Marise Payne (NSW, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Molan very much for his question. Many Australians have been deeply saddened by the catastrophic explosion in Beirut, and our thoughts and sympathies go to all those affected by the tragedy, both here and in Lebanon, and most particularly to the family and the loved ones of Australian toddler Isaac Oehlers, who tragically died in the blast.

Soon after the explosion, Australia was able to announce $5 million in humanitarian assistance, which has been provided through international organisations, particularly the World Food Programme, the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, and the United Nations Children's Fund. We have also delivered urgently needed humanitarian supplies, prepositioned at the UN Humanitarian Response Depot in Dubai, and have provided those to NGO partners leading the response in Beirut. On Friday 14 August, a Dubai based ADF C-130 delivered mobile warehouses to help replace critical storage facilities destroyed in the blast and also shelter kits and tools for the up to 300,000 people left homeless. Then, last Friday, the ADF completed a second delivery of additional shelter materials. I acknowledge the support of those personnel in effecting those deliveries.

Those supplies were chosen after consultation with the humanitarian organisations that are leading the response in Beirut and were certainly targeted to fill the gaps and meet the most urgent needs. We'll continue to work with other international donors on possible further support. Our support will be based on need, on our ability to provide assistance in a timely manner and also, in particular, on what other countries are already doing in the context of the international response.