Australia to take 12,000 extra refugees from Syria, Iraq: Tony Abbott

Australia will take an extra 12,000 refugees for permanent resettlement in response to the crisis in Syria, Prime Minister Tony Abbott said Wednesday.

"Australia will resettle an additional 12,000 refugees from the Syria/Iraq conflict," Abbott told reporters in Canberra. These will be on top of the existing 13,750 refugee places this year.

Abbott said the emphasis would be on providing protection for women, children and families from persecuted minorities who have sought temporary refuge in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.