MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Billson
Australia will contribute $2.5 million to a five year program to save lives
and boost the ability of Solomon Islands to respond to natural disaster
emergencies, the Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs and Trade, Bruce
Billson announced today.
'Solomon Islanders face the threat of cyclones and earthquakes every
year and Australia is committed to helping develop an effective response
capacity,' Mr Billson said.
With a population spread throughout an archipelago of mountainous islands
and coral atolls covering 28,000 square kilometres in the Pacific, Solomon
Islands is very vulnerable to natural disasters.
'Australian experts have designed a package that aims to strengthen the
emergency risk management strategy of the local National Disaster Management
Office (NDMO) to promote community awareness of disasters,' Mr Billson
said.
Australia has responded to a request from the Solomon Islands Government to
help build the capacity of the NDMO. The Australian Government's aid
agency, AusAID will work together with Emergency Management Australia (EMA)
aiming to make a real contribution to saving lives.
'EMA has an excellent reputation for the development of national
emergency management capabilities in Australia which can be readily applied in
the region and help communities in need,' Mr Billson said.
Media Contacts:
Shane Fairlie (Mr Billson's office) 0408 680 442
AusAID (Public Affairs) 0417 680 590
David Templeman (EMA) 0414 265 122