Linda Reynolds (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Abetz for that question. I also thank him for his enduring support of our men and women in uniform and for Defence. Building a stronger Australia post pandemic rests on a secure and stable Indo-Pacific. That is why defence is supporting not only our own national recovery from COVID-19 but also the recovery of our regional friends and partners.

We have already reoriented funding through the government's defence cooperation programs to assist our regional partners deal with COVID-19. This is in addition to the significant support that the ADF has provided on Operation COVID-19 Assist. Over 10,000 ADF members have been contributing to state and territory responses since the beginning of this year. In the South Pacific our support has focused on very targeted country specific priorities. This includes planning, health, logistics, vehicle and asset maintenance and the delivery of personal protective equipment and also supplies.

In South-East Asia, Australia has supported regional defence forces to respond to the pandemic. One example is a $2 million package of personal protective equipment to Indonesia's armed forces to support and assist in their ability to deal with their own nation's COVID-19 response. A second example is a total of $3 million of assistance to the Armed Forces of the Philippines to enable their ongoing support of infectious disease wards across the country and of their own armed forces personnel. In the Indian Ocean region we've provided personal protective equipment for the defence forces of Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Defence stands firmly with its regional partners during these most challenging of times for us all.