YOUNG Rose Bay leader Laura McIlhenny has just arrived back in Hobart after travelling around the country campaigning to make the world a better place.
The Make Poverty History roadtrip took Laura and friends from Hobart to Ulverstone, Devonport and Launceston spreading the message that extreme poverty can be ended in our lifetime.
Fifty Tasmanian delegates attended the Make Poverty History summit in Canberra in May.
“A lot of people are cynical about whether or not anything ever changes for the world’s poorest people,” Laura said.
“The reality is that 20 years ago 42 per cent of the world was living in extreme poverty. That’s down to 21 per cent today. This shows that success is possible.”
Laura arrived in Canberra for the national Make Poverty History Summit of young leaders in May that focused on what Australia can do to help end extreme poverty.
“We heard from people like Foreign Minister Stephen Smith, World Vision
CEO Tim Costello and former opposition leader Malcolm Turnbull,” she said.
“Each put their perspective on how Australia could help end extreme poverty.”
Laura was one of 1100 people who attended the two-day summit and gathered on the lawns of Parliament House to spell out Kevin 0.7 per cent. This was to signify the 70 cents in every $100 of national income Australia committed to giving to international aid in 2000.
Among the 50 Tasmanians who attended the Canberra summit with Laura were other Eastern Shore residents including Naomi Marsh of Lauderdale, Sarah Pitchford of Lindisfarne, Joshua Bowling of Dodges Ferry, Joseph Thompson of Rosny and Adelle Ortmann of South Arm.
Now that they are home, Laura and her friends plan to do all they can to spread the word across Tasmania. At the summit she was trained in campaign strategy and connected with a national network of young people ready to take action.
“In just two weeks 50,000 Australians have signed the Act, and Tasmanians can
also sign the Act to End Poverty at www.acttoendpoverty.com. We urge everyone who cares about poverty to go online and sign the petition today.”
