Labor Member for Grayndler Anthony Albanese today attended a social justice assembly at Dulwich High School for Visual Arts & Design and expressed admiration for some of the ideas expressed by the students.

The assembly was part of the Micah Challenge’s Survive Past Five campaign, which tries to focus attention on child mortality and the fatality rate of women in childbirth.

These represent two of the eight Millennium Development Goals, which have the goal of halving world poverty by 2015.

“The Gillard Labor Government is committed to the Millennium Development Goals and is taking action to make them a reality,” said Mr Albanese.

“The 2010 foreign aid budget is double what it was in 2005. We have committed to double it again by 2015. This will then represent 0.5% of gross national income.”

Mr Albanese gave examples of how targeted government funding had addressed some of these issues.

“In East Timor, maternal health programs have seen the maternal death rate fall by 33% since 2000. More than 900,000 children have been immunised in Papua New Guinea against measles and other childhood illnesses,” said Mr Albanese.

“In Zimbabwe, Kenya and Malawi, investment by the Australian Government has helped 51,000 people have access to clean water and sanitation with the installation of safe water points in communities.”

“And in Indonesia, more than 2,000 junior and secondary schools have been renovated providing access to education for an additional 330,000 children.”

Anthony with students from Dulwich High School for Visual Arts & Design.