Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

In December 2014, with resolution 2191, Australia again took a lead role in promoting the need for greater humanitarian access into Syria. We had increased our funding, by that stage, to $136 million. During 2015 we have increased it to $156 million.

I have been speaking to Minister Dutton—in fact I have been in contact with him en route to Geneva—and I have asked him to address the concerns that we have about ensuring that humanitarian assistance is reaching the necessary civilians and organisations. The fact is: Australia not only pledges but pays. In a recent Kuwaiti conference, a number of countries pledged, but they have not paid. I do call on those countries to stump up to the pledges that they made.

We are considering a further contribution to the humanitarian assistance. Already, our $156 million is one of the lead contributions. Of that, $40 million has gone to the UNHCR for refugee work, $26 million has gone to the World Food Program, $23 million has gone to the United Nations Children's Fund, $13 million has gone to Australian NGOs, including CARE, Oxfam, Save the Children and World Vision, and $7 million has gone to the WHO. Indeed, when I visited Jordan and Lebanon last year, I committed an extra $20 million for schooling and other educational support. We are still considering what more needs to be done. I will be in touch with the immigration minister to confirm the further amounts that we will be contributing to the humanitarian crisis.

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