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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
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GENEVA CONVENTIONS

Adjourned debate on the motion of Hon. M.J. Atkinson:

That this house—

(a) notes the 60th anniversary of the Four Geneva Conventions of 1949;

(b) congratulates the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement on its continuous fostering of the principles of international humanitarian law to limit human suffering in times of armed conflict and to prevent atrocities, especially against civilian populations, the wounded and prisoners of war;

(c) recalls Australia's ratification of the conventions and of the two additional protocols of 1977;

(d) affirms all parliamentary measures taken in support of such ratification at the national level with cross-party support;

(e) encourages the fullest implementation of the conventions and additional protocols by the military forces and civilian organisations of all nations;

(f) encourages ratification by all nations of the conventions and additional protocols;

(g) notes that Red Cross was formed in Australia in 1914 and that Australian Red Cross is represented on the governing board of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent societies; and

(h) recognises the extraordinary contribution made by many individual Australians, including Australian Red Cross members, volunteers and staff in the state of South Australia, for the practical carrying into effect of the humanitarian ideals and legal principles expressed in the conventions and additional protocols.

(Continued from 16 July 2009. Page 3595.)

Ms CICCARELLO (Norwood) (12:13): I support the motion put forward by the Attorney-General. Victor Hugo once said: 'Greater than the tread of mighty armies is an idea whose time has come.' And the power of the great idea was no more evident than on 24 June 1859 (150 years ago) when a single man witnessed the carnage near the town of Solferino between the Franco-Sardinian and Austrian forces during the Italian War of Unification. It appalled but ultimately inspired Henry Dunant to publish a slim volume entitled 'A memory of Solferino'. In it, he described the battle, the devastation and the futile efforts of the few helpers on hand, including himself, who strove to aid the suffering.

However, it was the two fundamental questions that he posed at the end of his book that would enshrine his legacy for generations to come. Henry Dunant's first question asked:

Would it not be possible, in time of peace and quiet, to form relief societies for the purpose of having care given to the wounded in wartime by zealous, devoted and thoroughly qualified volunteers?

His second asked:

Would it not be desirable...to formulate some international principle, sanctioned by a Convention inviolate in character, which, once agreed upon and ratified, might constitute the basis for societies for the relief of the wounded in the different European countries?

The answers to these questions were, respectively yes and yes. The Red Cross and the Geneva conventions were born. Today, as we celebrate and honour these two great icons that embody the true spirit of humanitarianism and helping others, we should never forget the idea of a man who wanted to make a difference and the lives of so many millions needlessly lost under the march of mighty armies.

Last month marked the 60th anniversary of the Four Geneva Conventions, which were last revised in 1949 but the origins of which go back almost a century earlier. As I previously mentioned, the genesis of these conventions was A Memory of Solferino. One year after its publication, a prominent citizen named Gustave Moynier, who also happened to be chairman of the Geneva Public Welfare Society, showed Dunant's book to his colleagues. Appalled by what they read, they immediately established a five member committee called the International Committee for Relief to the Wounded to study in depth the proposals that Dunant had put forward.

This committee met for the first time on 17 February 1863. Six months later, the international committee convened a conference in Geneva, which adopted the 10 resolutions which made provision, inter alia, for the establishment of societies for relief to wounded soldiers. Realising, however, that resolutions were not enough and did not actually legally bind any country, the committee convened a diplomatic conference the following year to hopefully formalise legal obligations.

On 22 August 1864, 12 countries signed the Geneva Convention for the Amelioration of the Condition of the Wounded in Armies in the Field. The convention also provided for the first official recognition of the Red Cross symbol as a means of identifying persons and equipment covered by the agreement. This marked the beginning of modern international humanitarian law and the formal role of the Red Cross on the global stage.

Time constrains me from detailing the rich history of the conventions and their passage through further diplomatic conferences and arduous negotiations to where we are today, 60 years after the adoption of what are now known as the Four Geneva Conventions. But, in short, the experience of history and, in particular, the two world wars and the rapidly changing strategy of battle, led to the necessity for the original convention to be revised and ultimately expanded so as to encompass these changes. On 12 August 1949, the following conventions were approved:

One—for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded and sick in armed forces in the field;

Two—for the amelioration of the condition of the wounded, sick and shipwrecked members of the armed forces at sea;

Three—relative to the treatment of prisoners of war; and

Four—relative to the protection of civilian persons in time of war.

The significance and value of these conventions is certainly now recognised worldwide as being integral as the backbone of international humanitarian law. Australia signed the conventions in 1950 and ratified them on 14 October 1958, enacting the Geneva Conventions Act 1957 to duly incorporate them into domestic law. In 2006, the last two countries, Nauru and Montenegro, brought the total that had signed to 194. This was a historic achievement and the first time in modern history that an international treaty had been signed by all states.

In addition to the Four Geneva Conventions, two additional amendment protocols were adopted in 1977 dealing with the protection of victims of international and non-international armed conflicts. I am pleased that Australia signed these the following year and ratified them in 1991. A further protocol was passed in 2005 relating to the adoption of an additional distinctive emblem, the red crescent. Australia signed this in 2006 and recently passed the Defence Legislation (Miscellaneous Amendments) Act 2009 to implement it. I understand that ratification of this third protocol is imminent.

I applaud Australia for being a party to the four conventions and the three additional protocols. We have always been a strong advocate of justice and human rights, and our reputation on the world stage as a leader in these pursuits is unquestioned. However, I note that more than 30 countries are yet to ratify the 1977 protocols and more than 150 yet to do so for the 2005 protocol. I urge these countries to ratify them as soon as possible.

Universal application of the protocols and, consequently, a uniform understanding of how civilians and combatants throughout the world must be treated in times of war and occupation, is a goal to which the world must aspire. Symbiotic with the history of the Geneva Convention is, of course, the Red Cross. In fact, as I indicated earlier, the beginning of the Red Cross actually predates the conventions.

It is truly inspiring to reflect upon the fact that a simple idea forged in the chaotic aftermath of Solferino, an idea that began as a rudimentary five member committee, has now become an unstoppable force of aid and compassion throughout the world. History is truly a mirror of what a vision can achieve when it is backed by compassion and determination for what probably seemed an unattainable pipedream 136 years ago and is now the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement. And what a movement it has evolved into: 186 national societies; 100 million volunteers worldwide; 60,000 volunteers in Australia; and a peerless reputation for providing help to those in need.

It is important also to note that the movement has evolved from an organisation dealing principally with wartime situations into one which now also strives to improve the situation of all vulnerable people throughout the world. This includes giving assistance to victims of natural and technological disasters to refugees and in health emergencies. This peacetime humanitarian assistance is coordinated by the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, of which Australia is a proud and deserving member.

Australia has a long and rich history with the Red Cross. The Australian Red Cross was founded on 13 August 1914 (as a branch of the British Red Cross in accordance with the 1906 conventions) by Lady Helen Munro-Ferguson, the wife of the then governor-general. In 1928 it was recognised by the international committee as a part of the movement, but it took until 1941 to make it truly independent, when it was incorporated as a society by royal charter, making it no longer a branch of the British Red Cross.

Whatever its status throughout those years, the Australian Red Cross quickly asserted itself in making a real difference internationally and here at home. On the world stage, the Australian Red Cross supports its overseas counterparts in disaster management and development, emergency relief, overseas aid and the promotion of the principles of the Geneva Conventions.

One only has to look at the Australian Red Cross website (under the category of 'operations by countries') to witness the enormous list of projects that it is committed to and actively involved in. The work that the Red Cross does overseas is truly inspirational, and I wonder how many people are aware that it was the recipient of the 1987 United Nations Peace Messenger Award.

At home, its list of activities is just as impressive. It would take me hours to detail all the activities of the Australian Red Cross, but a few of these are as follows: more than 60 local community services across Australia; disaster and emergency relief; programs supporting indigenous communities; the international tracing, refugee and asylum seeker services; and perhaps its most well known program, the Red Cross Australian Blood Service.

This year marks the 80th anniversary of the first Australian Red Cross Blood Service, which was founded in Victoria by Dr Lucy Bryce and, as this year is also the Year of the Blood Donor, it is fitting for me to say a few words about this incredible service. As an ambassador for the Red Cross Australian Blood Service, I, together with 514,000 other Australian donors, know all too well how important it is to give blood. I recently gave my 100th blood donation and was enormously satisfied when I realised that I had been part of saving the lives of at least 300 people and had contributed to the making up of 2,000 different life saving products.

The statistics in Australia are sobering. One in three of you will need blood at some stage of your life, yet only one in 30 of you will ever give blood. The discrepancy is obvious even now and, as our population expands and grows ever older, that chasm will only yawn wider. It is imperative, therefore, that we get the message out there and encourage as many people as we can to become active blood donors.

The Australian Red Cross is a wonderful organisation. At the risk of sounding somewhat sappy, I am enormously proud to be a part of it in my own small way. I would like to thank the many Australians who make the Red Cross what it is today.

Ms CHAPMAN (Bragg) (12:23): In June this year the Australian Red Cross forwarded information to a number of parliaments in Australia about the 60th anniversary this year of the signing of the Geneva Conventions. Consistent with that, the opposition indicates its support for the motion.

The Attorney and the then shadow attorney received a request from the Australian Red Cross to join in the celebrations and, in recognition of this important event, to support a motion in our parliament. I understand this is happening at the national level and in other state jurisdictions, and I expect that it will have unanimous support across the country. So, it is with pleasure that I indicate that this measure will be supported by the opposition.

Truly great men and women have served in this organisation. In Australia, I think of the late Lady Elizabeth Wilson, formerly Elizabeth Bonython, who was, I think, a state president here for many years, possibly even decades. She was a very strong believer in the importance of community contribution, everything from blood donation, as the member for Norwood has referred to, to other services within our community.

However, today we celebrate, at the international level, the signing of the Geneva Conventions and the additional protocols of 1977 updating the Geneva Conventions. The four treaties cover the amelioration of the condition of the wounded and sick armed forces in the field; the amelioration of the wounded and sick and shipwrecked members of armed forces at sea; the treatment of prisoners of war; and, fourthly, the protection of civilian persons in time of war.

Only a few years ago, I attended one of the events sponsored by the Australian Red Cross. As I recall, information was provided to us about the civilian casualties of war. During World War I (the Great War, as it is described), between 1914 and 1918, there was enormous carnage, particularly of the sons of Australia, but only 5 per cent of casualties were civilians. The information we received progressed through to World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War. By the time we got to the Vietnam War, the civilian casualties in war was something like 50 per cent. As we progressed further, we got to the war in Rwanda, where civilians made up over 90 per cent of the casualties in that war.

The profile of the victims of war, in the sense of those who died, has very significantly changed over the last 100 years. Arguably, one of the safest positions to be in during a war is to be a member of an armed force, as distinct from civilians in the sense of the percentage of causalities. However, that does not in any way diminish the fact that those members of the armed services serving in areas of armed conflict are fighting for their life and our freedom and security.

The point I want to make today is that it has become increasingly important that Australia is and remains a participant in the Geneva Convention, because so often civilians are caught up in a war. Civilians are not only killed but can be victims of torture, imprisonment and abuse. There have been war crimes against women, particularly civilian women.

I think back to the recent conflict between Serbia and Croatia and the disgraceful stories that came out of that conflict in respect of women, as were subsequently confirmed by the trials, who were deliberately raped and impregnated by soldiers of the other side, so that it forced these women to bear children who were fathered by soldiers from the other side. This is the type of event that we need to make sure does not happen, that we protect civilians during wartime and ensure that we act responsibly to protect them. That is the purpose of our celebrating this anniversary and recognising the importance of being involved in this.

I recently had the privilege of attending an address by the Hon. Robert Hill, who has served in the Australian parliament as the minister for defence, and in other portfolios. He has more recently returned to Australia after three years of service as Australia's delegate to the United Nations. He provided an update about what is happening there, and one of the most encouraging things that he reported to those gathered was that the International Criminal Court, which is the second phase of these conventions, will not only set out the rules but will also provide a structure that will ensure their enforcement.

It is important that countries not only sign up to these conventions, but also that they ensure they provide funding, support and commitment to what the rules are; and they must follow through to ensure that there is enforcement, policing of and prosecution of those in the international community, who not only breach their obligations but fail to act in a humanitarian way. This is terribly important because we can have all the rules in the world but it is not much good unless they are enforced.

Sadly, one of the great criticisms of the efforts of the international community, who are willing to sign up to commitment, is that there are so many other countries that are blatantly abusing their own civilians that refuse to sign up and refuse to participate in the protection of those who are the subject of these conventions. It is concerning that there are so many who are not prepared to sign up. This is always the big international dilemma as to how these countries are brought to heel and, flowing from that, is the very difficult question internationally for good countries who protect their civilians and whether they should intervene in the domestic affairs of other countries.

We always have this vexed situation. I can remember, as many members would, America being under severe criticism for failing to act to protect the people of Rwanda when their civilians were slaughtered in the most disgusting manner. It was probably one of the very early genocides that we started to see on our screens. John Howard, former prime minister, was criticised by some when he said that he would not accept what was happening in Timor when he took Australian defence forces into that region to ensure that the people of Timor were freed.

It does not seem to matter what countries do or do not do; they will always be criticised by some. What is important in this motion is that we recognise our support and commend the Australian Red Cross for being such an ardent supporter of the protection of civilians. Also, we must reinforce the need to sign up and the need to enforce protections, and the fact that they action their commitment under the banner of the power of humanity in the work that they do every day.

I commend the motion to the house and I indicate the opposition's support for those who work so hard internationally to protect those in the world who cannot protect themselves. They do more than just sign up to this convention; they are a strong and courageous player in enforcement of humanitarian protections across the world.

Mr KENYON (Newland) (12:34): I rise to support the motion because I cannot see how it would be possible to oppose it. The Red Cross—as many members, including the members for Norwood and Bragg have pointed out—is a particularly good and useful organisation. It has a long history of humanitarian assistance and, as the member for Bragg has stated, assistance to civilians—not just in times of war, and I will come to that later.

The first time I heard about the Red Cross was after the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires, when they flooded the Hills area where I lived and took over the behind-the-scenes operation of keeping people moving and hydrated with water, tea, sandwiches and the like—the logistics of keeping firefighters fighting fires. A large part in that was played by the Red Cross and continues to be played by the Red Cross.

In fact, it is getting more professional. It has units set up to do it. It is a very effective organisation in its civil defence role in terms of supporting those involved in civil defence. Again, it was the same in the Victorian fires this year. We saw the role the Red Cross played in those fires. My cousins, who live in Kilmore near where the Kilmore East fire started, visited last weekend and explained the role the Red Cross played in providing food and water and rest to firefighters who were bone weary as a result of 12 hour shifts. Often they were quite distressed after being involved in some of the scenes and with some of the trauma. At the time the Red Cross catered for not only their physical needs but also the emotional and mental needs of the firefighters.

It has raised huge amounts of money in an ongoing effort which has continued until now. It raised huge amounts of money after the bushfires, and it has been involved in earthquake zones around the world. It was one of the biggest organisations involved in reconstruction in Indonesia and on large chunks of the Indian Ocean after the Boxing Day tsunami in 2005.

I recently read a book about the Battle of Fromelles in 1916 on the Western Front. Australians were involved in a battle against the Germans. There was a diversionary attack and Australia suffered severe casualties. Of course, the story is about a man who was trying to track down the bodies of people who had been buried but whose names had not been recorded anywhere—so they thought—certainly not by the Australian military or the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

This man (whose name I cannot remember) had been trying to track down the names and eventually he found these records. They were a combination of German war records and Red Cross records in Geneva. Since 1916 they had managed to maintain records (where they could) of who had died, names and locations of where they were buried. It was an amazing thing. After almost 95 years the Red Cross is continuing to play a role in events that occurred so long ago.

Of course, during the First World War and the Second World War the Red Cross was the trusted third party, the neutral party that would exchange information between countries. A country that had taken captives would provide the names to the Red Cross and the Red Cross would provide them to the opposing country. It is a role that it has been trusted to play for a very long time—and, of course, continues to play today.

The member for Bragg pointed out the changing nature of warfare and its increasing impact on civilians. In some ways one could say—not maliciously—that the Red Cross is fighting a losing battle in its efforts to protect civilians in the changing nature of war. It is becoming far less civilised. There are fewer rules and more 'anything goes', and one could make the case that the Red Cross is fighting a losing battle.

The key issue is not how it is but how it could be if the Red Cross was not there. That is an interesting question. All members in this chamber would agree that the fate of a massive number of civilians would be infinitely worse without the existence and actions of the Red Cross.

The member for Bragg made some interesting points about civilians. I think I agree with her (if I have understood her correctly), in that there is less of a willingness, particularly with respect to western nations, to involve themselves in the protection of individuals, particularly civilians and the area of human rights. In my view (and I may be somewhat biased) western European nations, in particular, are more and more unwilling to play any sort of role in the protection of civilians, especially when there is the potential for their soldiers or their nationals to be killed or wounded in the process.

It is slightly ironic that that is the case, because Western Europe is one of the biggest beneficiaries of the willingness of the United States, in particular, but also England and other countries, to sacrifice their men and women in pursuit of its freedom and liberty. It always slightly gets up my nose to see the very restrictive rules of engagement imposed upon NATO troops—European troops—in places such as Afghanistan. They are not prepared to send combat troops or to protect in any meaningful way civilian lives if it looks like they may suffer casualties in the process.

They have reasons for that, and it is really a decision for them to make. However, I cannot help but observe (and I think I am agreeing with the member for Bragg) that a lot of countries could be pulling their weight more with respect to the protection of civilian lives to contribute to achieving the objectives of the Red Cross—and, really, they are objectives that all of us would share. They could be doing more and they are not, and they choose continuously not to do so. At the same time, they are large beneficiaries of people's willingness to make the sacrifices necessary to ensure that they received those things.

I have strayed somewhat from the Red Cross, but it is easy to say that the Red Cross is the embodiment of what we hope will be recognised—that perhaps war and conflict is an unavoidable part of human existence (it has been with us as long as we have been around), but we must try to ensure that it is carried out in such a way (and this is going against the very nature of war, I suppose) that causes the least amount of damage and that the point of the exercise to settle some argument, or whatever it is, is that it be carried out in a way that does not leave us unable to recover.

As this century, in particular, has gone on that as become a much more difficult job for the Red Cross to do, and it still continues to do it admirably. It is still doing as much as it can. It is still rallying behind Geneva conventions and trying to amend Geneva conventions. Someone needs to do that and, in this case, it is the Red Cross. This motion by the Attorney-General is an excellent opportunity for us to reflect on the fact that someone needs to be doing it, and we should support those who are doing it. Quite clearly, the Red Cross is doing it, and we should support it. I certainly support it, as does, I think, this house.

Ms SIMMONS (Morialta) (12:43): I also rise in support of this motion. I think it is a particularly important motion that has been moved in this house and I cannot understand why anyone would not support it. The work that the International Red Cross and Red Crescent movement do is phenomenal. It is the world's largest humanitarian network.

The fact that the movement is neutral and impartial and provides protection and assistance to people affected by disasters and conflicts is well known throughout the world. I think it is this neutrality and impartiality that has made it so well respected throughout the world: everywhere you go it is held in the highest esteem.

The movement is made up of almost 97 million volunteers, supporters and staff in 186 countries. We in South Australia pride ourselves as being the state with the most volunteers, and I know that quite a lot of our volunteers in this state volunteer locally for our Red Cross here in South Australia (and I will talk a bit more about that later on).

The Red Cross movement is made up of three main components, which are the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and the 186 member Red Cross and Red Crescent societies. It is the fact that they make partnerships that is important. As partners, the different members of the movement support communities in becoming stronger and safer through a variety of development projects and humanitarian activities.

They concentrate on working with those communities so that they can take control when they are more stable and can help themselves. We know from long experience that communities are much more likely to be self-sustaining and able to pick up from where they were before a disaster struck if they are involved in becoming stronger and safer themselves. The movement also works in cooperation with governments, donors and other aid organisations to assist vulnerable people around the world.

One of the things that they are probably most famous for is their disaster management and responding to disasters, as has been said by previous speakers. They work when a disaster impacts on entire communities. The immediate effects often include loss of life and damage to property—and also infrastructure, which is sometimes an element of these disasters that is forgotten, but it is very hard to get aid to people when infrastructure has been damaged. When roads no longer exist, bridges have fallen down in floods or earthquakes have totally disrupted rail and road facilities, trucks and lorries cannot get the aid that is required to communities. They have expertise, in particular, for laying down temporary roads which can then be used by these trucks.

We often see on the TV their work with the survivors, some of whom may have been injured in a disaster, but also those who are totally traumatised by their experience and that period of uncertainty of what the future holds for them. They may have no home, children may have no school, and the hospital may be damaged or overrun, and they cannot see how this period in their lives is going to end. The trauma of those disasters is such that people lose hope. They lose the vision to be able to see what is going to happen in their lives after the immediate disaster has gone.

The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies are particularly skilled in helping people, both practically and philosophically, during those periods of their life. People during that time find themselves extremely vulnerable and are not able to provide for their own welfare in the short term, and that makes them realise their own vulnerability even more. The practical help that Red Cross and Red Crescent are able to give during that time sees people through that immediate trauma until they can get back on their feet themselves.

Often people are left without adequate shelter, food, water and other necessities to sustain life. Rapid action is required if further loss of life is to be prevented. In particular, we know that, once a water supply has been damaged by some sort of disaster, disease follows very quickly, and if we are to prevent even further loss of life because of waterborne diseases then it is really important for the Red Cross or Red Crescent volunteers to get into the area and change the situation as quickly as possible, particularly when dealing with the water supply.

Because they are so respected worldwide, they are able to mobilise resources, and resources are often people, as well as money and other assets. Many Red Cross volunteers are continually on call. They live in their homes and get on with their own jobs, but they have specific skills which, during periods of crisis, come to the fore and they are mobilised quickly to a disaster area by the Red Cross. It is using this network in a coordinated manner so that the initial effects are countered and the needs of the affected communities are met that is the true strength of the Red Cross in international disaster situations.

We know that the social, economic and political consequences of disasters are frequently extremely complex. For instance, the disaster may disrupt vital community self-help networks, further increasing these people's vulnerability. They disrupt markets over a wide area, reducing the availability of food and opportunities for income generation. They also destroy essential health infrastructure such as hospitals, resulting in a lack of emergency and longer term medical care for the affected population. When you have a situation such as earthquakes, as we recently had in Italy, it is the aftershock that is often even more terrifying for the community involved.

I will also say a few words about local Red Cross activities, because they are very good at modernising themselves and bringing themselves up to date with what is occurring. For example, at Schoolies Week in Victor Harbor, they have a save-a-mate organisation whereby they train young people to look after other young people in what might be a very vulnerable circumstance. During the heatwave, which we had earlier in the year, it was the Red Cross which made thousands of phone calls to vulnerable people in our community in South Australia and which checked that they were all right and provided services for those who were perceived to be suffering extremely from the unseasonable weather conditions. I think the house will join with me in congratulating the work of this important organisation both locally and internationally.

Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (12:54): I, too, along with everyone, I am sure, commend this motion to the house. I see in the body of the motion that the Australian Red Cross was formed in 1914—of course, at the time of the First World War. It reminded me that a South Australian woman whom I am researching and who has played a great role in many important social justice issues, Muriel Matters, was involved in taking a delegation of women from London to a peace conference at which she spoke passionately about the importance of world peace. I think this is a term that is bandied around a lot, but the actual implication of world peace is something on which we should keep our mind and address as often as we can.

It is perhaps not as well known that in her later life Muriel was still speaking about world peace at the time of the nuclear bombs at the end of the Second World War, which is of course around the time when the Geneva Conventions we are talking about were introduced. The notion of these terrible conflicts is still with us and was the topic of her paper, The False Mysticism of War, in which she elaborated on the futility of war and the damage and destruction it causes to so many people, and this is another area in which Red Cross plays such an important and vital role.

In any conflict, Red Cross is perhaps the first group of people to go behind the war front. In another quite remarkable coincidence, one of the few examples of Muriel Matters' handwriting is a poignant letter to the British Red Cross thanking it for locating the body of her brother, Charles, who died at Gallipoli in August just after the landing.

As the member for Newland mentioned, these sorts of war records have played a prominent role in settling the concerns of families who did not know where their loved ones ended up, and we saw an example in Adelaide this week with the funeral of Flying Officer Michael Herbert. His family would have written to the Red Cross, amongst many other organisations, when he was first lost in action, and we know the importance of knowing what has happened to your loved ones in theatres of war.

Amongst the capacity building functions of the Red Cross is the importance of highlighting gender issues when managing programs, ensuring that the social and biological differences between men and women are taken into account and dealt with in their core programs. We all know the terrible harm that comes to women in warfare when they are raped, and the problems they encounter for the rest of their life as result of such atrocities are never-ending. The Red Cross plays a very important part in that, too.

Locally, in our electorate we have a branch of the Red Cross Blood Bank. As we know, there is never enough blood or blood by-products around, and everyone who can should become a blood donor and donate blood as often as possible. Mrs Jean Tilley ran our local branch of the Red Cross for many years. She was a tireless worker and always ensured that large groups of people went out for the annual Red Cross Calling collection. It was too hard to say no to June, so everybody I knew collected for her. It was a very important part of our social fabric each year to be involved in the Red Cross Calling.

Sadly, it looks as though the role of the International Red Cross will continue to become more important as we see no end to conflicts around the world. We know the enormous damage being inflicted on civilians in current theatres of war, and we know, too, that the Red Cross is operating in places where there is civil unrest, and it is working very hard to ensure that people involved have basic needs, such as water and the barest of rations to get by. The Red Cross is doing its very best to make sure that medical equipment and drugs go into the areas where they are needed.

We should do everything we can to underline the role of the Red Cross in our community and involve people in its volunteer work. I think it is very important that everybody has first aid as part of their knowledge so that they can be useful at any time. In Australia, we are very lucky that we do not have the sorts of natural disasters in which thousands of people die. However, as we saw with the recent fires and floods, we know how important it is for us all to get together in times of trouble, and I think that is something the Red Cross epitomises. I commend the motion to the house.

The DEPUTY SPEAKER: You will not have long, member for Light, but I call you so that you have the call when we return.

Mr PICCOLO (Light) (12:59): Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I rise in support of this motion.

Debate adjourned.


[Sitting suspended from 13:00 to 14:00]


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