George Brandis (Queensland, Liberal Party, Attorney-General) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much indeed, Senator Fawcett. That is a very important question. Senator Fawcett, I can advise the Senate that the Prime Minister announced a short while ago that cabinet has decided that Australia will resettle an additional 12,000 refugees who have been displaced by the conflict in Syria and Iraq. Our focus will be on those most in need—women, children and families of persecuted minorities who have sought refuge from the conflict in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

A team of government officials will depart for the region as soon as possible to begin identifying and processing potential candidates for resettlement. I should stress that these are permanent places. In addition to that, Australia will provide humanitarian support to more than 240,000 Syrian and Iraqi people who have been forced to flee their homes or seek refuge in neighbouring countries. That will cost approximately $44 million. With this additional commitment, Australia's contribution to help redress the humanitarian crisis in Syria and Iraq will be around $230 million since 2011.

Today's announcement represents a significant contribution to the humanitarian crisis in the Middle East. It is, I believe, a decision of which all Australians can be very proud. It is a decision which is in the great Australian tradition of accepting genuine refugees and being generous to those in crisis. Just as a generation ago, the Fraser government accepted thousands of refugees from Vietnam and gave them a new life in Australia, this government has decided to accept 12,000 Syrians.