AUSTRALIA can save the lives of 30 million children in the next 10 years, according to a paper commissioned by the Australian Catholic Social Justice Council.
The paper, titled ‘Ending Hunger: How Far Can We Go?’, was written by Redemptorist Father Bruce Duncan and launched by retired Cardinal Edward Cassidy in Melbourne on June 15.
Fr Duncan lectures in social justice and development economics at Yarra Theological Union in Melbourne.
His paper reveals how, for the first time in history, the world has the resources and know-how to banish world poverty.
Along with saving 30 million children, he also argues that by strongly supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, Australia can rescue 250 million people from hunger and lift 500 million people out of dire poverty during the same 10-year period.
The two key ideas in the paper are that the world can largely eradicate hunger if it has the political will, and it can be done relatively quickly.
The catch however is that governments may have to divert a small amount of arms spending to development assistance.
The paper points out the world currently spends 20 times more on the military than on development aid.
Fr Duncan said Australia could play a leading role to defeat hunger and poverty.
He said a 2001 Newspoll survey reported that 85 per cent of Australians supported giving overseas aid, with nearly 60 per cent being strongly in favour.
In launching the paper, Cardinal Edward Cassidy said the issue was one of the most pressing and urgent problems facing the world in the 21st century.
