Ms Mary Van Lieshout:

The committee has heard much today about three particular crises. These are the climate crisis, conflict and Covid-19. It is important to note the fragility of global food systems has been deeply laid bare and exposed by these converging crises, highlighting dangerous dependencies and unequal power relations in food systems that have been at the centre of repeated food crises for decades.

We cannot get away from the fact the failed rainy season of 2022 in the Horn of Africa is predicted to be the driest on record. This represents the most severe drought in 40 years. There are 181 million people facing food insecurity around 41 countries, but many of them, numbering in the millions, in the Horn of Africa will die unless we act. We heard at the outset that one person is likely to die every 48 seconds in that region. That anyone should die of hunger in the 21st century is unacceptable. I know we all agree on that and this is an opportunity to act. We are asking the committee today to support the recommendations in our pre-budget submission across these various dimensions. It is not a one-dimensional response and we are asking the committee's support and to take political action while exercising leadership to prevent a catastrophic humanitarian disaster.