Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to recognise the outstanding work and achievements of the student Social Justice Committee of the Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design. Every year I have met with the Social Justice Committee from the school here in Canberra to hear their concerns and their ideas on actions the developed world can take to help alleviate poverty and improve the quality of life in the developing world.

Recently I had the pleasure of attending a school assembly organised by the students to raise awareness and remind the governments of the developed world of their commitments made in 2000 to halve global poverty by 2015 under the Millennium Development Goals. Students themed the assembly as a fifth birthday party as part of the Micah Challenge, focusing on millennium development goals 4 and 5, dealing with child and maternal mortality.

The Australian government is doing its bit to help deliver on the Millennium Development Goals. Since 2000 more than 900,000 children have been immunised in Papua New Guinea against measles and other childhood illnesses. In East Timor, investment by the Australian government in health programs and initiatives has seen the maternal death rate fall by a third since 2000. In Indonesia, investment by the Australian government to renovate more than 2,000 junior and secondary schools has provided access to education for an additional 330,000 children. In Zimbabwe, Kenya and Malawi, investment into safe water points in communities has helped 51,000 people have access to clean water and sanitation.

Despite progress being made by the developed world towards the Millennium Development Goals, there is still much more that the developed world needs to do. In 2008, 8.8 million children around the world died before the age of five. Every year 500,000 women and girls die as a result of complications during pregnancy or childbirth, with 99 per cent of deaths occurring in developing countries. However, it does give me great hope to see young people, such as those at Dulwich High School, who are socially aware and are willing to do something to make a difference. I commend the work and the students of the Social Justice Committee of the Dulwich High School of Visual Arts and Design for their fantastic achievements and ongoing work.