Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

I rise to express on behalf of all Australians our deepest sympathies to the people of the Philippines in the wake of the terrible loss of life and the extraordinary damage caused by Typhoon Haiyan. This typhoon has affected up to 10 million people. Almost a million people were pre-emptively evacuated. Many thousands have perished, including, it seems, one Australian. I have contacted President Aquino to convey our thoughts and prayers to the Philippines people at this sad time.

As the Minister for Foreign Affairs announced yesterday, Australia is contributing $10 million in emergency assistance, including $3 million for Australian NGOs undertaking immediate life-saving assistance work, $4 million for the UN appeal and $1 million for the Australian Red Cross. There is extra for emergency supplies, including basic health kits. An Australian medical team is expected to be deployed to the Philippines tomorrow and five Australian disaster experts are on the ground to assess whether there is more that our country can usefully do. When nature is at its worst, people are often at their best. Australia stands ready to help our Filipino friends at this very testing time.

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