House debates
Monday, 7 September 2015
Questions without Notice
Syria
2:30 pm
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
My question is to the Prime Minister. Millions of Syrians are facing death, injury, hunger, homelessness and a breakdown of health, education, electricity, water and other services. Will the Prime Minister commit to an additional $100 million to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to those affected by the Syrian crisis?
Tony SmithTanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
He can't even answer!
2:31 pm
Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
Please, this is a very serious issue.
Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
I thank the shadow minister for her question. I point out that Australia has, under both the previous Labor government and the current government, taken the lead at the UN Security Council when it comes to humanitarian aid into Syria. In fact, building on the work of former foreign minister Bob Carr, in February 2014, when we were still on the Security Council, Australia co-authored a resolution—2139, passed in February 2014—that called for the cessation of deliberate attacks on civilians in Syria, called for an end to the sieges that trapped so many civilians, called for the end of the use of starvation as a weapon of war and called for the facilitation of access for humanitarian assistance across conflict lines and border areas. Australia was pleased to play a lead role in that regard. At that time we committed a further $10 million in humanitarian aid and $2 million to support the efforts to destroy Syria's chemical weapons. That brought to a total of $112 million—almost $113 million—our aid at that time. Then, in July 2014, we co-authored resolution 2165, which again was a unanimous resolution, about getting cross-border access into Syria for humanitarian aid. We increased our aid to $131 million at that point.
Tanya Plibersek (Sydney, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source
$100 million of that was from us.
Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to 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.