Bishop vows to stick by Vanuatu
Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has promised that Australia will support Vanuatu for as long as it needs, as the cyclone-devastated nation recovers from the biggest disaster it has faced.
Ms Bishop made a flying visit to Vanuatu from Brisbane in a military plane yesterday to see the effects of cyclone Pam firsthand.
She was expected to return to Canberra last night for the final parliamentary sitting week before the May Budget.
"The people of Vanuatu have been through a very devastating experience," she said. "But they are resilient and they are stoic."
During her tour, Ms Bishop met government staff and volunteers and Australia's medical team operating in the Port Vila hospital.
Ms Bishop was also briefed by Vanuatu's National Disaster Management Office and held meetings with the country's Prime Minister Joe Natuman and Foreign Minister Sato Kilman.
"We will be here for as long as it takes to respond to short-term needs," she said.
"And we will also be here for the long-term recovery."
Pam hit the South Pacific island nation on March 13, bringing sustained winds of about 250km/h that destroyed entire communities.
Australia is providing $10 million in relief funding to help Vanuatu recover.
Women's rights groups welcomed Ms Bishop's visit to Vanuatu, describing the situation as dire. ActionAid Australia co-ordinator Carol Angir said the cyclone's aftermath was affecting women, and issues of family violence resulting from food and water shortages had been largely overlooked.
"Evacuation centres have little, if any, light at night and women have told us they don't sleep because they're afraid of violence," she said.
