Mark Baker (Braddon, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to speak on the member for Macquarie’s motion. It is most regrettable that Taiwan, a nation of some 23 million people, continues to be frustrated in its attempts to participate in the world’s premier public health forum, the World Health Organisation. Once it is accepted that Taiwan’s application for admission to the World Health Organisation as an observer should be assessed on humanitarian grounds, and within the context of global health security concerns, it becomes impossible to maintain any objection to this application. Under its own constitution, the World Health Organisation is charged with the task of ensuring the attainment ‘by all peoples’ of the highest possible standards of health. As we know, the World Health Organisation has worked towards the achievement of this objective through a range of mechanisms. Each of these mechanisms is committed to the delivery of health services—be they in the form of alert and response networks, prevention programs, research initiatives or medical expertise projects—within the framework of this greater, non-political objective. Yet, sadly, Taiwan is continually denied access to the expertise of these mechanisms, solely on political grounds.

In spite of these ongoing difficulties, Taiwan continues to demonstrate its steadfast commitment to the achievement of optimal national and global health security. On 15 May this year, the Taiwanese government announced its voluntary early compliance with the terms of the International Health Regulations (2005). This commendable achievement is indicative of the fact that Taiwan takes very seriously its responsibilities, as a regional hub of trade and commerce, for the development and maintenance of sound public health practices.

As a member of the World Trade Organisation, Taiwan has an obligation to develop and implement such practices without disrupting international trade and traffic through its territory. It is only when the volume of such trade is analysed that the enormity of this task and the implications for Australia of Taiwan’s compliance with the International Health Regulations can be fully appreciated. For example, Taiwan is Australia’s ninth largest trading partner, accounting for more than three per cent of Australia’s total trade. In the 12 months to August 2005, some 109,000 Taiwanese tourists visited Australia, and there are over 6,000 Taiwanese students currently studying in this country. In global terms, Taiwan registers around 7½ million outbound travellers and 2½ million inbound visitors each year. Taiwan’s health administration deals with health matters relating to some 27 million international air passengers, 225,000 international flights, 51,000 international-serviced vessels and hundreds of millions of tonnes of cargo each year. Quite clearly, Taiwan has a very close trading relationship with Australia and is an integral member of the greater international trade and global transport framework. These figures only serve to strengthen Taiwan’s application for admission to the World Health Organisation as an observer.

The threat of a worldwide outbreak of infectious disease is very real and is not curtailed by international borders or state boundaries. Taiwan’s level of integration into the global economy, combined with its geographic situation in close proximity to continental East Asia—the region from which many of the world’s deadliest infectious disease outbreaks have emanated—make it a vitally important cog in the global health protection framework of the World Health Organisation.

Many members will recall the two previous private member’s bills that were tabled in this place in support of Taiwan’s application to the World Health Organisation in May 2003 and March 2004. A significant number of members spoke in support of those bills. It is not only in this place that Taiwan’s bid for observer status with the World Health Organisation has been supported. I wish to bring members’ attention to the resolutions of support in the US congress, in the European Parliament this year and in a range of other parliaments around the world. These resolutions, combined with the vocal support for this bid coming from a range of well-respected international medical bodies including the World Medical Association, provide evidence of the widespread international support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Organisation. It is time that Taiwan were incorporated into the World Health Organisation. No matters of argument substantiate any claim that this not occur. I urge all members to support this motion.

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