Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

For displaced people seeking refuge as a last resort, this is a difficult situation. Their preference, naturally, is to safely return to their homes and live without fear of war or persecution. At the same time, it is in the interests of regional stability to support displaced persons return to their homes when safe to do so, to avoid the upheaval, unrest and risks associated with the refugee crisis. That is why the Morrison government is committed to providing lifesaving humanitarian assistance for displaced and conflict-affected Rohingya communities in Bangladesh and Myanmar. In fact, we have committed $260 million since 2017, when this crisis first emerged.

Almost three years ago, over 700,000 Rohingya fled targeted violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state to Bangladesh. Today, there are nearly one million refugees in Cox's Bazar, the largest refugee camp in the world. There are a further 150,000 in Malaysia, India, Indonesia and other host countries. On first visiting the camps, United Nations Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, recalled observing unprecedented despair and trauma because of the violence endured in terrible living conditions, and we heard the member for Moncrieff's very moving recollection of this herself from when she visited just last year. There have been reports of killings, human trafficking and gender based violence inside the refugee camps. This is alongside the ongoing threat of human disease, including COVID-19 and malnutrition and, of course, natural disaster, which is something that affects this part of the world quite a lot.

Bangladesh has provided temporary protection for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya and we should be thankful for the refuge they have provided. This crisis has, no doubt, heavily impacted local Bangladeshi communities, who have ultimately been the first responders to this crisis. But, that being said, the Bangladeshi government's plan to relocate approximately 100,000 Rohingya, the first of which were moved just last week, to Bhasan Char, a volatile and remote island which emerged in 2006 as a result of silt, has been consistently opposed by the UN and other international aid organisations, including Human Rights Watch. We instead need to focus on achieving voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return of displaced Rohingya to Myanmar.

As mentioned earlier, humanitarian assistance to avert a worsening refugee crisis is in the interests of regional stability. The International Crisis Group has warned of the potential for Islamic terrorist groups to take advantage of the plight of the Rohingya should the Myanmar government fail to resolve this crisis. Similarly, the United States Director of National Intelligence has said that the refugee crisis threatens Myanmar's democracy, heightening the risk of violent extremism and providing an opening for outside influence. As a democratic middle power, it is not in Australia's interests to let this unrest continue. Likewise, the lives of Burmese civilians should not be placed at risk as a result of any mishandling of the crisis.

Since 2017, Australia has provided over $260 million in humanitarian assistance for displaced and conflict-affected Rohingyas. In 2018, Australia was the third-largest donor to the UN's consolidated humanitarian appeal for displaced communities in Cox's Bazar, after the United States and the United Kingdom. Again, we've heard how that funding has been in action, on the ground, through the member for Moncrieff's very important contribution here this morning. This involved working closely with UN agencies and NGOs such as Oxfam, World Vision and BRAC, as well as Save the Children.

Save the Children has been doing some incredibly important work in this area, and CEO Paul Ronalds is a constituent of my electorate of Higgins. In September 2017, Save the Children expanded their work on the ground in Bangladesh to get immediate support to the new arrivals. In May 2018, Save the Children expanded their work on the ground and were running more than 90 child-friendly spaces and opened a new 20-bed primary health care centre to families. This year, with the outbreak of COVID, Save the Children has opened a new isolation and treatment centre, with a capacity of up to 60 beds.

Resolving this humanitarian crisis is a key priority for all governments. The success of Myanmar and the region more broadly hinges on it. We will continue to strive for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustained return of displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar.

I would like to acknowledge a Bangladeshi who works here in Parliament House: Del, from hospitality, who now, through his taxes, supports his countrymen and women in Dhaka and Cox's Bazar.

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