Syria needs more help: governor-general SYRIA is on the brink of catastrophe unless the international community steps up its aid to refugees from the conflict, says Australia's governor-general. "A worldwide tsunami of humanitarian action is required from governments, the corporate world and individuals," Quentin Bryce told the UNHCR World Refugee Day breakfast on Thursday. "Over 800 days of conflict has placed unbearable strain on the population," she said. More than 1.5 million Syrian refugees have already fled to neighbouring countries Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey since the conflict began in 2011. A further 10 million people, or half the population of Syria, will require aid if the violence between government forces and opposition groups continues, Ms Bryce said. More than half the people fleeing Syria are little children. As a mother and grandmother, I thought of my own family. How would it be for them? How would we survive? The governor-general echoed the World Refugee Day's mantra that "one family forced to flee war is one family too many." She said Australia would not shy away from its international responsibilities. The Australian government recently announced an extra $12 million worth of aid towards relief efforts for Syrian refugees, bringing its total contribution to $78.5 million. "Addressing the impact of conflict on women and children is a key part of Australia's work on the security council," she said. Each one of us has the opportunity to push humanity in the right direction by helping at least one refugee family.