Senator McKIERNAN(7.15 p.m.) —Madam President, could I add my personal best wishes to the good wishes you extended to Tom Considine and his family for the very, very best for the future. I was not aware that this was his last day. But we certainly do wish him and his family all the very best.

Last evening I had some brief words to say about what has become a rather controversial visit to Ireland, by the Australia-Ireland Parliamentary Friendship Group, between 14 and 18 June 1997. I understand that the airwaves, particularly those of Sydney, today resounded with some counter-accusations about what was achieved on the trip. Like my colleagues who spoke last evening, I will try to contain myself within those time constraints we imposed upon ourselves.

As was indicated by the leader of the delegation, Senator Calvert, last night when he tabled the report, we did prepare a report. That, however, is merely a snapshot of the very intensive week of activities we experienced in Ireland—a week of activities which, I believe, achieved the objectives that the delegation set for itself before embarking on the trip.

The criticism that has been made of the delegation and its visit, I suggest, is grossly unfounded because those who criticised did not seek to examine what the objectives of that visit were. If they had and if, in doing so, they had talked to members of the delegation who embarked on the visit, they could, in turn, have checked whether or not the objectives had been achieved. To my mind, they certainly have been achieved.

In speaking here tonight and putting some matters on the record, I want to confine my remarks simply to the International Fund for Ireland. I think it is particularly important that I do speak about the International Fund for Ireland.

I said last evening that the Australian government, the Australian taxpayers, are making a real contribution, a very huge contribution, to the peace process that is going on in that divided nation of Ireland. Our visit was only to the Republic of Ireland, and it was at the invitation of the Irish parliament, Dail Eireann. Nonetheless, we did discuss with various individuals, including politicians, the conflict that exists between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

The International Fund for Ireland is, as its name states, an international organisation which was established by the British government and the Irish government in 1986. Its objectives are to promote economic and social advance; and to encourage contact, dialogue and reconciliation between nationalist and unionist throughout Ireland. Its founding agreement requires the fund to spend about three-quarters of its resources in Northern Ireland, and about a quarter in the southern border counties. The Australian Ambassador to Ireland, Mr Eddy Stevens, attends board meetings as an Australian observer.

Australia in September 1994, under its then Prime Minister, announced that it would make a contribution to the international fund of some $7 million over five years. The first three instalments have been sent over there, and there is a further $3 million outstanding from that commitment. Our one recommendation in the report to the parliament, and from there on to the government, is that that contribution obligation be fulfilled.

It is interesting to note in passing that the International Fund for Ireland has been audited. The audit was undertaken in 1995 by a company named KPMG Management Consulting. That company found in its audit that the fund had demonstrated that it had been very successful in its twin areas of operation: economic regeneration and reconciliation. In regard to the former, it found that the fund had assisted in the creation of approximately 24,000 jobs in the period to September 1994.

In addition, the audit concluded that the fund had made a major impact in fostering dialogue and reconciliation between the two traditions. Some 441 organisations which operate on a cross-community or cross-border basis had been assisted by the fund, involving some 5,700 community leaders. An update of the fund in 1995 found similar success in the creation of employment, and suggested it had a positive impact on the process of reconciliation.

The level of employment created through the fund projects has now risen to 28,000 jobs. That is particularly important when you examine the report and see the area that the delegation went and visited—in particular, Dundalk, which is a depressed area that in 1991 had an unemployment rate of some 26.4 per cent. That is 56 per cent higher than the national average, which was then at 16.9 per cent. The Australian taxpayer is assisting with the project we went to see and which we examined in detail, and where we met a large number of people, in Dundalk, with the employment partnership program.

That partnership program, in itself, is very interesting. It involves a wide range of organisations which include the Department of Social Welfare, County Louth Vocational Education Committee, the North Eastern Health Board, the County Louth Enterprise Board, the Industrial Development Authority of Ireland, the local urban council and the county council, as well as local banks, business enterprises, trade unions and other enterprises. It was indeed, to our minds, a success story. It was a success story which paid off in the creation of jobs—jobs which have provided income to people, jobs which have stopped idle hands from getting into mischief. And, of course, with it being a border county, one can understand the type of mischief that people can get into.

Our one recommendation is that the obligation that the previous Australian government entered into be fulfilled. This current government has indeed fulfilled the obligation to date. We hope that the remaining $3 million will continue to be given.

It was a very warm delegation and a large delegation, with some 11 members participating in it. We all got on well during the period of time we were pressed together. We were on a coach for quite a considerable amount of time in the travels that we undertook, and we did get on well. I do believe that we achieved some things; we certainly achieved the objective of continuing the very warm relationships that exist between two countries. Unfortunately, I have gone a little over my time, and I hope my colleagues will forgive me for that.

I want to make very brief mention of a book that is going to be launched in Sydney on Monday next. Unfortunately I will not be able to be in Sydney for the launch, which will be undertaken by Mr David Hill. Among other things, David Hill's claim to fame is that he was brought to Australia as a child migrant of this country. For that reason he is launching this book called Orphans of the empire, which, its cover says, is `The shocking story of child migration to Australia' and which:

. . . draws back the curtain on a part of Australian and British history that has been crying out for recognition. All Australians should read it.

They are the words of Sir Ronald Wilson, the former President of the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, who recently presided over a major inquiry into the stolen children.

I would like to read one small paragraph from the book, which unfortunately I have not had time to read in the depth that I would like:

One of the stranger cases of the separation of siblings involves two brothers, Alex McDonald and Bert McGregor, who attended the same Christian Brothers' orphanage, grew to adulthood and lived briefly in neighbouring streets without knowing they were related. Alex joined the Jesuit Order and Bert jointed the Christian Brothers. They discovered their relationship in a roundabout way, when Alex used the services of Margaret Humphreys to find his mother. His mother was meanwhile trying to find her other son (Bert). All three found each other more or less simultaneously.

It then refers to chapter 12. It goes on:

Both men believe the Christian Brothers Order deliberately withheld information from them even as adults. This claim is denied by the Christian Brothers, who blame absence of records and/or human error.

That is just one of many shocking stories that is contained in the book. I certainly look forward to reading it but, in glancing through it, it is a book that I would recommend to anybody who has a real feel for Australian history, particularly migration history.