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By Rob Tranter, First Assistant Director General, Pacific Division, AusAID

Two and a half years ago in September 2009, the Tavana family from Saleaumua village in Samoa saw their entire life swept away by one of the worst natural disasters to ever hit the small Pacific nation.

I remember being at the Crisis Centre in Canberra as news of an earthquake that had just struck off the coast of Samoa came flooding in. The 8.3 magnitude quake triggered a huge tsunami that ripped through the southern Samoan island of Upolu.

Australia is helping improve access to fresh, safe drinking water for every household on Ebeye, one of the major islands in the Republic of the Marshall Islands.

Parliamentary Secretary for Pacific Island Affairs, Richard Marles, said Australian-supplied water tanks were part of a continuing commitment to improve water and sanitation in the Marshall Islands.

'This year, Australia is supporting the provision of 220 water tanks on Ebeye, in addition to 150 water tanks supplied last year,' Mr Marles said.

Australia’s aid aims to save lives and help the poorest of the poor and that is the reason why we are working in the Palestinian Territories. Palestinians face poverty and disadvantage that has been prolonged by the complex nature of regional conflict and failures in the peace process in the Middle East.

The Governor-General, Ms Quentin Bryce AC CVO, visited two Australian Government supported programs in Taguig City, Metro Manila as part of her State Visit to the Philippines earlier this month.

She met with women leaders and families who were affected by tropical storm Ketsana and the resulting floods that inundated Metro Manila in 2009.

JOINT MEDIA RELEASE BETWEEN AUSAID AND THE WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME

The Australian Government’s recent assessment of multilateral aid agencies has ranked the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) as one of the most effective recipients of Australian aid funds.

The Australian Multilateral Assessment looked at the performance of 42 multilateral organisations funded by AusAID and arose from the recommendations of the Independent Review of Aid Effectiveness.

Australia and the Government of East Timor will work together to improve over a third of East Timor’s rural roads over the next four years.

In 1944, one of World War II’s fiercest Pacific battles took place about 800 kilometres east of the Philippines on Peleliu Island in the Republic of Palau.

US records show almost 600 tonnes of bombs were dropped from the air, with another 2200 tonnes of shelling coming from an intense and sustained battleship bombardment.

The war was devastating. More than 13 000 people lost their lives. 67 years later, remnants of the battle continue to take the lives of the innocent people of Palau, with thousands of Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) littered across the country.

Foreign Minister Bob Carr today confirmed the Australian Government is providing a range of support and assistance to Australians affected by heavy rain and flooding in Fiji.

Around 2,000 Australians are believed to be stranded in hotels and resorts in Fiji according to Australia's acting High Commissioner.

"Australia's High Commission staff in Fiji have been in contact with many Australians affected — offering full consular support.

"At this time, we are not aware of any Australians who have been injured or whose safety is at serious risk.