Dave Sharma (Wentworth, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Moncrieff for putting this item on Federation Chamber's agenda. This is a very important issue. It is an issue that has not gone away; in fact, it has gotten worse in the past three years. This month marks three years since the Rohingya people were forced to flee Bangladesh because of persecution. It was 25 August 2017 when violence broke out in Myanmar's Rakhine State, driving more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to seek refuge in Bangladesh. At least 6,700 Rohingya, including at least 730 children under the age of five, were killed in that month that violence broke out. Most arrived in Bangladesh in the first three months of the crisis, with the vast majority being women and children and more than 40 per cent of them being under the age of 12. Many others, including elderly people, required additional aid and protection. They had nothing and they needed everything.

Most Rohingya are now stateless, with an estimated 600,000 people living in Myanmar's western Rohingya State. Cox's Bazar—which I know many members here have visited—which is located in Bangladesh is now one of the world's largest refugee camps, hosting somewhere in the order of 850,000 Rohingya, and is currently facing an unpreceded health crisis due to the risks of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases. Undoubtedly, the Rohingya crisis is the largest and the most complex humanitarian crisis in our region, in the Indo-Pacific. It also raises a national security problem, as it becomes a window for religious extremism and radicalism to seek to exploit. The Cox's Bazar district has long been known as a base for human trafficking, organised crime and other armed groups. The change in social dynamics brought about by the Rohingya refugee flux, together with increased economic vulnerability and pressures on the local population, creates a situation where many of these vulnerable communities can be preyed upon.

There are now over 1.2 million people requiring humanitarian assistance in Cox's Bazar, including both Rohingya refugees and impacted host communities in the Bangladesh area. The two main challenges that the Rohingya community is facing in terms of health are the risks of communicable diseases, increased by the congestion in the camps and the obvious prevalence of COVID-19, and the lack of maternal and newborn healthcare services. I'm pleased that, since August 2017, Australia has provided over $260 million in humanitarian assistance to address the Rohingya crisis in Bangladesh and in Myanmar, working with international and regional organisations to deliver effective and targeted support. Australia is supporting the government of Bangladesh to respond to immediate and long-term humanitarian needs in Cox's Bazar by providing funding and employing Australian civilian specialists. This includes in areas such as food, clean water, shelter, health and sanitation services, as well as counselling and medical services for those who have experienced violence, most especially women and young girls.

This assistance by Australia also aims to build refugees' and host communities' resilience and self-reliance, including through supporting access to education and skills development. Australia overall is one of the top five bilateral donors contributing humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya crisis. We recognise the disproportionate impact that this crisis has had on women and girls. During 2018-19 Australia's support reached over half a million women and girls, including providing counselling and medical services to women and girls who have experienced violence, and food and nutrition focused on children under five and women who are breastfeeding. Australia has also taken a leadership role in promoting disability inclusion in the camps, recognising that people with disabilities are often the first left behind in humanitarian responses.

The tropical monsoons with heavy summer rains experienced in Bangladesh are usually accompanied by cyclones and floods, often with catastrophic consequences. There are concerns that the monsoon season this year will increase the vulnerability of camps, elevate the risk of outbreaks of water-borne diseases such as cholera and threaten already precarious water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure and services.

Bangladesh is one of the world poorest countries, with almost one in four Bangladeshis living in poverty and 13 per cent per cent in extreme poverty. In 2019 Bangladesh was ranked 135th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index. The impacts of seasonally extreme climate events, mass refugee migration and COVID-19 have altogether placed stress on the Bangladeshi government and people. This backdrop paints a particularly dark picture. The Rohingya need our support. It's important for Australia to continue to work with regional and international partners to create enduring solutions for the many problems that Rohingyas face. Australia remains committed to addressing this issue and to encouraging Myanmar to create conditions on the ground conducive to voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable returns for all displaced peoples.

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