Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Bob Carr. Can the minister brief the Senate on the outcomes of his recent visit to Myanmar?

Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My visit to Myanmar from 5 to 8 June provided me with an excellent appreciation of the reform effort underway in that country.

During the visit I met with figures from the government and with figures from the opposition, including representatives of the 'Generation 88' movement, who had served 22 years in prison; with Aung San Suu Kyi; with representatives of civil society, including journalists, NGO workers, doctors and teachers; as well as with the president, government ministers and the lower house speaker, Shwe Mann. All of these meetings provided me with greater firsthand appreciation of the challenges the country faces in implementing its reform agenda.

I announced in Myanmar that Australia will lift its remaining targeted travel and financial sanctions. We plan to double our aid to the country from $48.8 million this year to $100 million by 2015, including a new package of support for education. This is very important in a country where something like 50 per cent of students will not complete primary school. We will help around one million children to gain better access to education. We will provide life-saving vaccines for over one million men, women and children. We will support new initiatives to build peace in regions affected by ethnic conflicts, to help conflict-torn communities recover and to build confidence in the peace process. This part of our aid package will assist the resettlement of ethnic minorities returning in the wake of peace agreements to their regions. And we will support new initiatives to strengthen the country's respect for human rights, including a package of assistance to be delivered in partnership with UNICEF to strengthen the rights of children.

I invited both President Thein Sein and opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi to visit Australia. They were appreciative of the invitation. (Time expired)

Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a supplementary question. Can the minister outline the rationale for Australia lifting the sanctions against Myanmar?

Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The point had been reached where the government judged that lifting sanctions was the best way to promote further progress. It was the strong advice of our ambassador that constructive, responsible engagement is more likely to help Myanmar with its political, economic and social development plans. Indeed, Aung San Suu Kyi said to me that she believed the country must find an impetus within itself to proceed with reform, rather than relying on coercion from outside.

Responsible engagement will enable us to work more closely with the government to raise health and education standards. Engagement through exposure to international standards and best practice will also help improve accountability and transparency. In this context we are able to increase our aid spending. We could not have done that if the country had been mired in an unaccountable military dictatorship. (Time expired)

Ursula Stephens (NSW, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I have a second supplementary question. Minister, can you outline to the Senate what Australian aid is doing for the people of Myanmar and any other information you might want to provide to the Senate about your visit?

Bob Carr (NSW, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This country is one of the poorest in the world. As I said, only half of all children will actually complete primary school. That means a lot of them are not going to be in a position to absorb messages about personal health, family planning, business development or the management of farms. Also, 70,000 children under five will die each year from largely preventable causes. Around 10 per cent of children under five are severely malnourished.

With the doubling of our aid program, as I said, from $48 million this year to $100 million by 2015, we will help around one million children to gain better access to education by providing essential school supplies, teacher training and food aid to schools in remote areas. I visited one school where, I can report with pride, the teachers were trained by Australia and the blackboards and textbooks were provided by Australia. (Time expired)