Concetta Fierravanti-Wells (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for International Development and the Pacific) Share this | Hansard source

Regional stability makes Australia more secure. As I indicated, the Defence white paper makes it very, very clear that a stable and secure region will help Australia be more secure.

By promoting stability, our aid is actually making Australia safer. Weak and fragile states struggle to deal with transboundary health and security challenges—for example, drug-resistant tuberculosis. By helping countries meet these challenges, our aid is helping to prevent threats which ultimately affect Australia by spreading to Australia.

Of course, our stability encourages economic growth. Instability is a major constraint to growth in our region. It reverses those gains that can be achieved and sets countries back by decades.