Peter Whish-Wilson (Tasmania, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the ministerial response from Ms Bishop, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, to the Senate resolution relating to the Marrakesh Treaty.

I appreciated the response from the Hon. Julie Bishop MP, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, in relation to the Marrakesh Treaty. The World Blind Union currently estimates that only five per cent of all published books in developed countries and less than one per cent in developing countries are ever produced in accessible formats for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. The Marrakesh Treaty facilitates access to published works for these persons.

While it is great that the government finally signed the Marrakesh Treaty following the Senate motion urging them to do so, we now need to ratify this treaty. This treaty needs to go through the JSCOT process. Ratification also needs to happen in a number of other countries. The way it works now is that we need 20 countries to not only sign the agreement but to go ahead and ratify it. So far only India has ratified the agreement. We need all 20 countries to ratify it before the Marrakesh Treaty can come into effect.

Providing foreign aid for disabled individuals in various countries is an important aim for us. I recognise the Minister for Foreign Affairs has outlined that in her letter, but we should use our diplomatic network to show leadership in this area of diplomacy, as we have in a lot of areas of international diplomacy. We should be encouraging other countries, some we have very close relationships with, to also sign and ratify that agreement as quickly as possible. The Greens would like to work with the government and other senators to fast-track the ratification of the Marrakesh Treaty through this parliament.

Question agreed to.