Penny Wong (SA, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Hansard source

We didn't wait for Christmas to do those things. We made a $25 million pledge very early on in this conflict, and I've said publicly on a number of occasions we stand ready to do more. If there is the capacity to deliver more aid and the international community calls for more aid, Australia stands ready to do more. We know what is happening in Gaza. The constraint in Gaza, as you would be aware, is access.

I come to the second part of your question: we didn't wait for Christmas to advocate, including directly with counterparts in the region, for humanitarian access. We have been doing that, and we will continue to do that. It's not a Christmas gift; this is the right thing to do because the humanitarian need is so dire.