MEDIA RELEASE
Released By:
Downer
Six months after the devastating Indian Ocean disaster on Boxing Day 2004,
Australia's aid for tsunami reconstruction is gathering momentum now that
the immediate needs of victims are being met.
All Australians can be very proud of the tireless efforts of aid workers,
government officials and defence personnel to provide emergency assistance as
well as critical health, education and local government services.
This early and critical assistance ensured that the immediate needs of
affected communities were addressed and people were helped back on their
feet.
Australia has already provided over $75 million in relief and rehabilitation
assistance for tsunami affected countries, in particular Indonesia and Sri
Lanka. Over a five year period we will spend almost $2 billion in
Indonesia alone on reconstruction and development projects.
In Aceh we are restoring and upgrading health and hospital services, getting
the education system operational again so that children can return to school,
and enabling local governments to deliver services to their own communities
because these are all vital to enable devastated areas to rebuild and bring
normalcy back to their lives.
In addition we have committed to important reconstruction projects such as
the main hospital in Banda Aceh which services the province of four million
people, the Banda Aceh Port, and the rebuilding of schools, offices and other
facilities.
We should not lose sight of the scale of loss and damage, which has resulted
in the entire foundation of many communities washed away. Initially, our effort
was directed to saving lives and providing basic humanitarian services.
Now, we want to help restore essential services and infrastructure, but it
won't happen overnight.
We are assessing how we can contribute to large-scale infrastructure
projects in the long-term, and through the AIPRD, Australia will work with
Indonesia to ensure that funds for major infrastructure are accountable and
directed where they are most needed.
I also want to recognize the tremendous support provided by all Australians
in response to the tragedy. The suffering caused by the tsunami prompted
an unprecedented generous national response in Australia. We will
continue to help our Asian neighbours as they slowly rebuild their lives over
the coming years.
Media inquiries:
Chris Kenny (Mr Downer's office) 0419 206 890
AusAID (Public Affairs) 0417 680 590