Senate Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade Legislation Committee, , 2:00:40 to 2:27:38
The department provides an update on humanitarian assistance for Nepal flooding and the status of high-profile consular cases in China and Hong Kong.
Topics: Drought and disaster support, Human rights
Speakers: Elizabeth McGregor, Sarah Storey, Steve Scott, Speaker 8, Hon Penny Wong, Senator James Paterson, Senator Raff Ciccone
please thank you for education chair. I I actually want to ask a different set of questions to officials dealing with the uh devastating flash flooding around the Nepal, China border. I think just at the outset, I'd just be interested in actually getting an an update from the officials on the situation on the ground in the affected areas, including the current status of
Thank you, Senator Sarah Storey, First Assistant Secretary, South and Central Asia Division. Um, the foreign minister has said uh she just referred to meeting her Nepali counterpart in Melbourne on the 8th of October where she made really clear that we stand with Nepal as part of its very long journey on uh a protracted recovery. Um in terms of the latest situation on the ground, two men months after this very unprecedented and devastating landslide affected Nepal, um reconstruction and recovery continues. The immense scale of the disaster remains very significant. Um there are still um fi over well over 5,000 people missing including 34 Australians and my colleague u from the consular division can give you an update on that if you wish but on the ground the scale of the disaster senator has limited access to some of the affected area um impacting relief efforts and local emergency services. Um secondly, some isolated areas still rely on air support with damaged roads and and poor weather continuing to disrupt delivery of relief and recovery supplies. Um thirdly, I'd say shelter remains a key challenge, particularly as the weather worsens and as the foreign minister um advised our minister, some locations are fundamentally unsafe to resettle. um we um we're shifting um towards supporting its long-term recovery particularly as the Nepal government has announced a transition uh from search and rescue to longerterm recovery and identification. Thank you.
>> Thank you. Uh just in relation to uh the Australians that are missing, I think there's still 34 missing Australians. uh if you could just confirm that and and what efforts the government is making to support families of those missing Australians, what services and supports are available.
>> Uh Senator Elizabeth McGregor, First Assistant Secretary, Consular and Crisis Management Division. There are 34 missing Australians uh from that devastating flooding event in Nepal and China. Our first priority has been to support families through an extraordinarily distressing and prolonged period of uncertainty for them. Uh that support began in the acute response phase and is continuing to this day as the focus shifts to recovery, identification, coronial and longerterm missing person processes. Uh by the 1st of September, each affected family group had a dedicated experienced DEFAT consular case officer as its primary point of contact and that provided them with continuity and regular telephone and written updates as well. Those DEFAT case officers have worked alongside AFP family investigative liaison officers and services Australia social workers uh to provide uh coordinated support to the families uh including to explain disaster victim identification and coronial processes and to connect those families with practical and psychological support. The Australian government family support hub commenced in Catmandeue on the 7th of September providing a dedicated place for families in Nepal to receive briefings and meet with consular staff and social workers. Uh DEFAT convened a whole of government virtual family meeting on the 9th of October uh with AFP services Australia, home affairs uh NEMA and health. Uh the virtual meeting provided updates. It enabled direct questions to responsible agencies and identified a range of follow-up actions which we are completing. Uh there's been a family centered traumainformed engagement plan uh that coordinates continuing support across government which DEFAT has led. Uh this covers proactive contact with families which is tailored to their preferences. Uh it covers recovery and identification processes and repatriation and coronial matters. Uh practical and financial issues, well-being referrals and longerterm family needs. Uh eligible Australians affected by the crisis can also access Australian government disaster recovery payments. uh NEMA and DEFAT are continuing to engage financial institutions, insurers and relevant industry bodies on difficulties arising from unresolved missing persons cases and we will continue to support those families for as long as is needed.
>> Thank you. In terms of the search and rescue operations themselves, how do you decide uh as an agency what what specialist services officials uh capabilities to to send? because I understand in this case there might have been specialist drone operators for example. What what were what's the decision-m process there and what were some of the capabilities that were sent uh to the rescue efforts?
>> Uh thanks for your question Senator. Uh Steve Scott I'm the first assistant secretary of the humanitarian and civil society division. Um yeah the first important point to make is we respond to the request from the Nepali government. So what is the nature of the assistance they want? Very early on I think in day two uh the minister had a call with her foreign minister's the counterpart and we actually made the full offer of all our urban search and rescue capability. Um and and at that time they weren't ready to receive large urban search and rescue teams. Um but as the situation evolved um eventually on the 2nd of September they realized that they did need some um more specialized sort of search and rescue capability through the provision of drones and drone support. Um so that like I said that took a few days and um 2nd of September and by the four uh 4th of September we had sent um that evening a 15 person dart team which is our disaster assistance response capability. This sits with sits within the fire and rescue services and departments of Queensland and New South Wales. It's a combined team. So 15 drone operators. The team leads some logistic support and two types of drones. There were small drones could access structures and they were actually specifically used for some of the support some of the tunnel work. If uh you know if you if you remember that was going on a lot of the hydro tunnels got flooded. There was a lot of workers still trapped in there and they were able to access those tunnels and provide some imagery and support to the teams that were working on those operations and then larger drones that could do do um aerial surveillance and um and they were able to search parts of the valley including some of the places which were the last known locations of many of the um Australians and and and other people that were you know went missing in those floods.
>> Thank you. And just finally around um moving from the search and rescue to the uh recovery and resilience package and the $15 million announcement earlier this month. Um can you just give some insight into what that will be delivering and how that is different from the initial support that was provided?
>> Yes, thank you very much Senator. Um as mentioned that recovery process is going to be extremely protracted. Um Nepal's own rapid damage and needs assessment puts recovery needs at around Australian 7.7 billion dollars. Um as mentioned earlier uh the foreign minister met her Nepali counterpart in Melbourne on the 8th of October and announced a $15 million recovery and resilience package that follows on from the 11 million in increments in immediate humanitarian support that Mr. Scott has referred to. That recovery component is broken into two parts, Senator. The first is uh around 5 million for recovery that will support climate resilient infrastructure that restores essential services. We intend to work through international organizations in line with Nepal's priorities and this will focus on rebuilding and restoring disasteraffected education, health, water and sanitation infrastructure and restoring access to essential services. It will also provide technical advice on infrastructure investments that incorporate climate resilience and disaster risk reduction best practice. Secondly, the resilience component which will make around $10 million will help address the risk of future flooding through early warning, water management and disaster resilient planning and management. uh this will be done through existing partnerships and the minister has mentioned uh just how appreciative the Nepali foreign minister was to uh attend the precalu and to really connect the connection between melting glacias and rising sea levels.
>> Can I just add one thing on Nepal? Um, one of the things we did was um announce and publicize and I also thank the media organizations who assisted with this the emergency action alliance appeal which is essentially a platform of multiple NOS's one of the I might get this right someone can correct me that um uh come together to um encourage Australians to donate to provide a platform for Australians to donate and I I announced that we would match it. Um, Australians donated from their own pockets more than $20 million. Is that right? which is it's quite was quite at a time where we know you know a lot of cost of living pressures and uh um you know that people are experiencing and it was um if they want something that makes you feel very more optimistic um for me that you know that was really heartwarming and um to see the response from the Australian community uh to that appeal uh and the government was happy to I just slightly more than match uh that that contribution.
Senator Paterson, you'll take us to the break at 11.
>> Thanks, Chair. I just want to get through some consular cases. Um, now we Um, while the relevant officials will come to the table, um, I'll just preface these questions by saying there'll be some cases that we won't ask about today. It's not due to a lack of interest uh, in any particular case, but advice about the sensitivities involved and the best interests of those people. Um, and also Senator Smith, my colleague, will come and ask some specific questions about a specific case. So, I'll leave that to him. If we
>> U, thank you for your question, Senator. Um, we remain appalled by Dr. Young's suspended death sentence. Uh we're continuing to raise with China our longstanding principled and bipartisan opposition to the death penalty, including at the highest levels. Uh and we're continuing to advocate for Dr. Young's interests and well-being.
>> I'll leave it there. Um could you give me an update on Mr. Gordon, please?
uh on Dr. on Mr. Gordon. Uh we remain uh deeply concerned about his case and the broad application of national security legislation in Hong Kong. Um, we continue to advocate for his interests and welfare, including through repeated senior level representations to Hong Kong and China mainland authorities. Uh, we remain in contact with Mr.'s family. Uh, and will continue to monitor his welfare and pursue consular access to him, which we do not have.
>> Thank you. Um, and an update on Mr.
uh on Mr. Jenkins. Um the Australian government is appalled at the sham trial and the 13-year sentence given to Mr. Oscar Jenkins. Uh as a full serving member of the armed forces of Ukraine, Mr. Jenkins is a prisoner of war. We've made clear uh to Russia our expectation that it comply with its obligations under international humanitarian law, including with respect to prisoners of war. Uh we're providing consular uh support to Mr. Jenkins family uh who have requested privacy.
>> Thank you. And that's all the cases I had and as I said, Senator Smith will raise a specific case later today. Thank
you, Chair. Okay, on that note, we're going to break for morning tea and I'll see everyone back here at 10 11