The deputy prime minister, foreign minister and Pacific affairs minister have travelled to the site of a landslide in Papua New Guinea (PNG) to hear from the communities who have lost family and homes.
The federal government has promised an extra two million dollars to help restore a highway in the PNG highlands badly damaged by the recent landslide.
The government also promised more than $200,000 for medical care — on top of the $2.5 million that has already been provided for humanitarian assistance.
The background: The catastrophic landslide, which occurred in late May, is thought to have buried over 2,000 villagers in Enga province.
Huge swathes of a mountain gave way in the middle of the night while people were in their beds, with some boulders reportedly the size of cars bearing down on houses.
An unknown number of people, possibly into the hundreds, lost their lives under metres of soil and debris.
Some communities have been isolated by the landslide. Source: SBS News / Anna Henderson
The key quote: “We’re in a permanent contest in the Pacific, so what that means is Australia has to continue to step up and we have to continue to be a more engaged, more involved partner in the Pacific.” — Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
What else to know: The area where the landslide occurred is well known for tribal fighting and violence, which has complicated aid efforts.
PNG experienced one of its worst massacres earlier this year following a clash between tribes in the country’s highlands which left at least 49 people dead.