Trevor Evans (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia is, in many ways, a sanctuary—an economic sanctuary, an environmental sanctuary and a sanctuary offering us protection from many of the events, illnesses and miseries in the wider world. Our reality often contrasts starkly with the experiences of some of our closest neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region.

Many Australians would be surprised to hear, in fact, that tuberculosis is still a major problem in the world and, indeed, right on our doorstep.

A division having been called in the House of Representatives—

Sitting suspended from 16 : 23 to 16 : 36

Before the suspension, I was talking about tuberculosis. It kills more people than HIV and malaria combined, nowadays, because those are diseases where significant progress has been made in prevention and treatment, unlike TB. Together, TB, malaria and HIV AIDS kill close to three million people each year. TB is about half of that death toll now, 1.5 million lives, an estimated 10 million new cases of infection each year. Almost all of these are in developing countries and approximately half of the world's new TB cases occur in the Asia-Pacific region, right on our doorstep.

I have held a number of meetings recently with a great organisation called RESULTS Australia to talk through these issues. As someone who has been fortunate enough to visit most of our neighbours in the Asia-Pacific region I have a very deep affinity for the people of these nations, for their cultures, and note the responsibility that we have in our region to take a leadership role. I have seen the difference that targeted Australian aid is making for the benefit of humanity in our region, which is why I am proud to have recently joined the Global TB Caucus.

I want to congratulate the member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, for his longstanding leadership in that area and for helping me get involved. I also wish to pay tribute to my predecessor, the former member for Brisbane, Teresa Gambaro, for her strong contribution in this area over many years. Not only have I joined the Global TB Caucus, today I have also signed the Barcelona declaration. It is the founding document of the Global TB Caucus, designed to raise the profile of this issue amongst world leaders and advocate for action.

I am also very proud to say that last year this government pledged $220 million of aid to The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. It is a 10 per cent increase on previous funding. More Australians deserve to know how Australia's funding here is one of the global cornerstones in the fight to eradicate TB. That is on top of the $64 million we have contributed, over recent years, in bilateral support to our close neighbours and friends in countries like PNG and Kiribati.

Australia is playing a leadership role here. I want to congratulate our Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop, for delivering compassionate and meaningful foreign aid leadership. Greater investment in diagnostics, better drugs and vaccines are our only hope for eradicating TB. I look forward to working further with RESULTS Australia. And, of course, members: World TB Day is on Friday, 24 March.