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January 5, 2005
Tsunami Impact: Free fares for volunteers
Topics: Southeast Asia Earthquake and TsunamiThe Australian Jan 6, 2005
THOUSANDS of Australian volunteers will be offered taxpayer-funded flights, medical insurance and support to travel overseas to help tsunami victims throughout Asia, under one of the biggest peacetime aid operations in the nation's history.
As John Howard announced a national day of mourning for Sunday, January 16, government officials were last night also preparing a separate long-term package of direct aid for Indonesia - the worst hit nation - worth more than $1billion in cash and services-in-kind to rebuild roads, hospitals and schools.
As part of Australia's broader response to the disaster that has claimed nearly 150,000 lives across 12 nations, Volunteers International said that public servants, medical professionals, architects and engineers would be invited to join the relief effort.
The Prime Minister met Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta overnight to finalise a long-term strategic partnership combining aid and technical expertise to assist in our neighbour's massive reconstruction task.
Australia's total aid to Indonesia is expected to top $2billion over the next decade, with the two leaders discussing a broad range of financial and technical measures offered by Canberra to the reconstruction of Aceh, the most devastated area, where about 90,000 were killed in the disaster.
Posted by Hyscience at January 5, 2005 6:54 PM
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