MAKING POVERTY HISTORY
Improving Australia’s contribution to the developing world
For the first time in human history we have the capacity to end extreme poverty worldwide. The Australian Democrats believe that Australia should play a leading role by:
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Cancelling debt for heavily indebted developing nations; |
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Increasing aid and directing it in a more useful way; |
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Providing micro-credit; |
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Engaging in fair trade; and |
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Putting more money into providing people in the developing world with technical expertise. |
The United States spends US$40 billion a year on nuclear weapons — which is what it would cost to meet the Millennium Development Goals on health, education, water and sanitation.
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Over one billion people live on less than $1 a day; |
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Pregnancy and childbirth kill a woman every minute; |
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10 million children die each year from preventable illnesses; |
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Some 50 million people are living with HIV/AIDS; and |
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Over 100 million children do not attend school. |
Below we explore some of the most pressing issues in more detail.
Reproductive health
Reproductive health care saves women’s lives. It allows women to determine the number of children they have — and when they have that choice they have smaller families, reducing pressure on natural resources.
It allows women to delay childbearing so that they can complete their education, participate in the workforce and acquire skills and experience. |
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| The Make Poverty History launch at Parliament House, Canberra |
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It means their children are more likely to be well fed, educated and able to lift themselves and their families out of poverty.
In Thailand every dollar invested in family planning saves $16 in health, education, housing, and other social services.
Safe and effective contraceptives prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases.
Trade justice
Accelerating economic growth has become the mantra of many of the rich nations when they talk about poverty reduction.
China is a good example of the potential for economic growth to reduce the number of people living in extreme poverty — and trade can certainly be a great source of wealth and prosperity. Growth alone will not eradicate poverty — in Indonesia, despite decades of growth, more than half the population still lives on less than $2 a day because of wealth disparity. |
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| Senator Lyn Allison speaks at the Make Poverty History launch at Parliament House |
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Oxfam has estimated that if Africa, East Asia, South Asia and Latin America were each to increase their share of world exports by 1 per cent, the resulting gains in income could lift 128 million people out of poverty.
Trade rules are still unfair — according to the World Bank, tariff barriers cost developing countries US$100 billion a year, which is twice what they receive in aid.
More and better aid
Australia has increased its aid but the G20 Scorecard has us at 19th out of 22 OECD countries in aid expenditure per capita.
The Democrats welcomed the increase in aid from 0.28 per cent of gross national income to 0.36 per cent by 2010, but this will still leave us in 18th place — only half the 0.7 per cent required from all donor countries if the Millennium Development Goals are to be meet by 2015.
Debt relief
The G20 Scorecard shows that Australia is also not doing well when it comes to debt forgiveness.
Australia has provided the lowest level of voluntary support to highly indebted poor countries out of any of the OECD countries.
Australia is a wealthy country — we have had 14 years of economic growth, with big surpluses — so we can afford to do more.
Rather than aid money going towards security and military activities instead of to clean water, sanitation, education and lifesaving medicines.
Climate change
If we are really serious about poverty we also need to be serious about climate change.
While all regions will eventually feel the effects of climate change, the world’s poorest people will be worse off.
According to the World Health Organization, climate change is already causing 150,000 deaths and five million extra cases of severe illness annually.
The World Bank estimates people in low income countries are four times more likely to die in natural disasters than people in high-income countries.
A quarter of its development projects under the Millennium Development Goals are at risk from climate change.
Our Asia-Pacific neighbours will be acutely affected — droughts and storm surges are already forcing people in lowlying Pacific countries to move to higher ground.
The Australian Democrats believe that our government should work with the international community on emissions trading, ratify Kyoto, and introduce a carbon-price signal in Australia. |
