E&OE
28 January 2009
Hamlin College for Midwives, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
Response to a speech by Dr Catherine Hamlin, Hamlin College for Midwives, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
SMITH: Well, can I say personally how pleased I am to be here with the Ambassador and the Australian delegation. We are very pleased firstly to have had a look at the hospital and now to have come here to this midwifery complex.
The work you have done over five decades is just fantastic, just absolutely terrific. I think it says a lot that having come here with Reginald, your late husband, fifty years ago, wanting to train midwives, you have now come full circle. While on the one hand we do have to focus on prevention, on the other hand there are thousands of women who suffer from a terrible affliction and they quite rightly need the chance to restart their lives. It is fantastic work that is being done in that respect.
Governments help, whether it is the Government of Ethiopia or the Government of Australia, but a lot of this, if not the vast bulk of this, is done effectively by voluntary community inspirational effort - with you and your husband, with the knitters and the crocheters from all parts of Australia. So it is fantastic to see that occur.
Over the period, the Australian Government has helped with modest assistance and we have been pleased to do that. Can I say that having had the inspection today, and having been greeted so warmly by you and everyone concerned, I was always going to be pleased to make this announcement. But I am especially pleased to let you know that I can announce today that the Australia Government will contribute a further $2.3 million for the expansion of the Midwives’ College. We hope that helps.
Australia likes to pride itself on being a good international citizen, working on the basis that there is always someone who is not as well off as you are and you have got a responsibility to lend a helping hand. We see that in spades here.
Australia as a nation state contributes a lot of humanitarian assistance around the world. We have done that in Ethiopia over the years for emergency relief, particularly in times of drought. We have also done it in areas where Australians have great expertise. Child and maternal health is your area and one example. Agriculture is another.
Part of the rationale for my visit here, my trip here to Addis Ababa to coincide with the meeting of African Union Foreign Ministers, is to make the point that Australia wants to do more of that. So we are very pleased to start here. Well done.
[Ends]
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