Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

(—) (): In addition to our military contribution, the Australian government is also working to stop the flow of foreign terrorist fighters in and out of Iraq and Syria and to stop the flow of funding to terrorist groups. As fighting escalates in Mosul, we are very cognisant of the threats posed by the link between Daesh in Iraq and Syria and South-East Asia. I discussed this with my Indonesian counterpart in our recent meeting and I raised it at the counter-ISIL defence ministers meeting in Brussels in February. This government is working closely with our partners in the region to address this threat. We have, for example, an agreement with Malaysia to share intelligence on returning foreign terrorist fighters. We are also supporting the Philippines so that they can contribute to counterterrorism, share intelligence and stop the flow of foreign terrorist fighters. We are also mindful of the humanitarian disaster in Syria and also in Iraq. Since 2011, Australia has contributed almost $500 million to support not only those who are directly affected by the conflict but also those countries around Iraq and Syria who are hosting large numbers of refugees. (Time expired)