Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Senator Fierravanti-Wells. Can the minister update the Senate on how the Turnbull government is working to improve health outcomes in our region?

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

I thank Senator Back for his question. The Turnbull government is committed to helping build strong health systems in our region because, by supporting our neighbourhood, we are responding to health threats. Health security is very important to regional security. Over the next four years, Australia will contribute $250 million to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, which is a public-private global health partnership. Gavi is an important partner for Australia in the fight to reduce child mortality and to enhance regional health security. Gavi supports vaccines that save lives and addresses the common causes of childhood illness and death, such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and measles by helping low-income countries procure new and underused vaccines at globally low prices.

In Asian and the Pacific, more than 230 million children have been immunised with Gavi's support. That is more than 22 million children in Indonesia, 600,000 children to our north in Papua New Guinea and 80,000 children in the Solomon Islands. Many vaccine-preventable diseases no longer affect Australian children, but they are still too common in developing countries, including in our own neighbourhood. We do not want them back in our country. Therefore, our commitment is essential. It is also excellent value for money. For every dollar that Australia has committed to Gavi, it has provided $12 to countries in Asia and the Pacific. Since 2001, Gavi has committed $3 billion to vaccine support— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Back, a supplementary question.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian community can be proud of those statistics. Can the minister outline the importance of partnering with Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in health outcomes across our region?

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

We value our partnership with Gavi because of the work that it does with the private sector. It reduces prices and ensures supply of quality vaccines to countries that need them the most. Private sector engagement is essential as part of our successful results in increasing our aid in the region and our aid effort broadly in the Indo-Pacific.

In addition to the financial contribution that we have made to Gavi, we are also a very active member of the Gavi board where we advocate for the interests of the Indo-Pacific region to ensure that Gavi's operations are both effective and efficient. It is policies like these that help developing countries. It helps to keep their children free from vaccine-preventable diseases and, in turn, helps their self-sufficiency. So this is very important to sustained economic growth and poverty reduction— (Time expired)

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Back, a final supplementary question.

Christopher Back (WA, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Can the minister explain how supporting Gavi helps to protect Australia's health standards?

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

Our investment in Gavi is an investment in Australia's health security and the health security and economic prosperity of our region. There is growing evidence that child immunisation can improve both the social and the economic progress of a country. Healthier children will attend school, remain in school longer and, by attending school, they will learn more and therefore assist in the economic—

Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Why did you cut the aid funding, then?

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

I will take that interjection. We were not ones the ones who cut the aid.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do not lie!

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

You went and took $750 million out of the aid budget and put it into your failed border protection policy.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Do not lie!

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

So do not come in here and tell us that we have taken out of the aid budget. You—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Please direct your comments to the chair, Senator Fierravanti-Wells. Senator Brandis, on a point of order.

George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong is simply screaming interjections across the chamber, Mr President. As you must have heard, and as I am sure everyone else in the chamber heard, she has used consistently unparliamentary language in interjecting against Senator Fierravanti-Wells. She should be required to withdraw. Indeed, she should be required to apologise.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, on the point of order.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, the minister is misleading the Senate—$11 billion was cut by this government—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

That is a debating point, Senator Wong.

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

She should not be allowed to mislead—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Wong, that is a debating point. There are other ways of addressing that. Senator Wong, I did not hear the comment that has been purported that you—

Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I withdraw.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Thank you, Senator Wong.

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

When Labor were in government, they diverted $750 million from the aid budget to pay for their border protection blow-out, making the Gillard government the third largest recipient of Australian foreign aid. In the 15 months prior to the 2013 election, the former government— (Time expired)

Opposition senators interjecting—

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Cormann, on a point of order.

Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Finance) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am sitting very close to Senator Fierravanti-Wells and I cannot hear what she is saying because of the disorderly interjections that are coming from the Leader of the Opposition. I would ask you to call her to order.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Senator Fierravanti-Wells's time had expired.