Jane Prentice (Ryan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Wednesday was World Red Cross and Red Crescent Day. Every year on 8 May we honour the birthday of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant and celebrate the work of Red Cross members, volunteers and staff, who work all year round to support vulnerable people.

The International Committee of the Red Cross was founded in 1863 to provide humanitarian assistance for people affected by conflict and armed violence and to promote international humanitarian laws to protect victims of war. Australian Red Cross has been responding to emergencies and providing a range of humanitarian assistance since 1914 and is part of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, with national societies in 188 countries. In November Australian Red Cross will host the international movement in Sydney for its biennial global meeting.

Along with the member for Maranoa, Bruce Scott, and other colleagues, I am proud to be one of the one of the four co-convenors of the Parliamentary Friends of the Australian Red Cross, and I know you, Deputy Speaker Mitchell, join me in urging our colleagues to be part of this important group. Indeed, go one step further and give blood at the Red Cross bus, which will be parked outside Parliament House on 24 June. We encourage everyone to roll up their sleeves and give blood. One in three Australians needs blood in their lifetime; one in thirty donate each year. We need 27,000 donations each week, and I look forward to seeing many of our colleagues there.