Mrs MARKUS (4:11 PM) —It is a privilege to rise today to address the chamber and to support the member for McPherson’s motion in relation to world poverty. In the year 2000, at the Millennium Summit, the member states of the United Nations unanimously adopted the Millennium Declaration. This document established a set of eight Millennium Development Goals. These goals focus on essentials: the eradication of poverty; the education of children; improved health; a focus on environmentally sustainable practices; combating HIV-AIDS and other rampant diseases; and entering into a global partnership for development. These courageous goals require commitment from both developed and developing nations.

Infrastructure and the maintenance of basic conditions are critical for entry into the global marketplace. Columbia University economist Jeffrey Sachs correctly notes in his latest book, The End of Poverty, that when the basic preconditions of fundamental infrastructure, such as roads, ports, power and human capital—such as health and education—are in place, markets are powerful engines of development. Without those preconditions markets can bypass large parts of the world, leaving them impoverished.

One-sixth of the world or one billion people live in extreme poverty. That means those people are ill, destitute and hungry. All of these people live in developing countries. Another 1.5 billion people live just above basic subsistence. They face problems such as an absence of safe drinking water and functioning sewerage systems. They experience chronic financial hardship. All told, the extreme poor make up 40 per cent of the global population. There is little doubt that poverty and hunger are the biggest problems facing the international community today.

Even more telling is the way that this problem affects the children of the world. The planet is home to 2.2 billion children, of whom more than half are severely malnourished. These children often lose their parents and extended family members to disease. They become the caregivers to brothers and sisters. Impoverished children become impoverished adults and the circle continues. As with any cycle, intervention is best aimed at teaching and empowering the children. The work of non-government organisations recognises the importance of teaching these precious children and should be acknowledged; in particular, the work of UNICEF is critical. Whilst they often struggle with limited resources, and work in countries with unstable political climates, these organisations focus their attention on the young people and offer some relief, assistance and hope.

The situation is not hopeless. More than half of the world, in broad terms, is experiencing economic progress in some form. This is not to say that progress is happening quickly and efficiently in all areas. The latest progress report shows that while many of the goals are on track, assistance is required, particularly in Africa and South-East Asia. It is in this situation that a nation like Australia makes a positive difference. AusAID delivers targeted assistance. Its current annual budget stands at $2.5 billion, which is a 12 per cent increase over the previous budget.

Our commitment to the Millennium Development Goals is commendable, and I call on the Australian government to continue its excellent overseas aid program, continue its focus on the Millennium Development Goals and increase the annual budget—both in dollars and in percentage of GDP—to targeted assistance. In particular, I want to highlight the educational aid that Australia provides. Since 1999 we have built or refurbished 1,200 schools and trained 45,000 teachers. Over the next 12 months we will invest $330 million in educational aid. This directly assists in providing children with the tool kit to move out of extreme poverty.

What is most critical to the success of the goals is the concept of partnership. There will be no significant and sustained improvement if developed nations simply hand over funds. This does not provide the necessary safeguards to ensure that assistance gets to the people who are most in need. Instead, the Millennium Declaration acknowledges that the welfare of people is the responsibility of the nation. Developing nations have recognised the need for sound political process to address corruption. (Time expired)