Yesterday, at the Prime Minister’s Australia Day Address in Hobart, I took the opportunity to thank him and his government for increasing aid to earthquake ravaged Haiti. With the many demands on his Government the temptation is to only look after our own Australian family. I am delighted that his Government expresses the generous heart of Australia to our Caribbean neighbours.
An excerpt from yesterday’s Media release by Minister for Foreign Affairs, Stephen Smith follows,
Australia increases emergency assistance to Haiti – AA 03/10 19 January 2010
Over the last few days it has become clear that the situation in Haiti is dire and as more devastation is discovered outside Port au Prince, the scale of the disaster is increasing.
In response to this and to the United Nation’s Flash Appeal launched on the weekend, Australia will provide an additional $5 million to meet urgent and emergency humanitarian needs such as food, water and sanitation, shelter and medical assistance.
The additional assistance in this immediate response phase will include:
- – $3 million to The World Food Programme
- – $1 million to Australian Non-Government Organisations (NGOs), and
- – $1 million to the Office of Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
Australia’s assistance package, now totalling $15 million, comprises $10 million for immediate humanitarian needs and $5 million for long-term reconstruction assistance following UN assessments of the requirements. . . . .
In November 2009, Australia announced a $60 million development assistance package which will include support to the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. . . . .
The full Media Release here
Please continue in prayer for Haiti and for the continuing generosity of the people of Australia both individually and through our Government.
PS The most ‘Australian moment’ of the Prime Minister’s Address was his leading us in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to our Premier, David Bartlett. I, for one, found this to be an unexpected moment of solidarity and poignancy with our beleaguered Premier, as we joined in singing the simplest of songs celebrating the gift of life amidst our common humanity and community life.
This followed the PM’s extolling gum boot throwing (an Olympic Games event?) and ‘dummy spitting’ (indicating that Canberra politician entrants would be strong contenders).
This was on a somewhat different note to somber news from Haiti and the life-saving aid needed there.
Life is complex, to be lived in community by communities.
Shalom.
