Steve Fielding (Victoria, Family First Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Family First is pleased to speak this evening about the Millennium Development Goals. Family First was also pleased to attend the Stand Up Against Poverty event earlier this week sponsored by the Make Poverty History group. It was great to see so many people on the front lawns of Parliament House supporting such a worthwhile cause.

Like many other Australian families, my family—my wife Sue and I and our three kids—sponsor a person in a Third World country. He is a young man I am proud of, an Ethiopian man named Abdurahman. The Fielding family have been sponsoring Abdurahman for 11 years. We write to him regularly and see him as an extended member of our family. Sue and I were actually privileged to meet Abdurahman and his family when we visited Ethiopia earlier this year. It was a real thrill for both of us. Abdurahman is 21 and doing well at school. He can speak English, which makes him more employable, and he hopes to go to university next year. He and his family live in a one-roomed home with no running water, and basic cooking facilities. Meeting Abdurahman and his family in person highlighted to me what a fortunate life we have in Australia and the important role all of us can play in improving the opportunities of people in underdeveloped countries.

Life has changed a lot for Abdurahman. It has improved dramatically thanks to our sponsorship and the generosity of so many other Australian families. Eleven years ago Abdurahman was one of the many kids on the street trying to make a bit of money from shining shoes. Back then, he had no education. Back then, he spoke no English. As far as Family First is concerned, Abdurahman is a human face of the Millennium Development Goals, one of which is to ensure all boys and girls finish their primary school education.

One in four adults in developing countries is illiterate. That is 872 million people on this planet. The figures are mind-blowing. Of those children in developing countries lucky enough to attend school, 150 million do not even finish five years of school. They have not mastered basic reading and writing.

Abdurahman’s education has turned his life around. He will be able to get a good job and that will have a huge impact on his own life and his family’s. He will earn some money and be able to help them out of their difficult circumstances. An adult with a primary education earns twice as much as an adult without any schooling. On our trip to Ethiopia, my wife, Sue, and I saw many children like Abdurahman trying to earn a bit of money for their family. It is impossible not to think of your own kids in such circumstances and to be so grateful for the great life we have in Australia and the opportunities for our kids.

Family First recognises that it is easy to blame government for problems in the hope that government—not us—will fix them. But Family First believes it is even more important that all of us think carefully about what part we can play to help people in developing countries. The Millennium Goals help remind us that we all need to pitch in to achieve the change we all say we want.