Warren Entsch to showcase Reef plan during UN talks
USA TRIP
THE Federal Member for Leichhardt, Warren Entsch, will spend three months as an Australian representative to the United Nations General Assembly from mid-September where he will present a range of issues including the Great Barrier Reef and the worsening rates of tuberculosis.
Mr Entsch will be accompanied by Senator for Victoria Gavin Marshall as the Australian Labor Party representative.
The annual delegation to the UN General Assembly is coordinated by Parliament’s International and Community Relations Office and costs are met by the Independent Parliamentary Expenses Authority. The Douglas Shire falls within the Leichhardt electorate.
“Given that we are constantly being lectured on the management of the Reef, this will be a good opportunity to showcase Australia’s Reef 2050 Plan and other commitments that build on this, and highlight the outstanding work that we’re doing,” said Entsch.
Entsch said the global trade in illicit wildlife is another issue of interest, along with the work that other countries are doing to manage and maintain protected areas like World Heritage sites.
“I want to see what they are doing and at the same time, make sure we get the word across about the good work Australia is undertaking, particularly in relation to our reef and our rainforest.”
“I’m looking forward to finding out more about how other countries approach mental health and suicide prevention activities.
“As the only MP serving as an independent Chair of a headspace, a former director of the Dr Edward Koch Foundation and working closely with The Junction Clubhouse and other mental health initiatives in our region, I’m very keen to share our experiences and identify any other areas of opportunity,” said Entsch.
Coupled to the aforementioned, the chance to talk at a high level about TB will be a game-changer, said Entsch.
In 2015, 1.8 million people died from TB worldwide and 10.4 million people became sick with the disease, with more than 60 per cent of cases occurring in countries in the Asia Pacific region. TB has also now overtaken malaria and HIV as the greatest infectious disease killer in the world.
Entsch has been working to raise awareness about the issue since 2010, firstly in his role as the MP for Leichhardt and more recently as the Australian Convenor for the Global HIV, Malaria and TB Caucus and the Co-Chair of both the Australian and the Asia-Pacific TB Caucuses. He has helped drive Coalition Government investment in a range of initiatives to help tackle this disease.
Entsch said the timing of the UN appointment was critical as 2017 will be a turning point in determining whether the global community starts to make real headway in tackling this disease.
“Thanks to Australian and international investments in R&D we’ve come a long way in developing simpler diagnostics, and are well-progressed in trialling shorter oral treatments. But we’re far from developing a new vaccine and the sheer size of the TB burden in our region is daunting.”
Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.
* Readers are encouraged to use their full details below to ensure comment legitimacy. Comments are the opinions of readers and do not represent the views of Newsport or its staff. Comments containing unlawful, obscene, defamatory or abusive material will not be published.
