Sarah Henderson (Corangamite, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) celebrates its 70th anniversary on 11 December 2016; and

(b) it is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and expand opportunities to reach their full potential;

(2) acknowledges the work of the UNICEF which now operates in over 190 countries and territories and provides a range of important services including child protection, education and child survival needs (such as nutrition and sanitation);

(3) notes that the Government provides $21 million a year in core funding to the UNICEF's regular resources as set out in the Strategic Partnership Framework 2016-2020 signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs on 27 April 2016;

(4) acknowledges the Minister for Foreign Affairs' October 2016 announcement of $1.5 million in funding for the UNICEF following Hurricane Matthew in Haiti; and

(5) congratulates the UNICEF and its staff around the world for all the good work they do and wishes them well into the future.

It is my great pleasure to rise to speak on this very important motion. UNICEF celebrates its 70th anniversary on 11 December 2016. UNICEF is mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their basic needs and to expand opportunities to reach their full potential.

UNICEF operates in over 190 countries and territories. It focuses on child protection and social inclusion; child survival, including nutrition, health and water, sanitation and hygiene; education; emergencies; and humanitarian action, as well as issues such as gender equality.

There were some very significant results from UNICEF's work in 2015. Last year, 55 million children were vaccinated for DTP3—that is, the three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis vaccines—40 million people gained access to improved drinking water sources and 18 million people to improved sanitation, three million children were treated for severe acute malnutrition, 15 million children received learning materials and 10 million births were registered.

In humanitarian situations, 43.5 million children were vaccinated against measles 7.5 million children were reached with formal and non-formal basic education, which we know is absolutely critical, 3.1 million children were reached with psychological support, two million children and women were reached with interventions to prevent and respond to sexual violence, and a staggering 13.8 million people were reached in support of handwashing practices as part of UNICEF's work in relation to sanitation and hygiene.

Australia has a very significant relationship with UNICEF. Australia works with UNICEF because of its strong global presence and support for Australia's aid program priorities, including health and education, humanitarian responses, girls' empowerment, disability-inclusive development and innovation.

The Australian government very proudly provides $21 million a year in core funding to UNICEF's regular resources. That is $84 million over four years, and that has been agreed between the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and UNICEF in an agreement of April 2016 as signed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs. This funding is used to support UNICEF's core priorities, as set out in UNICEF's Strategic Plan 2014-2017.

This strategic partnership framework sets out a shared commitment to assisting developing countries, working in Asia and the Pacific, and promoting a more effective UN system. It follows a positive multilateral performance assessment and some successful high-level consultations in February 2016.

UNICEF is also at the forefront of humanitarian disaster response activities and is one of our key humanitarian partners. For example, funding was provided rapidly in the immediate aftermath of Cyclone Winston in Fiji in February of this year and the foreign minister recently announced $1.5 million in funding for UNICEF following Hurricane Matthew in Haiti. This $1.5 million to UNICEF will improve access to clean water and sanitation in Haiti to help combat the cholera epidemic and threat of other water-borne diseases. This follows an international appeal by the United Nations to intensify efforts to reduce the transmission of cholera and provide support to Haitians most affected by the disease.

Of course, this is a very significant anniversary. On behalf of the Australian government, I want to sincerely congratulate UNICEF and its staff around the world for all the extraordinary work that they do, and I want to wish them all the very best for the future.

Brian Mitchell (Lyons, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Is the motion seconded?

Gai Brodtmann (Canberra, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I second the motion.

I rise today in support of the motion from the member for Corangamite. It is an important motion because UNICEF is an important institution. As we have heard, it operates in 190 countries and territories to ensure the survival, the protection, the development and the empowerment of children.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child states that every child—every child—has a right to survive, to thrive and to fulfil their potential. Few would disagree with this ambition, but in light of the challenges we face as a global community it would seem an optimistic one.

Today, the twin drivers of humanitarian need—violent conflict and the impact of climate change—have put a greater strain on the rights of the child than UNICEF has ever had to contend with. Its 70th anniversary is a moment to recognise what it has achieved since 1946—enormous achievements since 1946—and what still remains to be achieved.

The number of children trapped in humanitarian crises around the world is both staggering and sobering. Nearly 250 million children live in countries affected by violent conflicts. It is a statistic that is shocking, and because it is so shocking it is impossible to comprehend its scale—250 million children living in countries that are affected by violent conflicts. But every now and then, we are reminded of the children that help to make up that statistic, despite that shocking, large number.

On 14 April 2014, the world reacted in horror at the news that over 270 schoolgirls had been abducted in the night from the government secondary school in the town of Chibok in north-east Nigeria. These girls were targeted because they were girls, and this school was targeted because it was teaching them.

Education is one of the basic rights in a child's life. Education empowers individuals to take control of their future, to drive their independence and to unlock their potential. And all too often education is one of the first casualties of conflict—particularly for girls.

Since 2014, Boko Haram has uprooted at least 1.3 million children across four countries in the Lake Chad region—1.3 million children over the last two years—and the majority of these children are girls. More than 1,800 schools have been closed, damaged, looted, set on fire or converted into refugee camps.

The ongoing violence has created a hellish scenario. Teachers fear teaching and students fear studying. And as a result, more than 670,000 children have not been to school in over a year. It is fair to say that this challenge is daunting. It is fair to say it is intimidating—it is overwhelming—and yet we cannot simply assume the challenge will inevitably be met once peace prevails.

The right of a child to an education is one we must never take for granted. The effects of war and conflict hurt children and they hurt adults. Quite often, the scars of conflict extend for a lifetime. Around the world, 59 million primary-aged children are not in school. UNICEF estimates more than a third are in countries affected by war and conflict. Yet despite this enormous challenge, UNICEF's work on the ground has seen remarkable results.

Last year, over 250,000 children were able to return to schools in conflict-affected areas in north-east Nigeria. The rights of a child to a decent education are supported by the right to health, and UNICEF's immunisation program saw the complete eradication of polio in India in 2012. And in 2015—just last year—Africa celebrated its first year without any reported polio cases.

The number of children dying before their fifth birthday has declined from 12.7 million in 1990 to 5.9 million in 2015. That is still 5.9 million too many, but the work that UNICEF has done has significantly reduced that mortality rate and made significant improvements in terms of equality.

I congratulate UNICEF and its staff around the world and thank them for all the good work they do. And I wish their work was easier; it is so hard to fathom the challenges that UNICEF confronts, but their work is to be congratulated. I commend them and thank them, and wish them continued success over the next 70 years.

John McVeigh (Groom, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak in support of the motion by the member for Corangamite.

Today, I would like to focus on just one country that UNICEF does its tremendous work in, and that country is the new country of South Sudan. The reason I focus just on South Sudan, when UNICEF operates in 190 countries and territories around the world, is due to the fact that this work in South Sudan is often spoken about in my electorate of Groom. Our city of Toowoomba is home to around 2,000 former Sudanese nationals, many of whom have heartbreaking stories to tell.

Toowoomba Regional Council became the third local government area in Queensland to become a refugee welcome zone, and we continue to be a large refugee resettlement area. It is through meeting and talking with these new Australians that I have had a greater understanding of the humanitarian works undertaken by UNICEF and how the work they do is so often the difference between life and death for some individuals.

UNICEF has operated in Sudan since 1952 and is the largest UN agency dedicated to supporting women and children, a role that is vitally important given that the country has faced civil war, drought, disease and a lack of basic infrastructure in many areas. It is estimated that more than two million have died and that more than four million have become refugees as a result of the various civil wars.

To talk to our Sudanese is truly a sobering experience. They tell me about the atrocities they witnessed, about their flight to freedom, about their years in refugee camps and now the joys that they have in living in Australia. One of my constituents, whose parents were shot by rebels, was forced to become a child soldier before escaping and crossing the entire country on foot. He lost his entire family but now leads a productive life in Australia where he and his wife have started a family of their own. He has firsthand knowledge of the works of UNICEF and the works that they do for those that they assist.

In the face of high rates of child and maternal mortality, UNICEF is improving primary health care across Sudan to reduce the risks faced by mothers and children from preventable diseases. UNICEF also tackles the underlying causes of malnutrition through support to community-based services. With water-based diseases a major cause of child mortality, UNICEF is working to increase access to safe water and sanitation and to improve household hygiene practices. These are services we take for granted in our country, and I am proud that I am in a government that contributes $21 million a year in core funding to UNICEF's works in countries like Sudan.

Then, there is another aspect of UNICEF's work in Sudan that I am staunchly behind: the development of quality, accessible education for all children with a special focus on girls. I have one son and five daughters and my wife is a teacher. I, therefore, have a very special interest in education. My daughters are in tertiary education and some are now embarking on their own careers, such that they will have all sorts of opportunities before them in this transforming world economy that we live in. I cannot truly comprehend a world without learning, a world without books, without teachers and I applaud, therefore, the works being done around the world by UNICEF.

UNICEF celebrates its 70th anniversary on 11 December, and the idealist in me hopes that in some future time there will not be a need for their future services, but the realist can see, though, that the world will continue to need their services. It is essential that we continue to applaud UNICEF and its works, and I, for one, would like to thank their staff all around the world for the good work that they do. They supply so many services, but, above all, they supply hope in the hour of greatest need for so many people around this world.

Tony Zappia (Makin, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary for Manufacturing) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The motion rightly acknowledges the important work of UNICEF in protecting and supporting children around the world since 1946. Child abuse and exploitation continues to be a blot on humanity. Every day millions of children around the world are mistreated, abused and suffer, despite the work of UNICEF and other worthy organisations, and despite countries where the abuse occurs being signatories to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Today, I want to draw attention to two matters which UNICEF has reported on in recent times, and I commend UNICEF for doing so. The first is the treatment of children in Palestine. A report titled Children in Israeli Military Detention, prepared by UNICEF after conducting its own review of allegations of ill-treatment of children who came into contact with the military detention system, states:

…the ill-treatment of children who come in contact with the military detention system appears to be widespread, systematic and institutionalized throughout the process, from the moment of arrest until the child's prosecution and eventual conviction and sentencing.

It is understood that in no other country are children systematically tried by juvenile military courts that, by definition, fall short of providing the necessary guarantees to ensure respect for their rights. The report goes on to say:

The pattern of ill-treatment includes the arrests of children at their homes between midnight and 5:00 am by heavily armed soldiers; the practice of blindfolding children and tying their hands with plastic ties; physical and verbal abuse during transfer to an interrogation site, including the use of painful restraints; lack of access to water, food, toilet facilities and medical care; interrogation using physical violence and threats; coerced confessions; and lack of access to lawyers or family members during interrogation.

Treatment inconsistent with child rights continues during court appearances, including shackling of children; denial of bail and imposition of custodial sentences; and transfer of children outside occupied Palestinian territory to serve their sentences inside Israel…

These practices are in violation of international law that protects all children against ill-treatment when in contact with law enforcement, military and judicial institutions.

They are the words of UNICEF. The report goes on to make 14 recommendations. I do not know what Israel's response to those recommendations has been to date, but such treatment is prohibited under all circumstances, including security considerations. Children should never be used as a tool of war.

The second matter I wish to refer to relates to Australian children, here in our own country, and a study from the Australian Child Rights Taskforce, of which UNICEF played a key role. The report found that state and federal governments have repeatedly breached the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child over the past 25 years and are likely to continue doing so. The report found that 70,000 children received support from homeless organisations, 43,000 lived in out-of-home care and one in six children lived below the poverty line. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children were 26 times more likely to be in juvenile detention and, I understand, form some 35 per cent of the children that live in out-of-home care. There are obviously many other statistics that would point to similar trends.

The fact remains that for many Australian children, Australia is not the lucky country. If you are an asylum seeker child in this country, you are even more unlucky spending, on average, 457 days in a detention centre. Research released by UNICEF in April showed Australia ranks 27th out of 35 countries in healthy, quality outcomes, and 24th out of 37 in education equality results for children. Those figures are damning of how children are treated right here in our own country, and I have no doubt that governments over many years have tried to improve the situation for them; nevertheless, the reality is that for many children life in this country is still not good. I commend UNICEF for everything it has done over the last 70 years, but equally for its own reports of what is happening here in Australia and, I hope, that by bringing those matters to the public attention, they will not continue to be ignored.

Craig Kelly (Hughes, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, I would like to congratulate the member for Corangamite for bringing this motion, because the work of UNICEF over the last 70 years is something we should celebrate. We have seen reductions in childhood poverty and child mortality greater than at any time in human history. We have witnessed, in our own lifetimes, an unparalleled level of advancement in global living standards. By virtually every measure—be it food, sanitation, life expectancy, child mortality, literacy, education, travel or communication—life has significantly improved, faster than at any time in mankind's history.

But more needs to be done—much more. Despite the great progress we have made over the last 70 years, across the globe today there are still over 385 million children living in extreme poverty, and there are still 24 million children today who will never have the opportunity to enter a classroom for even a single day in their life. Without further improvements it is estimated that, by the year 2030, more than 70 million children under the age of five will die largely from preventable diseases.

As we formulate the policies to tackle these problems, to improve on these numbers and to alleviate poverty, we know what works. It is not demands for social justice or sustainability, or rants about inequality; the historical record is crystal clear as to what works to alleviate poverty. Firstly, it is the maintenance of peace—a peace that often must be won and protected at the point of a gun. We also should remember not only UNICEF but all those serving in United Nations peace missions around the world that contributed to that peace. Secondly, it is freedom—economic and personal freedom. It is freedom: the encouragement of free enterprise; freedom of trade; protection of private property rights; governance by the rule of law; and, of course, freedom of speech. It is these freedoms that have been the drivers of wealth creation and sustained economic growth. And the historical record is unambiguously clear. It shows that, by implementing policies that protect these freedoms, those, in turn, drive sustained economic growth. And that is the most effective way of reducing poverty and increasing opportunities for children across the planet.

The evidence is clear. The countries that adopt high levels of economic growth grow more rapidly and have greater decreases in their levels of poverty and greater improvements in their health and mortality rates—especially amongst children. We have seen the evidence recently in a country like Venezuela: it has forgotten about the importance of economic freedom and now has a higher level of child mortality than even war-torn Syria. In the years to come, we cannot lose focus on what has worked in the past and the ways we have had these enormous successes.

As the member for Corangamite rightly points out, UNICEF will celebrate its 70th anniversary on 11 December 2016. We stand here to congratulate them for their work. We congratulate them for the great achievements in the reduction in poverty over the past 70 years. But we should refocus ourselves on continuing to tackle those 385 million children who are living in extreme poverty today. We should focus on what has worked in the past. Those two most important things are: the maintenance of peace and the protection of freedoms. I commend this motion to the House.

Sharon Claydon (Newcastle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As co-convenor of the UN parliamentary group here in the Australian parliament, I am very pleased to rise in recognition of the extraordinary contribution that UNICEF has been making to the health, wellbeing and opportunity of children everywhere since 1946. The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund was established 70 years ago in the aftermath of World War II. Its mission was to deliver the emergency response to the millions of children who had been damaged and displaced by war. Since then, its role has evolved in line with our understanding of children's issues and how they are best addressed. There was a growing understanding that, if an issue affects a community, it necessarily affects the children within it—and thus virtually all issues are children's issues.

This recognition of the deeply interconnected and complex nature of the problems impacting young people increased the breadth and complexity of UNICEF's remit significantly. Rather than just responding to the direct impact of issues on young people, the organisation expanded its focus to include some of the absolute first-order challenges facing human society—things like poverty; hunger; disease; access to food, shelter, water and education; sanitation; exclusion; and economic and political stability.

It is no exaggeration to say that UNICEF has contributed to some of humanity's greatest achievements: achievements like the complete eradication of polio in India in 2012, and Africa's first year free from reported polio cases in 2015—both incredible feats—or the 45 per cent drop between 1999 and 2012 in the number of primary-school children not enrolled at school; or the halving of the under-five mortality number from 12.7 million in 1990 to six million in 2015.

UNICEF also continues its original mission as a leader in emergencies, disaster relief management and humanitarian crises. When Cyclone Pam pummelled Vanuatu and the Pacific islands in March last year, it was UNICEF workers who were on the ground making sure that children had access to clean water, sanitation, hygiene and health services. UNICEF also performs a tireless global policy and advocacy role, campaigning strongly for the rights of children, speaking out about breaches and engaging deeply with governments to drive policy and programs that will improve the lives of children.

The organisation has also helped to write one of the most widely accepted human rights treaties in human history—the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which sets out the political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children and requires signatories to always act in the best interests of the child. This legally binding convention, which has now been ratified by 196 countries, has played a major role in creating a better world for young people.

But, while so much has been achieved, there is clearly a lot of work to be done. In its recent annual report, UNICEF Australia also identified violent conflict and the impacts of climate change as the two most urgent and pressing issues that need to be addressed. As the report points out, nearly 250 million children now live in countries affected by violent conflict, and climate-related emergencies will endanger the wellbeing of hundreds of millions of children in areas prone to natural disasters like floods, fires and cyclones. UNICEF will also play a key role in helping to meet the UN's Sustainable Development Goals—a clear set of aspirational targets to end poverty, protect the planet and help all people enjoy peace and prosperity.

But the reality is that, if we are going to achieve these ambitious goals, the global community will need to dig deep to support them. Sadly, in Australia we have been going backwards in our foreign aid commitment, slashing it a further $224 million in this year's budget alone. While I recognise the government's contributions towards UNICEF that are noted in this motion, I would like put on the record some words from UNICEF Australia's then CEO Adrian Graham, who responded to the Turnbull budget in May by saying:

In response to unprecedented levels of global humanitarian crises and more people displaced by conflict, 22 wealthy nations are increasing their aid contribution, while Australia and Portugal are the only two countries swimming against the tide.

He said:

Cutting funding from the poorest and most marginalised children is not effective, ethical or fair. It's time to rebuild, we can do better.

Ann Sudmalis (Gilmore, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As chair of the Population Growth and Population Development Committee, I have recently had the opportunity to visit Papua New Guinea, where I saw the work of many groups all working toward the advancement of women and children, their protection, their rights, their education and their potential. Given that yesterday was the United Nations Universal Children's Day, which was established on 20 November 1954 to promote international togetherness and awareness among children worldwide, and improve children's welfare, it was gratifying to see many different groups in PNG all working together to achieve the same goal.

It is fitting then that today we acknowledge the work of UNICEF as it celebrates its 70th anniversary on 11 December 2016. Three score years and ten has a certain ring—of determination to achieve with dignity and positivity, and that is exactly what UNICEF has done. We in Australia need to honour the principals established back in 1954 that were mandated by the United Nations General Assembly to advocate for the protection of children's rights, to help meet their needs and to expand opportunities for reach one to reach their full potential. I believe this should be to the best of our ability in our own communities, our nation and, where possible, for other nations as well.

Australian aid is an integral part of this call to action. With our increased participation in places such as PNG, we are truly reflecting the advocacy for women and children. This advocacy is particularly important, and we should again thank the Minister for Foreign Affairs for her announcement of $21 million a year in core funding to UNICEF's regular resources, as set out in the strategic partnership framework.

UNICEF now operates in over 190 countries and territories, providing a range of important services including child protection, education and child survival needs, such as nutrition and sanitation, often in partnership with Save the Children projects, Oxfam and World Vision. All such groups are impressive in the work they do to achieve their individual goals.

In PNG the delegation had the chance to meet also with Olushola Ismail from UNICEF, along with other representatives Koffi Kouame from United Nations Population Fund, Dr Pieter Van Maaren working in PNG with the World Health Organization, Jennifer El-Sibai from Save the Children Fund, Catherine Bedford from Voluntary Services Overseas PNG, Anna Byron from CARE, co-ordinating support for the Coffee Industry, and the wonderful Alma Lance, the first female extension graduate for the CARE-PNG Coffee Industry Support project initiative—just to mention a few.

UNICEF was originally created by the United Nations General Assembly in 1946 to provide emergency food and health care for children in countries that had been devastated by World War II. The Polish physician Ludwik Rajchman is widely regarded as the founder of UNICEF. He served as its first chairman from 1946.

UNICEF relies on contributions from governments and private donors. Two thirds of their funds are from government contributions. Private groups and some six million individuals worldwide contribute the rest through the national committees. It is estimated that around 92 per cent of UNICEF revenue is distributed to program services. UNICEF's programming emphasises developing community-level services to help in the nations were they are working. Often, Australia pitches in for additional essential emergency funding, such as the recent contribution announced by the Minister for Foreign Affairs of $1.5 million for UNICEF after Hurricane Matthew in Haiti.

UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake, in his message on Universal Children's Day yesterday, highlighted the plight of millions of children around the world. As head of the United Nations Children's Fund, he called on everyone to recommit themselves to protect the rights of every child. He said:

When we protect their rights, we are not only preventing their suffering. We are not only safeguarding their lives. We are protecting our common future.

Yesterday also marked the day in 1989 when the UN General Assembly adopted the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The human rights treaty changed the way children were viewed and treated—as human beings with a distinct set of rights instead of as passive objects of care and charity. The following are also words from his wisdom. He said it was time to:

… confront the uncomfortable truth that around the world, the rights of millions of children are being violated every day—

even in our own backyard. And it is an addendum. He said that children's rights were:

… being violated around the world, in every country, wherever children are the victims of violence, abuse and exploitation, violated wherever they are deprived of an education.

We absolutely have to pour accolades on such organisations as UNICEF and all their staff in their tireless efforts to make the lives of women and children that much better for all of us.

Rob Mitchell (McEwen, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I call the cricketing great member for Moreton.

Graham Perrett (Moreton, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

You might be guilty of misleading the House there, Mr Deputy Speaker, but I do thank you for the call! I am very happy to support the motion by the member for Corangamite. 'Protecting the rights and wellbeing of every child'—that is the UNICEF motto and, surely, all of us who are privileged enough to be members of this parliament should make it our personal motto as well. UNICEF, the United Nations Children's Emergency Fund, has been working for the past 70 years to create 'a world in which every child has a fair chance in life', be it the children in the gallery above me right now or children anywhere in some of the world's poorest countries. UNICEF is a global humanitarian and development agency specifically focused on the rights of children. The world is indebted to it for the work it does, work that is important and, sadly, often very dangerous. Recently, UNICEF led a multi-agency humanitarian convoy into the Iraqi city of Mosul, the first to enter the city in over two years. The convoy included enough emergency supplies to last 15,000 children and their families for a month.

UNICEF is a creation of the United Nations. Australia can be proud to have played a very important part, through Doc Evatt and others, in the adoption of the Charter of the United Nations, which, in turn, allowed UNICEF to be formed. In 1945, as leader of the Australian delegation, Dr Herbert Vere Evatt—'Doc' Evatt, as he was most commonly known—travelled to San Francisco to meet with world leaders. That meeting eventually resulted in the Charter of the United Nations. In December 1946, just one year after the charter was adopted, UNICEF was created by the United Nations to provide food, clothing and health care to European children facing famine and disease after the horrors of World War II. UNICEF became a permanent part of the UN in 1953, extending its mandate indefinitely. Doc Evatt was elected President of the General Assembly of the United Nations in 1948, the only Australian to have ever held the position. During his tenure as president, he presided over the adoption and proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, surely the cornerstone of human rights protection throughout the modern world. It is timely to remember the example set by Doc Evatt. Faith Bandler, who led the 1967 referendum, which formally recognised Indigenous Australians, described Doc Evatt in 1979 in this way:

Dr Evatt fought for the oppressed, he fought for our political rights and civil liberties, our freedom of thought and action. We would not find it possible to be as outspoken today as we are if Dr Evatt had not fought for us as a judge, as a politician and as an Australian.

We have much to thank Doc Evatt for, not the least of which is his part in creating UNICEF, which we are acknowledging today. All politicians should follow Doc's lead in being be courageous, fighting for the rights of those who are vulnerable and acting as leaders.

Sadly, the Turnbull government is not leading when it comes to our international aid program. Despite 25 years of economic growth, Australia's international aid program has been drastically cut since the coalition took office in September 2013. The Abbott-Turnbull governments have cut the overseas aid budget by $11.3 billion. That included cuts of 40 per cent to international programs such as UNICEF, as I am sure the member for Corangamite would know. In the 2016 budget, there were further cuts of $224 million from foreign aid spending. These cuts amount to a 20 per cent cut to Australia's aid program in 2015, followed by a further 7.4 cent cut in 2016. Australia's foreign aid ranking has collapsed. Our aid program is now the weakest it has been in our history. At a time when we have unprecedented global humanitarian crises and more people displaced by conflict, only Australia and Portugal are reducing their aid contributions. The other 22 wealthy nations in the world are increasing their aid contributions. The most recent budget cuts were so harsh that UNICEF Australia called the cuts 'seriously concerning' and said the budget as a whole was deeply disappointing for the wellbeing of the most disadvantaged children in our region. The Chief Executive Officer of UNICEF Australia, Mr Adrian Graham, said after the 2016 budget:

International aid cuts are undermining the effectiveness of programs that are making a huge difference in the lives of people experiencing acute poverty and disadvantage.

We all know the important work that organisations such as UNICEF carry out. As a good global citizen, Australia should be playing its part in helping reduce poverty and inequality and in assisting vulnerable children who need our help. As a prosperous nation, we can and should contribute more to organisations such as UNICEF. We should not let fear and ignorance and populism fuel the fires of racism and greed and selfishness.

Debate adjourned.