Australia was a major non-military backer of the revolutionaries during the Libyan civil war, sending more humanitarian aid to Libya than any other single country after the United States.[121][122] It was relatively early to recognise the NTC, doing so on 9 June 2011, months before the capture of Tripoli.[123][124]
In December 2011, Australian Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd traveled to Libya to meet with Libyan Prime Minister Abdurrahim El-Keib. Rudd ceremonially hoisted the flag of Australia at his country's consul-general in Tripoli and pledged Canberra's support for efforts to remove unexploded landmines in Libya, as well as advice on Libya's planned transition to democratic governance.[125]