Sam Rae (Hawke, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Like all of us in this place, I have watched in horror the devastation caused by the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria. In my electorate of Hawke and across Melbourne there is a very proud Turkish diaspora. This week they are hurting, and we are all hurting with them. But through the pain of the stories they're hearing from friends and family and the shock of the images and videos from on the ground, they are organising. From Melbourne, they are sending donations, arranging aid and holding each other up. It is so bittersweet that we see the best of us at the worst of times.

There will be a long road to recovery for the people of Turkiye and Syria. In Syria, war and humanitarian crisis will make this task even harder. The Australian people and our government stand in solidarity with them. Penny Wong, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, has announced that this government will provide an initial $10 million in humanitarian assistance targeting those in greatest need across both countries, and that's done with the support of those opposite. Locally, we will support our Turkish and Syrian friends and neighbours, communities who have given so much to build modern Australia. To families and communities who have lost loved ones and those whose lives and livelihoods have been affected, I extend my greatest sympathies.