Senator Lisa Singh meets Amitabh Bachchan

Lisa Singh and Amitabh

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Senator Lisa Singh is in India for the inaugural Australia-India Leadership Dialogue but took the opportunity beforehand to seek a meeting in Mumbai with Indian Actor and polio campaigner Amitabh Bachchan to ask for his support in fighting TB in the Asia Pacific.

From Tasmanian Labor Senator, Lisa Singh:

“I was completely star-struck meeting  Amitabh Bachchan – one of the greatest Indian actors.

“I grew-up watching his films with my dad, who’s an absolute Bachchan fanatic.  Australian audiences probably know him best for being in Baz Luhrmann’s Great Gatsby.

“Amitabh was extremely generous with his time. He has been an incredible role model for the polio campaign as a UNICEF polio ambassador. He has now directed his attention to fighting TB in India and has started TV ads and billboard messaging.

“I asked him if he would consider broadening his TB campaign focus to the Asia Pacific region and he agreed to do so.

“Amitabh has immense cultural influence, and I’m delighted to gain his support in campaigning to end tuberculosis. Having previously contracted and overcome the disease himself, he’s incredibly well-placed to help raise awareness and drive action in the region.

“TB still kills 1.5 million people a year, and disproportionately affects developing countries.  Of the nine million new cases of TB recorded in 2013, more than half were in the Asia-Pacific Region.

“I recently joined global politicians and experts at the inaugural Asia-Pacific TB Parliamentary Caucus in Sydney,  to discuss the best ways to build regional support for addressing tuberculosis. Having Amitabh on-board will be a massive coup.

“It’s an honour to be attending the inaugural Australia-India Leadership Dialogue, starting today. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to help build even closer ties with the world’s fastest-growing major economy.

“In particular, Tasmania has great potential to build relations with India such as offering quality tertiary education at the University of Tasmania and sharing our expertise with renewable energy.

“I intend to use my experience in Australia-India relations to help build strong social, cultural and economic relationships at the Leadership Dialogue.

“India is growing to become one of Australia’s closest international partners. We cooperate on everything from education and research, to agriculture and energy.

“There are around 400,000 people of Indian ancestry living in Australia today. They’re significant contributors to our vibrant, diverse multicultural society.”

 

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