Extract of Doorstop at Esplanade Train Station, Perth
Transcript
8 August 2010
STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks very much. I'll just make some remarks now, some foreign policy issues, and then we're very happy to respond to your questions.
Firstly can I condemn absolutely the brutal slaying of 10 medical workers in Afghanistan by the Taliban. We have seven men and three women trying to perform much needed medical assistance, development assistance work and we see their brutal slaying by the Taliban. So we condemn that absolutely and express our condolences and our sympathy to the families and the friends of those who have been brutally killed by the Taliban.
Can I also again express our concern for the people of Pakistan in the face of the worst floodings in Pakistan's history. And yesterday I announced a doubling of Australia's development, a doubling of Australia's emergency humanitarian assistance to Pakistan.
We're also seeing very bad floods in the north of India, where over 100 people have been killed. So we express our sympathy and our condolences to the people of India as well as they also face great, great difficulties caused by natural disasters, in both cases terrible rain and terrible flooding.
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