Tonga’s strict COVID-19 quarantine measures are adding complexity to a difficult clean-up mission,with international surge capacity unable to be deployed.
An email sent to Australian posts throughout the Pacific this week reminded hundreds of DFAT staff to acknowledge the tensions about Australia Day.
There has been a COVID-19 outbreak on the navy supply ship on route to Tonga,the coronavirus-free archipelago recovering from a volcano eruption and tsunami.
The Tongan government reported extensive damage to housing on outlying islands following the eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcano.
Australia has now shared more than 17.5 million doses – most of which have been locally manufactured AstraZeneca vaccines - with the Pacific and south-east Asia.
The UN and others have warned the freezing of Afghanistan foreign reserves,mostly held in the US,brought the country to the brink of disaster.
At full commercial rates,Crown’s private executive jets cost $10,000 per hour to operate,prompting questions about the federal government’s decision to use them for aid work.
International sanctions against the Taliban have made it difficult to get funds into the country since the group took power in August.
New polling shows Australians have become more willing to spend money on foreign aid during the global pandemic.
Without higher-income countries increasing assistance through donations of doses and supplies such as syringes,aid organisations say low vaccination rates in low-income countries are a risk to everyone.
Scott Morrison announced the regional assistance when addressing ASEAN and moved to assure south-east Asian nations the AUKUS defence pact did not undermine regional stability.