Senator CASH (Western Australia) (23:09): I rise this evening to speak about Malala Yousafzai, and the impact that she has had throughout the world in raising awareness of the lack of education and opportunities for girls and women, especially in Pakistan. Malala grew up in the Mingora, in the Swat district of north-western Pakistan. The daughter of a local schoolteacher, she aspired to become a doctor and relished going to school and receiving education. I am sure that around Australia at this time of year, exam time, there are many students who would perhaps struggle with the idea of school being anything other than a trial. They lack motivation, especially with the warmer weather and the beach beckoning. However, for Malala and her friends education is their motivation to get out of bed every day. It is also, however, a battlefield and a war zone. Battles between the Taliban and Pakistani authorities in the Swat District from 2007 through to mid-2009 made for a dangerous life for its inhabitants, with particular attention paid to the women and girls of Swat. Malala, in an interview with the BBC in 2009, said that the Taliban and their austere interpretation of Sharia law had gone so far as to ban women from going to the market and girls from going to school. In 2008, before the edict banning girls education had come into effect, Malala spoke to the local press club in Peshawar and stated 'How dare the Taliban take away my basic right to education?'—a question that was broadcast widely in Pakistan at the time. As the Taliban continued their reign of terror over the Swat district, their edicts became more constricting, with girls' schooling being banned in early 2009. It was during this time that Malala came to the attention of a wider online community as a blogger on BBC Urdu online. Under the pseudonym of Gul Makai, Malala wrote about her life under Taliban rule in the Mingora, including moments when the girls at her school were told not to wear their uniforms to school for fear of being targeted by the Taliban, of hiding her schoolbooks under her clothes as she walked to and from school and the sad fact that many of her friends and their families moved away from the Taliban-ruled area of the Swat district so that their daughters could freely and safely continue with their education. Because of Malala's success in writing for the BBC, and her subsequent training through the Institute for War and Peace Reporting 'Open Minds' project, the Institute for War and Peace Reporting have seen a steady increase in the numbers of girls approaching the institute for guidance as aspiring journalists From late 2009 to at least November 2011, Malala acted as the Chair of the District Child Assembly in Swat. This is an assembly established by the Khpal Kor Foundation, with the support of UNICEF, and it ensures that the children and young adults of the Swat District have the opportunity to speak openly about issues and concerns that pertain to child rights and to present workable solutions to them. All of the children of this region have, through the battles for the Swat district, been subjected to atrocities that most of us cannot even imagine. This assembly and coming together of children is an example of hope in the future that the voices of the girls and boys of the region will be heard equally, and also provides them with a space to build upon their experiences. Malala spoke in a UNICEF video documenting the District Child Assembly, saying 'it was a good experience for the girls that they can share their views in front of the stakeholders, the non-governmental and governmental organisations'. It comes as no surprise that Malala's promotion of education and peace within the region meant that she became a beacon of hope in an area beset by fighting. Just last year, the Pakistani government awarded Malala the inaugural Pakistan Youth Peace Prize. It is a sobering thought that, in 2012, there are still women in this world who are fighting and dying for the most basic equality. Education is both a right and a responsibility. All children should have the right to learn and access knowledge, to broaden their minds and their outlook and to be able to study and work in their chosen field, regardless of their gender. It becomes a responsibility of every educated person to question and challenge the views and restrictions brought about by extremism. On 11 October this year, the United Nations celebrated the inaugural International Day of the Girl Child. As the Executive Director of UN Women Australia, Julie McKay, said of the occasion: When women and girls are empowered and are given equal access to education, participation and leadership, it ensures that their interests are recognised and their contributions to society are valued … International Day of the Girl Child recognises that women and girls must be respected and valued in order to participate fully in society and to be free from discrimination. Senators will be aware that it was just two days before this inaugural day to highlight inequalities for girls around the world that an attempt to take the life of Malala Yousafzai was carried out. On her way home from school on 9 October this year her bus was stopped and men later identified as Taliban terrorists entered the bus, sought her out and shot her twice at point-blank range. Miraculously, Malala survived. Following medical treatment in Pakistan, Malala was removed to the UK, to Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, for specialist treatment. It was reported in the Washington Post that Ihsanullah Ihsan, who is the chief spokesperson for the Pakistani Taliban, said that Malala was targeted because she created negative propaganda about Muslims and that if she survived that they would once again try to end her life. I commend Malala's father, Ziauddin Yousafzai, who, when asked if her family would seek asylum when Malala had recovered, said this: I first laughed at it because all of our sacrifices, my personal (sacrifices), or this attack on my daughter, cannot have such a cheap purpose that we would go to some other country and live the rest of our life there. This is true courage. It is true that if Malala and her family were to stay in the UK then Malala would be guaranteed an education, but that is not the issue here. The issue is that all children, all girls throughout the world, are entitled to an education. As Malala said, it is her basic right. Families should not have to move towns, cities or countries so that their daughters can be educated in a safe and nurturing environment. They do, but they should not have to. This attempt on Malala's life has increased the volume of her voice a millionfold. Where there was one girl standing up for her rights, there are now tens of thousands standing behind her. It is not she who should have to flee the Swat district, but the destructive Taliban militants. I echo the statements of the UN Special Envoy for Global Education, former Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who recently met with the Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and handed him a petition of 855,000 signatures urging Pakistan to ensure gender equality in education. To quote Mr Brown: For one Malala shot and silenced, there are now thousands of younger Malalas who cannot be kept quiet. On 10 November, a day in Pakistan now known as Malala Day, schoolchildren—especially the girls—were chanting, 'I am Malala.' There is also currently a petition for Malala to be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, of which she would be a worthy recipient. Although once aspiring to be a medical professional, Malala has in recent times set her sights on a political career—something we in this place are all familiar with. I am sure my colleagues here in this place, as well as those in the other place, will join me in wishing Malala a speedy and complete recovery. We hope that her recovery brings with it a renewal of energy in Pakistan and for its people to stand up for equality for women and girls in education, leadership and throughout society.