Catryna Bilyk (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I was pleased to meet this week with the Ambassador of Ukraine to Australia, His Excellency Vasyl Myroshnychenko, to receive an update about the situation in Ukraine. As chair and former deputy chair of the Ukraine-Australia Parliamentary Friendship Group, I've had many contacts with the ambassador since his appointment. I will just say that my husband has family in Ukraine so the situation with the war in Ukraine is particularly personal to me. The recent liberation of Kherson, as reported in the media, is a major setback for Russia's illegal efforts to invade and occupy Ukraine. While Ukraine has now recaptured around 50 per cent of the territory previously held by Russia, Kherson is of particular strategic importance as a Black Sea port and the gateway to Crimea.

I'm proud that Australia has contributed to this effort. On 27 October, Prime Minister Albanese announced that, in addition to the support Australia has already provided, we will send 70 ADF personnel to the United Kingdom as part of the UK's efforts to train Ukraine's armed forces. Australia has also committed a further 30 Bushmaster protected mobility vehicles to Ukraine, bringing the total number of gifted Bushmasters to 90. In financial terms, this brings Australia's total assistance to $655 million, including $475 million in military assistance. We are the largest non-NATO contributor to Ukraine since the invasion began. Our contribution to Ukraine's self defence is vital to upholding the global rules based order. It sends a strong signal that we will not tolerate the invasion of a democratic sovereign nation.

The combination of targeted sanctions against Russia and Belarus, global military assistance to Ukraine and the fighting spirit of the Ukrainian people have all been key to making Russia's invasion a monumental failure.