Lisa Singh (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Parliamentary Secretary to the Shadow Attorney General) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I move:

That the Senate—

(a) notes that:

  (i) the consequences of the ongoing conflict in Yemen between Houthi rebels and the coalition forces supporting the recognised President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi have proven devastating for the country and its population,

  (ii) approximately 3 million Yemenis have been internally displaced, and more than 8400 have been killed in the conflict, including 5100 civilians of whom 1200 were children,

  (iii) the humanitarian situation in Yemen is catastrophic, with the United Nation's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) declaring in February 2017 that Yemen is the 'largest food security emergency in the world',

  (iv) there are 2.2 million children in Yemen suffering severe acute malnourishment, with one child dying every ten minutes from preventable causes, and

  (v) despite international calls for a political solution to the crisis, the parties to the conflict have failed to reach a settlement, with neither side having achieved a military victory and being unlikely to do so in the future;

(b) supports:

  (i) the Australian Government's pledge on 24 April 2017 of $10 million in aid to Yemen,

  (ii) the sentiments espoused in the European Parliament's 14 June 2017 resolution on the humanitarian situation in Yemen, and

  (iii) the actions of humanitarian aid groups, such as UNICEF, in working to bring aid to the people of Yemen, including helping to provide access to safe water to more than 2 million people and vaccinating nearly 5 million children against polio; and

(c) urges:

  (i) all parties to the conflict to comply with international humanitarian law and international human rights law, in an effort to ensure the protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure,

  (ii) all parties to the conflict to work to remove logistical and financial obstacles to the import and distribution of food and medical supplies to civilians, and

  (iii) the Australian Government to continue to work closely with other donors, countries in the region, and humanitarian partners to ensure the safe passage of aid to the most vulnerable people.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The government is deeply concerned about the ongoing conflict in Yemen. The government has urged all those involved in Yemen to end the conflict and return to the United Nations led negotiations aimed at a permanent end to the hostilities. The scale of conflict, famine and cholera outbreak in Yemen is impacting the lives of millions of civilians, with the largest effect felt by vulnerable women and children. The government is working with our United Nations and non-government organisation partners through provision of food, clean water, medical assistance and sanitation services. This includes $33 million in funding to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund over the past three years.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to make a short statement.

Stephen Parry (President) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Leave is granted for one minute.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The last time I looked, Yemen was a foreign country. I understood it was a longstanding practice of both Labor and the Liberal Party to deny formality to foreign policy motions, because that has always been the practice directed—

James McGrath (Queensland, Liberal National Party, Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

It's a complex one.

Richard Di Natale (Victoria, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Oh, it's a complex one? So who determines what's complex? I'll take that interjection. Apparently, a complex foreign policy matter is a foreign policy matter that we don't agree with. That's a complex foreign policy matter—we don't agree with it, so we'll vote against it.

Let us go to what is at issue here. We welcome this being debated. We have huge concerns about the humanitarian crisis in Yemen. We support this motion, but we'd like it to go further. The government should stop pouring petrol on the fires in Yemen and it should end its military trade with Saudi Arabia. Only then will we see a difference in the humanitarian situation in Yemen.

Question agreed to.