Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Pratt for her question, and certainly, particularly overnight, what we have seen in Turkiye and Syria has been devastating. I know this is an issue that many colleagues in the chamber are concerned about, and they share Senator Pratt's interest and concern about this issue. I want to acknowledge that so many from the parliament and across the community have reached out to my office to express concern and to ask what they can do and what our country can do.

The true extent of this devastation is still emerging. What we do know is that at 4.13 am local time on Monday a magnitude 7.8 earthquake stuck Nurdagi, Turkiye, in the far east of the country near the border with Syria. Then, at 1.24 pm that afternoon, a second earthquake, of magnitude 7.7, struck Elbistan, which is 80 kilometres to the south. The affected provinces have been devastated by a series of 100 aftershocks. The devastation of the earthquakes span both Turkiye and Syria, and we know that these are extraordinarily vulnerable parts of the world—parts of the world which are already devastated by conflict and by disruption.

I'm not in a position to advise the Senate of verified numbers. What I can say is that media reports just before I came into question time put the number of those who have perished in these earthquakes at at least 3,800. This will almost certainly rise. Rescuers are still searching through collapsed buildings. Access to the affected areas is being hampered by damage to roads, collapsed buildings, severe weather, and traffic from those trying to flee. The extent of the impact in Syria is still emerging, and the affected areas are in non-government held territories, which makes information very difficult to verify. The government is monitoring the situation closely, and in subsequent answers I'll respond to what the government is seeking to do.