House debates
Monday, 21 November 2011
Bills
Clean Energy Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Income Tax Rates Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Household Assistance Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Tax Laws Amendments) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Fuel Tax Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Customs Tariff Amendment) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Excise Tariff Legislation Amendment) Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Import Levy) Amendment Bill 2011, Ozone Protection and Synthetic Greenhouse Gas (Manufacture Levy) Amendment Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Shortfall Charge — General) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Auctions) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Unit Issue Charge — Fixed Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (International Unit Surrender Charge) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Customs) Bill 2011, Clean Energy (Charges — Excise) Bill 2011, Clean Energy Regulator Bill 2011, Climate Change Authority Bill 2011, Steel Transformation Plan Bill 2011, Australian Renewable Energy Agency Bill 2011, Australian Renewable Energy Agency (Consequential Amendments and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2011, Excise Tariff Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2011, Excise Legislation Amendment (Condensate) Bill 2011, Trade Marks Amendment (Tobacco Plain Packaging) Bill 2011; Returned from Senate
1:59 pm
Melissa Parke (Fremantle, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source
There were a number of important announcements made at the recent successful CHOGM held in Perth, but one in particular struck me as highly significant. This was the pledge by a number of nations, including Australia, Nigeria, Pakistan, the UK and Canada, as well as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to significantly increase funding commitments for the eradication of the debilitating disease of polio.
Australia is contributing $50 million over four years to this end. The campaign over more than two decades to end polio has resulted in the number of polio cases being slashed by 99 per cent. However, one per cent of cases remain in four countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan—three of these being Commonwealth countries.
I want to acknowledge the efforts of Rotary International and the Global Poverty Project—in particular, Perth local Michael Sheldrick, who organised a fantastic concert on the Friday night of the CHOGM week to raise awareness of the campaign to end polio. The world is so close to eradicating polio. (Time expired)
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