Lin Thorp (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise today to applaud the ongoing hard work of the non-profit group Micah Challenge and to recognise the importance of its unrelenting commitment to fighting poverty, extreme disadvantage and injustice across the globe. Micah Challenge is a coalition of Christian development agencies, mission agencies, church communities, families and compassionate individuals. All members are united by the common passion to deepen people's engagement with the poor and to help reduce poverty. They also aim to mobilise local communities to join the chorus of voices calling for a better world—a world where men and women are equal, where poor sanitation does not lead to early death and where bright young minds can get the education they deserve. The Micah Challenge has been doing a great job of building this grassroots solidarity. Since it began in Australia in 2004, more than 114,000 across the country have signed the Micah Call to show their support.

During September I was pleased to take part in the 2012 Voices for Justice campaign. This event, which follows the annual conference, is designed to maintain awareness of injustice and disadvantage. It also aims to remind governments of our very important commitments to support marginalised and disadvantaged people in developing countries. The conference was an incredible success which culminated in almost 300 participants making the pilgrimage to our national capital from all corners of the nation.

During the week, Micah Challenge representatives met with over 100 members of parliament, a significant achievement in itself. I had the privilege of meeting with a committed and compassionate family from Launceston, Tasmania, my home state, Colin and Ingrid Clark, along with their three children: Caleb, Ilya and Azra. The children shared with me some of the effects of global poverty that particularly concerned them, especially the lack of sanitation that is causing childhood deaths in so many countries. It was a heartening experience to come in contact with these young Tasmanians who had already developed such a strong social conscience so early on in their lives. It was also inspiring to see young people equipped with such a solid grasp on global issues, coupled with the vital element of hope that makes goals so much easier to achieve.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank the Clark family for making the effort to travel to Canberra. I feel sure that the children, and a new generation of those like them, will continue to contribute to a kinder, more just world in the coming years. During their visit, I was also reminded that 1.8 million people each year die from diarrhoeal diseases, something that has been quite an issue in our house this week. The saddest part is that 90 per cent of them are children under five years old. While this would be absolutely unthinkable for most of us in a lucky country like Australia, it is a grim reality that citizens of many developing countries face daily.

Thankfully, there is a significant amount that we can do. The Micah Challenge suggests that a targeted aid commitment to health programs is needed across the world. They also recommend a focus on what they refer to as WASH—access to WAter, basic Sanitation and Hygiene. By improving the water supply, we can reduce diarrhoea deaths by 21 per cent. Improving sanitation can also reduce it by 37.5 per cent. Further improvement of drinking water quality could reduce diarrhoea episodes by 45 per cent.

The World Health Organization echo this sentiment, saying that significant improvements could be achieved at a relatively low cost. In fact, they estimate that, by addressing the elements of WASH, we could prevent 28 per cent of all child deaths. This translates to more than two million children each year, two million lives which are currently cut short for want of very basic facilities. On top of this, there are sound economic reasons to invest in sanitation. Each $1 investment returns $5 through increased productivity, larger tourism revenues and reduced health-care costs. When you consider these facts, it becomes clear that there is no possible way we could not do our bit to help.

During the Canberra visit, the Micah Challenge also created a tangible reminder of the 2012 campaign—a life-size jigsaw in the form of the year 2015. I, like many of my colleagues, was very proud to add a personalised piece toward the puzzle. The year 2015 is significant because it is the agreed time frame for the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, which were devised and agreed upon at the United Nations Millennium Summit in the year 2000. There, 189 world leaders gathered to devise a global future that would relegate extreme poverty to the pages of history.

The Millennium Development Goals are framed around the recognition that wellbeing is multidimensional and that poverty must be addressed on many fronts. As a result, they include specific and measurable targets supporting a range of important goals, including: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger; universal primary education; gender equality and the empowerment of women; reduction of child mortality rates; reduction of HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases; environmental sustainability; and the need to develop a global partnership for development. The millennium development goal of key significance during the Voices for Justice 2012 Campaign was the goal to:

Halve, between 1990 and 2015, the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day.

The Millennium Development Goals present sizeable and significant challenges for our global community, and it is therefore important to celebrate what has been achieved to date. I must therefore commend the hard work of many organisations, community groups and individuals who have ensured that real and effective progress is being made to tackle global poverty. One of the most heartening of those is that we are actually on track to meet the goal of halving the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 a day. Between 1990 and 2005, the number of people living on less than $1.25 per day decreased by 0.4 billion. This has meant that the poverty rate has dropped from 46 per cent to 27 per cent.

Prior to the global financial crisis, which reduced the activity in trade and investment within developing nations, the United Nations reported that levels of poverty had 'diminished in almost every region'. Even with the slowdown in the global economy, we are still on track to meet the poverty reduction target, with the overall poverty rate still expected to fall to 15 per cent by 2015. Internationally, there have also been some laudable achievements in other key areas. Child mortality has reduced by 37 per cent since 1990. Maternal mortality has dropped by 47 per cent since 1990 as a result of more skilled care during pregnancy and childbirth. An additional 110 million children are now in school around the world. The proportion of people suffering from hunger has declined from 30 per cent to 23 per cent.

These efforts are worth celebrating, as they help to fuel an understanding within ourselves and our communities that, by working together, we can better the lives of the poor and oppressed in this world. They are also proof that our foreign aid investment is having a real, positive impact on the lives of millions of people. I am pleased to say that this government has taken its responsibility seriously to be a part of this positive change.

We recognise that we are part of a global community and that we have a resultant duty to contribute to global solutions where we can.

This financial year the overseas aid budget will increase by about $300 million, from $4.8 billion to $5.2 billion. During the same period, our foreign aid contribution will be 0.35 per cent of our gross national income, the highest proportion since 1986.

By the 2015-16 financial year, Australian aid will increase to around $7.7 billion, or about 0.45 per cent, of GNI. By the 2016-17 budget, we plan to increase this contribution further, to 0.5 per cent of gross national income.

This contribution has yielded real results for millions of people across the world who now have significantly reduced risk of disease and illness. By 2016 we will help more than 10 million children to be vaccinated and more than 8.5 million to have better access to safe water. (Time expired)