Australia has committed $5 million to the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to provide food, medical assistance, water, shelter and protection for up to 245,000 refugees fleeing Sudan due to ongoing violence.

Parliamentary Secretary for Foreign Affairs Richard Marles announced the assistance while visiting villages along the border between Sudan and South Sudan.

"Many of those who have fled are arriving in refugee camps suffering from dehydration and malnourishment and without the most basic possessions," Mr Marles said.

Children at over 7,000 schools across Australia will learn about the importance of ending hunger as part of a nationwide campaign launched Tuesday with the help of WFP Youth Ambassador Jessica Watson. The youngest person ever to sail around the world unassisted, Watson learned about the importance of child nutrition last year while visiting WFP school meals programmes in Laos.

As Australians prepare for Christmas and the New Year break, Australian non-government aid agencies are preparing for natural disasters, with Australian Government help.

Under a new Humanitarian Partnership Agreement, the Australian Government is providing $10.5 million to Care, Caritas, Oxfam, Plan International, Save the Children and World Vision to ensure a faster, more co-ordinated response to rapid onset emergencies. Participating NGOs have been pre-qualified and have a proven track record in providing humanitarian assistance internationally.

The Australian Government is gravely concerned at the continuing attacks by the Syrian regime against its citizens, and deplores the ongoing loss of life and displacement of Syrian citizens.

President Assad and the Syrian regime must end the violence now and embark on reform.

The people of Syria deserve the opportunity to express their opinions freely without fear of oppression and participate constructively in shaping the future of their country.

COUNTING THE COST OF DISASTERS IN ASIA PACIFIC

The economic cost of natural disasters in the first quarter of 2011 in the Asia Pacific region is the highest on record.

To wrap up emergency flood aid in Queensland, Tzu Chi foundation hosted 10 distributions in four weekend , relief goods distributed include 4,559 blankets, 891 daily essential pack, 1,451 medical

ADRA Australia's emergency services were activated on Monday, 7th February, to assist in providing accommodation service to Perth Hills residents who had tragically and suddenly lost their homes. ADRA has also been involved in distributing emergency food supplies to those affected.

In addition, ADRA Australia has been

A violent storm rolled over Brisbane yesterday hindering the cities clean-up efforts and drenching already flooded areas. Meanwhile, heavy rains in both north-western-Victoria and northern-New South Wales have forced thousands from their homes.

In Brisbane, ADRA volunteers were amongst

Bushfires that started on February 7 have claimed more than 180 lives, with at least 80 persons missing, and have destroyed more than 900 homes. There are fears that the death toll will rise to more than 300.

Three closely related Baptist bodies, Baptcare, the Baptist Union of Victoria (BUV), and the Baptist Union of Australia (BUA), established an Emergency Bushfire Relief Fund with an initial grant of AUS$50,000.