Scott Ludlam (WA, Australian Greens) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

asked the Minister representing the Minister for Foreign Affairs, upon notice, on 6 December 2010:

With reference to the Thai Burma border:

(1) Has AusAID, in regard to its Burma aid program, conducted a needs assessment for Burma and exiled populations from Burma such as the refugees on the Thai Burma border; if so: (a) when was this assessment conducted; and (b) what was the methodology used.

(2) Did non government organisations and other groups or individuals with an interest in Australia's aid program to Burma participate in this assessment; if so, how was this participation facilitated.

(3) Can detailed information be provided, including in a visual format, of the reach of the AusAID Burma aid program, including where the populations they work with are located, and the location of direct and indirect beneficiaries – this mapping should also include programs delivered by partners.

Stephen Conroy (Victoria, Australian Labor Party, Deputy Leader of the Government in the Senate) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Minister for Foreign Affairs has provided the following answer to the honourable senator's question:

(1) and (2) The Australian Government has been a long term provider of assistance to Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand and displaced Burmese people. In planning and providing such support AusAID consults widely with the Australian Council for International Development, Australian and international non-government organisations (INGOs), community organisations, UN agencies and other donors about the humanitarian needs of Burmese refugees in Thailand. AusAID officers attended the Thai-Burma Border Consortium (TBBC) Annual Donor Dialogue in November 2010 and visited three refugee camps close to Mae Sot and Mae Hong Son on the Thai-Burma border to monitor Australian-funded activities.

A number of other international partners, including the United Kingdom and the European Commission have undertaken needs assessments and evaluations of assistance to the Thai-Burma border over the past four years. These assessments were shared with AusAID and help to inform Australian Government policy on refugee needs and gaps in donor support. This information, together with independent monitoring of Australian-funded activities, guides the development of a strategic approach towards meeting the long term interests of the refugees and displaced people on the Thai-Burma border.

(3) The Australian Government has developed a broad package of assistance to support INGOs and community organisations working in refugee camps and along the Thai-Burma border. The Australian Government has:

As part of an expanded aid package to Burma, Australia tripled its support to Burmese refugees in camps in Thailand in 2010-11, and broadened the number of partners we work with along the Thai-Burma border. Our assistance continues to support the basic needs of refugees, but also promotes self-reliance by building the capacity of refugees and displaced people to develop and utilise their own resources.

A map identifying the reach of the AusAID aid program along the Thai-Burma border, including the ten refugee camps supported through the Thai Burma Border Consortium is available from the Senate Table Office. The map also shows our INGO and community organisation partners and locations of the aid activities and the populations/beneficiaries they work with.