Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Defence, Senator Johnston. I refer the minister to the devastating typhoon which recently struck the Philippines. Can the minister inform the Senate whether the Australian government has been asked to provide support to the Philippines government following Typhoon Haiyan?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable senator for her question. This has been a devastating natural disaster and our thoughts and prayers are with our friends in the Philippines. There has been an enormous loss of life and the devastation of probably more than 10,000 dwellings. In the best traditions of Australia's commitment to international disaster relief, we commit to standing by the people of the Philippines in their hour of need.

On Monday the foreign minister announced an immediate $10 million package of humanitarian assistance, comprising an Australian medical assistance team which arrived in the Philippines on an RAAF C17 with accompanying C130 heavy-lift aircraft; $3 million through Australian non-government organisations for life-saving assistance; $4 million to the United Nations flash appeal; $1 million for emergency supplies including sleeping mats, tarpaulins, water containers and health and hygiene kits, a proportion of which have already been released; and $1 million to the Australian Red Cross to assist with their efforts. Two Australian disaster response officials were deployed in advance of this typhoon to support disaster assessment in the event that airports were closed. An Australian disaster response expert and the Assistant Defence Attache from Manila were among the first international personnel to arrive in Tacloban, one of the most devastated cities.

Following the typhoon a further three Australian disaster response specialists were deployed and $390,500 of pre-positioned relief supplies were immediately released. The RAAF's C17A Globemasters have provided an experienced and important capability when responding to disasters in our region, as they have done in Pakistan, Japan and in New Zealand. The Globemasters and the Hercules are supported by an RAAF mobile airload team, an aircraft security operations team and an Aeromedical Evacuations specialists team. These personnel will be responsible for enabling the delivery of medical specialists and their equipment to the Philippines. As senators would be aware, the Australian government was able to respond rapidly in the past to such disasters.

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask a supplementary question. I thank the minister for that answer and ask whether there is any further immediate assistance being provided by the Australian government to help in the devastated areas of the Philippines.

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the senator for her question. We are exchanging assessment reports with our US, Canadian, New Zealand and Japanese counterparts in terms of assessing the priorities in this area. The Australian medical assessment team contingent deployed consists of 36 health professionals from Darwin, Queensland, South Australia and New South Wales, a 50-bed deployable hospital, an X-ray facility, two operating theatres, medical supplies to treat up to 4,000 people and to perform up to 200 operations, five triage outpatient tents, and food and water purification equipment to ensure that the team is self-sufficient for up to 14 days.

The deployment will be coordinated by the Commonwealth funded National Critical Care and Trauma Response Centre based in Darwin. The team is made up of eight doctors including two surgeons, two anaesthetists, 15 nurses, four paramedics, one environmental health officer, one pharmacist, one radiographer, six logisticians from the Northern Territory Fire and Rescue Service. The aircraft also transported a Royal Australian Air Force mobile ambo team. (Time expired)

Helen Kroger (Victoria, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr President, I ask another supplementary question. Is the government in a position to offer amphibious ship capability to the Philippines government?

David Johnston (WA, Liberal Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Australian government will provide a further $20 million and deploy additional Australian Defence Force logistical support to help the Philippines to respond to this typhoon, bringing total Australian assistance to over $30 million. In such a short space of time, the Defence Force has been ready, willing and able to assist.

A further $20 million package includes $9 million to the United Nations, $4 million to the International Red Cross-Red Crescent, $2 million to the Australian Red Cross, $2 million to other Australian NGOs and $1 million to local NGOs in the Philippines. The deployment of Australian specialists includes a medical team, as I have said, AFP disaster management specialists and a DFAT humanitarian and consular expert team.

As senators would be aware, the ADF was unable to provide amphibious ship capability in the aftermath of Cyclone Yasi. I am pleased to advise that HMAS Tobruk has been diverted from her current tasking and is en route to the Philippines to provide further assistance, and is ideally suited to do the work.