Don Randall (Canning, Liberal Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Energy and Resources) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I take this opportunity to congratulate a group of young Canning girls on their outstanding efforts in raising awareness about poverty in Third World countries. Last week I welcomed the opportunity to visit the Roleystone based 11th Perth Girls Brigade. During this year’s Simply Sharing Week the Girls Brigade participated in the ‘Make poverty history—not just about food’ campaign. The Girls Brigade have presented me with 19 drawings representing issues causing poor food security and linking them with ways they can be improved.

The campaign is designed to raise awareness about the accessibility of food in developing countries, unequal distribution of food and unfair trading policies. The girls impressed me by realising that food security is not just about hunger and malnutrition. They are calling on Australia to keep its Millennium Development Goals promise to help eradicate hunger and extreme poverty by 2010 by increasing aid. The girls have taken a particular interest in the Bangladesh situation where water pollution often contaminates food supplies and two million children under five years old are malnourished. They have really done their homework and learned a lot.

Congratulations must go to group leaders Jane Hawkins and Yvonne Waddell on encouraging such a strong sense of social justice in the girls. It is great to see young girls taking an interest in policy matters and gaining a genuine understanding of the challenges facing developing countries.