Ross Vasta (Bonner, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last year, I was very fortunate to be chosen as Australia's representative at the United Nations General Assembly, or UNGA, in New York. I would like to take this opportunity to share with the House some of the events and experiences I undertook during the three-month delegation.

As a founding member of the UN, Australia has played an active role in addressing global issues such as human rights, gender equality, development, peace and security, and the environment. The annual UNGA event is one of six principal organs of the United Nations and the only one in which all member nations have equal representation It is also the main deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the UN and an integral part of the UN's focus going forward. The 74th UNGA kicked off with Leader's Week, and I very much enjoyed the opportunity to witness Prime Minister Scott Morrison's national statement to the UN General Assembly, which focused on our country's policy action in relation to key environmental challenges.

I also had the opportunity to farewell the departing Australian Ambassador to the UN, Gillian Bird, and welcome our new ambassador, former senator Mitch Fifield. Ms Bird had done a brilliant job advancing Australia's interests for the past four years at the UN, and she did a tremendous job of setting up Mr Fifield to build on her success. Our UN post does an amazing job. I don't want to single out individuals, because they are all professional and they all deserve to be praised. I thank them for looking after me and the honourable member for Spence.

During Leaders Week there were so many different events, and our Prime Minister and foreign affairs minister couldn't possibly make them all, so I had the privilege of representing them on occasion. One such occasion was the UN General Assembly reception on disability rights and inclusion, which celebrated the launch of the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy at the Global Disability Summit one-year progress report. This event was co-sponsored by the Australian government and hosted by the UN Children's Fund, or UNICEF, and the International Disability Alliance. As well as launching the Disability Inclusion Strategy, the summit was a great opportunity for all partners to renew their commitment to disability rights and inclusive developments. Australia is a strong advocate of disability rights, and I was very pleased to share with UN partners the tremendous achievements of the Australian government to successfully implement the National Disability Insurance Scheme in partnership with all levels and sides of government. Speaking at the event, I shared how in Australia we are working together to improve the lives of people with disability, their families and carers. On a personal note, I also shared a story from a constituent in my electorate of Bonner who had benefited from the NDIS. When Tricia contacted me crying with gratitude because her 15-year-old with Aspergers and NF1 had been approved for the NDIS, it really hit home the impact our government is having on people with disability and their families. To share that at the UN reception was a humbling experience, but an honour nonetheless.

I'd like to share with the House another great UNGA experience, which was my visit to the Picatinny Arsenal in New Jersey to view firsthand the US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Armaments Center. It was great to observe the capability being developed in the US while also advocating for Australia's homegrown defence primes, like NIOA, which specialises in the weapons and munitions domain. Australia is a great ally of the United States, and we share a lot of the same values, particularly around investing in homegrown defence capabilities. Following my trip to UNGA, I met with NIOA's managing director, Robert Nioa, to share with him my experience at Picatinny and reaffirm Australia's commitment to investing in Australia's defence industry.