Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I am pleased to speak on the motion on the Syrian conflict, and I thank the member for Fremantle for putting it on the Notice Paper today. The Australian government is gravely concerned by the ongoing conflict in Syria. There is no disagreement that the Syrian conflict has created one of the worst humanitarian crises currently facing the world. But, in determining how to response to such a crisis as this, it is important that we deal with the facts, that we do not act in ignorance and that we determine how to act based on the best available information.

Tragically, as a result of this conflict, more than 200,000 people have already died, 3.8 million have fled to neighbouring countries and 7.6 million are internally displaced. The conflict threatens the security of neighbouring countries, including Iraq, Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.

While the Indo-Pacific region is the focus of Australia's aid program, Australia has responded generously to the humanitarian crises across the Middle East. Australia provided almost $70 million in response to the humanitarian crises across the Middle East in 2014. Australia has contributed $135.8 million in humanitarian assistance in response to the Syrian crisis since the conflict began, and this includes $35 million in 2014. This makes Australia the 14th largest donor to the UN's Syria appeals since 2011. Australia provides food, water, shelter, protection, medical assistance and education inside Syria. Australia is also supporting the refugees in neighbouring countries, particularly in Lebanon and in Jordan, while helping refugees and their host communities.

Australian funding is provided through UN agencies and NGOs. Australia contributed almost $2 million to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons to support the OPCW-UN Joint Mission overseeing the destruction of Syria's chemical weapons program. The government has announced that 2,200 Syrian refugees will be resettled in Australia in 2014-15. In addition to the 2,200 Iraqi refugees over the next three years, Australia will also settle at least 4,500 Syrians. This is in addition to the more than 1,000 Syrians who were resettled in the previous financial year, 2013-14.

In addition to our financial contribution and refugee intake, Australia has played a leading role in international efforts to improve humanitarian access into Syria. During our term on the UN Security Council, Australia worked with Jordan and Luxembourg to co-author three UNSC resolutions seeking to improve humanitarian access to Syria. They were resolutions 2139, 2165 and 2191. These were enormously significant, particularly in terms of our success in mobilising the support of the international community.

These resolutions demand that all parties to the conflict take essential steps to protect Syrian civilians and to allow rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access through Syria, across borders and conflict lines, to those in need. Resolution 2165 authorised UN agencies and their implementing partners to provide assistance through specified border crossings through neighbouring countries. More than half a million desperate people inside Syria have received aid through these border crossings.

Nevertheless, the parties to the conflict, particularly the Assad regime and Daesh, known as ISIL, continue to inflict appalling violence against civilians and have been guilty of widespread abuses of human rights and violations of international humanitarian law. The Syrian conflict urgently needs a political solution that can bring an end to the violence.

Australia strongly supports the efforts of the United Nations Security General, and his Special Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to encourage a political process. The solution must be one in which all serious communities have a voice in the country's future and that has no room, whatsoever, for extremist groups like Daesh or those who are affiliated with al-Qaeda.

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