To all my distinguished colleagues who are here, most recently joined by Anne Aly, also a Cabinet Minister in this portfolio. To all of the Frankcom family, to Mal thank you, Leonie and David, your friends and supporters. Thank you for being here.
To ACFID and all who contribute to shaping the world for the better, including when it takes a lot of courage, thank you not just for being here, but for the work you do.
It's a fitting day to launch this award, today on World Humanitarian Day, we are coming together to honour the courage of those who risk their lives to help the people who need it most.
Matthew spoke at the very end of his contribution, when I arrived here, about solidarity and that is what this work is founded on.
We are here to acknowledge the service and the sacrifice of humanitarian workers to deliver water, food, shelter to those in crisis.
Who provide life-saving health services to women, to children. Who protect the most vulnerable when disaster strikes and today, we remember those who have paid the ultimate price, and that is an unacceptable price, in the service of their fellow human beings. And we recognise we must work harder to keep them safe.
You all know this: 2025, the deadliest year on record for humanitarian workers, exceeded only by the year immediately prior; 350 aid workers killed, over 1,000 humanitarian workers killed in the last three years.
Many more detained, kidnapped, and wounded - these are devastating numbers. They're devastating for civilians, but for those who protect them, for the families left grieving, and for the humanitarian organisations who carry this loss, and it is a trend we must not allow to worsen.
I repeat now, what I told the United Nations last year: the death of any aid worker anywhere is unacceptable.
Two years on from Zomi Frankcom's death, the pain of her loss remains with us. People like Zomi are rare, and their courage deserves to be celebrated.
Their selflessness should be honoured. Now, I do want to say to you Mal, how privileged it has been for me to come to know you, even in these most terrible circumstances, and I acknowledge your grief, and I also acknowledge what strength and grace it takes to turn that grief to doing something as you are today. It is admirable. I want to say to you that we will stand with you, and we will stand with you in years to come.
I want to make it clear that the Australian Government continues to press the Israeli Government for full accountability for the deaths of Zomi and her World Central Kitchen colleagues. Zomi and her family deserve justice. In Zomi's honour last September, we launched the Declaration for the Protection of Humanitarian Personnel at the United Nations, and it's a global commitment shared by more than 120 countries, so almost two thirds of the United Nations.
Stronger accountability, safer access, and better protection for aid workers everywhere. It spells out concrete, practical measures to keep aid workers like Zomi safe and enable them to do their jobs in conflict zones, and we are working to put international pressure on countries that do not comply.
I will reconvene signatories again at High-Level Week in New York next month, and we will highlight the action that we have taken to support the safety and security of aid workers, and to listen to the experiences of humanitarian personnel serving on the ground.
I am personally very honoured to join you today to launch the Zomi Frankcom Humanitarian Award.
The Award does seek to recognise the profound contribution made by Zomi, and women humanitarians like her, who see a world with crises and conflict all too frequent, and who choose to act - as Mal said, to run towards catastrophe. Who make a choice to not turn away from suffering, and who engage in countless acts of compassion and care.
It is an award that recognises the best of us, like Zomi, and I thank all of you who have been involved.
And we now, with the family's permission, would ask you now to join in a minute's silence, to honour and remember all humanitarian workers who have lost their lives in the service of others, including Zomi Frankcom.
