Sharman Stone (Murray, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to talk about what is a very significant issue for more than half of the globe's population—women. The issue is family planning. We know that, if women do not have access to family planning, they cannot hope to space the births of their children in a way that gives each child a chance to grow and be properly nourished, especially if they are in a developing and impoverished nation. Women without family planning support or contraception access cannot manage the number of children they give birth to.

In Australia, we have a focus on women and girls in our foreign aid program. I am so proud that now, when funds—which are, of course, taxpayer funds—are directed to aid projects, some 80 per cent of those projects must reflect the needs of women and children, particularly women and girls. This is the first time our government has stated this priority and emphasis and I am proud that it has. In particular, the International Planned Parenthood Federation, which has only recently opened a branch office in Australia and has long been supported through the Australian aid program, in very recent times has launched an online campaign calling on the Australian community to pledge their support to maintain Australia's longstanding and generous commitment to sexual and reproductive health and rights. There was an extraordinary response to this online campaign. They gathered more than 9,950 signatures from across Australia. This is, in fact, a powerful statement that Australians understand that sexual and reproductive health and rights are critical to empowering and supporting women and girls and promoting economic growth. I want to table this report, and I understand that that can be done, so that it is placed on the parliamentary record for all time. There are numbers of comments that go along with the signatures, which come from all states. I seek leave to present this document so that it is placed on the parliamentary record for all time.

Leave granted.

I also want to say that, of course, two-thirds of all people living in extreme poverty are women. Family planning or reproductive health services are key to creating that more equal environment for women, helping them to lift themselves and their families out of poverty. Therefore I was very disappointed when I saw the final 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. These are the new sustainable development goals which replace the Millennium Development Goals, which are a major part of the architecture of the United Nations now. We have some 17 goals, and they are all commendable of course. But when you get to goal 5, which is to 'achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls', it is the only goal amongst the 17 which has no dates or targets for when the outcomes are to be achieved. Therefore, real measurement is going to be extremely difficult for the outcomes. For example, goal 5.1 is 'end all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere'. We need a date, a target. By when? By the next century? By the next 30 years? There is no date. The next one is 'eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation'—an admirable goal. I wholeheartedly support it, as would most women on the planet, but again there is no reference to a time frame for when this elimination of all forms of violence should be achieved. It goes on: 'eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilations'. No targets, no goals, no dates. Yet throughout the rest of the 17 goals—for example, 'ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote life-long learning opportunities for all'—before every target there is a date—by 2020 or by 2030. There is date upon date upon date. If you cannot have a proper measurement of an outcome, because there has been no understanding of when that outcome could be achieved, I think that really does suggest that there was less overarching and genuine support for this goal 5. I am saddened by that. I spent a number of weeks working in the United Nations in New York at the end of last year, and we were concerned that there might have been a watering down of this goal. I really hope that that was not behind the elimination of targets, but there we have it—there are no targets for goal 5.