News Stories – 2 August
Eleventh Annual Australia/China Human Rights Dialogue
The eleventh annual Human Rights Dialogue was a robust and constructive exchange on human rights issues and concerns between senior Australian and Chinese officials.
Australia has a strong interest in the development of human rights in China.
We consider the annual Dialogue to be a useful forum to convey this interest to the Chinese Government.
Held in Beijing on 30 July, the Dialogue saw constructive discussion on a range of ongoing human rights issues, including restrictions on freedoms of expression and association, Australia’s opposition to the death penalty and torture, religious freedom, the treatment of political activists and Falun Gong practitioners, and conditions in Tibet and Xinjiang.
This year’s Dialogue theme, the role of legal professionals in protecting human rights, prompted wide-ranging discussion.
The Chinese delegation expressed interest in the situation of Indigenous people in Australia. We will further strengthen our practical cooperation in the areas of legal reform, women’s and children’ rights, and ethnic minorities, with the two sides agreeing to a set of projects for 2007-08 worth $2 million.
This year marked the tenth anniversary of technical cooperation between Australia and China on human rights, now conducted under the Human Rights and Technical Cooperation program (HRTC).
Previous cooperation has resulted in concrete human rights outcomes; one example being the passage of provincial-level domestic violence regulations. Over the past 11 years our Dialogue has evolved to include discussion on a broader range of issues with diverse representation from within the Chinese Government.
Australia-Pacific Technical College opens for Business
Australia realises its commitment to provide world class vocational education and training in the Pacific through the establishment of the Australia-Pacific Technical College.
Prime Minister John Howard announced at the Pacific Islands Forum in October 2006 that the Australian Government would provide $150 million for the establishment and operation of the Asia-Pacific Technical College.
The first student intake this month will offer training in tourism and hospitality to fill critical skill shortages and boost employment opportunities and economic growth in the region.
The college will boost essential skills in a range of vocations including automotive, construction, manufacturing and electrical trades, tourism and hospitality, health and community services.
The internationally recognised courses will be run at training centres in Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji and Papua New Guinea.
From 2008 scholarships will be available to enable students, especially those from smaller island states, to participate. Dr Peter Shepherd has been appointed chief executive officer of the College and brings extensive international experience in vocational and technical training to the job.
Training contracts worth $100 million have been awarded to Queensland's Sunshine Coast Institute of TAFE and Box Hill Institute in Victoria.
The College will work with Pacific Island governments, education and business leaders to ensure that graduates are appropriately skilled to meet employment needs in the region.
Australia’s exports hit a new high
The value of Australia’s exports reached a new record of over $215 billion in 2006-07, with significant increases to North Asia and India.
In 2006-07 Australia’s exports of manufactures, resources and services reached all-time highs, with only rural exports held back by the ongoing effects of the drought.
The trade deficit on goods and services fell by $2.5 billion to $12 billion in 2006-07, well below its peak of $22.6 billion in 2004-05.
The overall improvement came through exports rising by 10 percent over the financial year. Imports rose by eight percent.
Australia’s largest export region of North Asia was again a highlight, with merchandise exports up by 11 percent in 2006-07. Leading the way was China, with exports rising by 26 percent, merchandise exports to India were even stronger, growing by 37 percent.
This took India to fourth in the list of Australia’s merchandise export markets, now ahead of New Zealand, the United States and United Kingdom and behind Japan, China and South Korea.
Despite strong growth over the year, exports in the month of June fell by three per cent to $18.0 billion with severe weather conditions on the East Coast hampering exports of some commodities and the drought continuing to affect rural exports. The ongoing strength of the Australian dollar was also a factor.
News Stories – 26 July
Australia sets $1 billion benchmark in global fight against HIV
Australia will commit an extra $400 million towards fighting HIV/AIDS globally, bringing its total commitment to $1 billion by 2010.
Australia has announced a $400 million increase in its existing $600 million commitment to combating HIV/AIDS at the Third Ministerial Meeting on HIV/AIDS in Sydney on 23 July.
The meeting brought together business and government leaders from the Asia Pacific region and committed to greater public-private partnerships to halt and begin to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS in the region by 2015.
The meeting coincided with the 5000-strong International AIDS Society Conference which is being held this week in Sydney with financial support from the Australian Government. In the Pacific, Australia will expand its efforts to tackle the disease by continuing to work with those most at risk and increasing access to vital treatment.
Throughout Asia we will strengthen work with local authorities to provide the best advice on tackling the disease, particularly among commercial sex workers and injecting drug users. In Africa, we will support community groups in their work with people directly affected by HIV, whether it's people already infected or their families.
By the end of this financial year we expect to have spent half a billion dollars on international HIV programs since the start of this decade. Australia has now fulfilled its existing $75 million pledge to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Australia is currently considering a new pledge for the Global Fund’s 2008-2010 funding cycle.
Our support to the Global Fund has helped it save the lives of more than 1.8 million people and provided more than one million people with anti-retroviral treatment for HIV.
The economic and social consequences of HIV in the Asia Pacific region are significant.
Approximately one-fifth of the 40 million people living with HIV globally are in the Asia Pacific region. It is predicted that without increased and ongoing action, HIV will have killed 1.5 million people in Indonesia and 300,000 people in Papua New Guinea by 2025.
Australia supports global efforts to reduce deforestation
Australia commits to international efforts to reduce deforestation at a High Level Meeting on Forests and Climate in Sydney.
On 27 March the Australian Government launched the Global Initiative on Forests and Climate to support practical action to reduce deforestation, support reforestation and to implement sustainable forest management.
Australia committed A$200 million in new funding to the Initiative. As part of the Initiative, Australia hosted a High Level Meeting on Forests and Climate in Sydney from 23 to 25 July.
Participants attended from more than 65 countries, along with delegates from international, environmental and business organisations.
Australia made three announcements at the High level Meeting, namely:
- Australia will lead action to establish a new global system to monitor changes in forest cover and forest carbon levels
- this new Global Carbon Monitoring System will be supported by remote sensing satellite monitoring technology and on-the-ground carbon accounting activities.
- Australia will contribute A$11.7 million ($US10 million) to the World Bank's new Global Forest Alliance to help protect the world's remaining great forests from deforestation and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Australia will commit A$10 million to support efforts to reduce emissions from deforestation and promote sustainable forest management in Indonesia. This will help Indonesia develop pilot projects to demonstrate the effectiveness of reducing deforestation; improve local forestry governance; and prevent, monitor and suppress peat land fires, including by training Indonesia's fire fighters and fire management.
There is a fresh international momentum to address forests and climate and Australia will do what it can to support this momentum.
Australia calls on all Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) to cooperate on deforestation in the lead up to, and at, the Thirteenth Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, taking place in Bali in December 2007.
Australia would be happy to host another informal meeting on forests and climate in 2008, when early results and lessons learned from designing pilot avoided-deforestation programs have been forthcoming.
Australia provides $2.5 Million for emergency relief in Pakistan
The Australian Government will provide $2.5 million towards emergency relief efforts in communities in Pakistan recently affected by storms, floods and a cyclone.
In late June, the combined effects of heavy storms and Cyclone Yemyin claimed around 300 lives across Pakistan and affected 1.65 million people.
Over 300,000 people are homeless in the two most severely hit provinces - Baluchistan and Sindh.
To assist relief efforts, Australia, through our international aid agency, AusAID, will contribute $1 million through UNICEF for immediate water supply and sanitation needs.
We will provide $1 million through the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to provide emergency shelter and support the Pakistan Red Crescent to distribute food parcels, essential non-food items and provide short-term basic shelter and health needs.
We will also provide $500,000 through the World Health Organization for essential medicines and vaccines for the affected population.
Both the UN and the IFRC have launched global appeals for assistance to Pakistan. Australia will continue to closely monitor emergency needs in Pakistan.