Yesterday, as a nation, we joined the likes of the USA, UK and Canada in abstaining from registering a vote on a resolution tabled at the United Nations.

Ordinarily, this would  be of little significance in itself, given the fact that the UN habitually requires members to vote on issues infused with polarised opinion. However, the motion under discussion was nothing as contentious as criticism of the activities of foreign military forces or the tightening of sanctions against rogue states.

In essence, the proposed UN resolution merely required member states to support “the right to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as a human right that is essential for the full enjoyment of the right to life.”

Why therefore should any genuine democracy require more than a nanosecond to support such a worthy proposition?

Pre-eminent western economies exhibit little hesitation when it comes to stimulating consumption in developing countries, frequently under the guise of providing economic aid. However, in terms of efforts to protect and support fundamental rights, such as the right to water, these selfsame countries are suddenly reluctant to make any meaningful commitment. 

The question must be asked: could the lack of support for the resolution be related to the section which calls for countries and international organisations to help by providing “financial resources, capacity building and technology transfer"?

A range of meaningless comments have emerged from discussions surrounding this resolution. Among the most vacuous being the statement from the Canadian delegation that Canada already “recognizes there are linkages between access to safe drinking water and certain existing human rights obligations,” and supports further study on the issue of water as a right.

The Australian Government has exhibited a similar lack of basic humanity on the issue. Irrespective of the excuses proffered by our representatives, as Australians, we are now tarred with the same cynical brush.

Nearly two billion people live in water-stressed areas of the world and three billion have no running water within a kilometre of their homes. Every eight seconds, a child dies of water-borne disease, in every case preventable if their parents had money to pay for water. A recent World Bank report states that, by 2030, global demand for water will exceed supply by 40 percent.

Advance Australia fair?