Australia looks to up its help to Tonga after Gita

An Australian ministerial visit to Tonga is aiming to see where else Canberra can help the country in the recovery from Cyclone Gita.

Australia has already made a substantial contribution in aid following last month's devastating cyclone which caused widespread destruction across the main island of Tongatapu and on 'Eua.

The minister of international development and the Pacific, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells said she and the Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, who have travelled to Tonga, want to help the country to bolster its resilience to major climatic events.

"At the moment we are still in the emergency response phase, but certainly we want to sit down with the government and discuss how we can continue to work with the government to prepare them, assist with their resilience and further emergency response," she said.