A total of 500 Syrian refugees will be settled in Australia under the government's "strengthened humanitarian program which guarantees more resettlement places for those waiting in desperate circumstances around the world", Minister for Immigration and Border Protection Scott Morrison announced in a statement Thursday.

He confirmed that this resettlement will commence in 2013-14. According to Scott Morrison, Australia would join 16 other countries in a resettlement program driven by the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.

"The Australian government will work with the UNHCR to identify those offered the resettlement places, which will be targeted for highly vulnerable people in urgent need of protection," he said in the statement.

"The government's policy of denying permanent visas to those who arrived illegally by boat will enable Australia to continue offering targeted resettlement to those most in need," Morrison added.

In addition, Australia will also continue to assist the UNHCR in the internationally coordinated response to the Syrian crisis.

According to the statement, Australia has so far provided more than 100 million AU dollars (almost 93.67 million US dollars) in humanitarian assistance to the Syrian crisis, including 45.5 million AU dollars (almost 42.62 million US dollars) to support humanitarian activities in countries neighbouring Syria.

"Our funding has supported UNHCR and other agencies to provide shelter, food and clean water to refugees and host communities," Scott Morrison said.

According to the figures of the Australian Associated Press ( AAP), Syria's neighbours - Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq - have absorbed the majority of the refugees, but as numbers grow to more than 2 million, the influx has strained resources and caused tensions.

Of the 17 countries, including the United States, signed up to the UNHCR program to offer 10,000 a total resettlement places, France has agreed to accept 1,200 Syrian refugees.

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