Mr BARTLETT (2:08 PM) —My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister update the House on the latest developments regarding the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Iraqi people?

Mr DOWNER (Minister for Foreign Affairs) —I thank the member for Macquarie for his question and for his interest. As members of the House know from the answers I have given to previous questions on this matter, we are very focused, as a government, on the humanitarian situation of the Iraqi people. We welcome the call yesterday by the United Nations Secretary-General for unity in the Security Council and, in particular, for the quick resumption of the oil for food program. Our permanent representative to the United Nations, John Dauth, underlined this in a statement that he made to the Security Council during the course of this morning in what still is the open debate in the Security Council on the Iraq issue:

On the specifics, members will be aware that our Navy divers are making Umm Qsar port safe to enable aid deliveries. Umm Qsar is the only deepwater port in Iraq. It is crucially important that this port remains open, and it is a great tribute to our Navy divers that they are making the port safe. We expect two ships carrying Australian wheat to berth at Umm Qsar possibly this weekend. We have sent an Australian aid expert to Kuwait to work with the World Food Program and the United States on the logistics for the distribution of the wheat. Some humanitarian supplies from Kuwait have now arrived in Iraq, and they will be distributed shortly. I also note that a British ship carrying food, medicine, blankets and water is expected to arrive in the next couple of days.

We also remain more broadly concerned about the situation in Basra, although conditions there are improving compared with the report that I gave yesterday in answer to a question. The International Committee of the Red Cross has partially restarted Basra's main water pumping facility, and about 50 per cent of the population now have access to drinking water. Coalition forces have started to repair the water treatment plant near Basra. That plant provides water to Umm Qsar and will be operational from 30 March. The International Committee of the Red Cross is pre-positioning cholera kits in both Kuwait and Amman, and emergency kits are in place to serve 1½ million people in Iraq and 380,000 people in surrounding countries for a three-month period. Australian funding for immediate humanitarian relief will assist with these particular preparations.

Displacement of people in Iraq, including refugees, has been very much less than was anticipated—at least up until this point. But, nevertheless, our contribution of $2 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross and $2 million to UNICEF and our contribution to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees will help assist refugees and those displaced should the need arise. Additional contributions to support planning, pre-positioning and delivery of urgent food, water and health care have been made by Australia—$6 million to the United Nations Central Emergency Revolving Fund; $2 million to the United Nations Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; $2 million, in total, to Australian non-government organisations such as the Red Cross; and $2 million towards the mobilisation of relevant and necessary Australian personnel. We will of course watch the situation closely. Nobody wants a humanitarian catastrophe in Iraq, and our efforts—and, of course, the efforts of others—to date are directed very much at ensuring that that does not happen.