year. In this task, the international community, including Australia, will work with Pakistan. Mr Smith made this point directly to Pakistan’s leaders during his visit last month and on a number of occasions since. In addition, Australia is strongly committed to working with the government of Pakistan to reduce poverty, particularly in the border regions with Afghanistan where some of the poorest and most marginalised populations live. Improving basic services such as health and education is one of the best strategies to contribute to building a stable and democratic Pakistan. Australia is significantly increasing development assistance to Pakistan, focusing on health and education as well as support, of course, for democratic institutions. (Time expired)