E&OE.........................................................................................................................
I wanted to say how very deeply saddened I am to have heard of the loss of life of two fire-fighters near Lithgow and the serious injury of another. I take the opportunity on behalf of the Australian Government to express our very deep sadness and sympathy to the families of those brave people who really have sacrificed their lives in helping their fellow countrymen and women.
The bushfire threat in NSW is very serious. At the weekend I spoke to the Premier of NSW, Mr Carr, and I assured him that all necessary Federal Government help would be made available. I renew that offer. I know that there has been tremendous cooperation between the fire-fighting authorities in NSW and the army and that help is coming from interstate to assist the fire-fighters in NSW.
I think all of us must hope for a change in the weather conditions. All of us feel a particular empathy with those who are fighting fires and for those fellow Australians whose lives and property may be potentially at risk. It is on occasions like this that the great Australian spirit comes through. It is on occasions like this that the sense of mateship, of helping somebody who is in trouble in a very unselfish way comes to the fore. It has happened in the past and I know that on this occasion it will happen again.
And I think all of us can hope and pray that the weather conditions change and that there will be no further loss of life or loss of property.
JOURNALIST:
How quickly could that Federal help be made available?
PRIME MINISTER:
It’s already been made available. And the purpose of my call to Mr Carr last Sunday was to say to him, as Premier of NSW, that if any further Federal help were necessary it should be taken for granted that it would be available, and he indicated that there had already been 100 per cent cooperation with the army. And it goes, I hope without saying, that at a time of community crisis such as this there is the maximum cooperation between governments at all levels in Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Apart from making the army available, what else concerned?
PRIME MINISTER:
Whatever other assistance by way of help through the Department of Social Security for families who are affected and all of those associated things. The network of emergency services and fire services at a State level is very extensive, very professional and really first class in this country. And one of the things that really warms you as an Australian is that at a time of difficulty people put everything else aside and they pitch in and they help their mates who are in trouble. And that is a great Australian quality and it does come very much to the fore on an occasion such as this.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard are you being briefed on the latest status of the fires?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes I am.
JOURNALIST:
And what is the latest information?
PRIME MINISTER:
The latest information is essentially the information that is being made available to the news networks and it has obviously worsened a great deal today. We must hope for a change in the weather and obviously the conditions given that it is the early part of December, the weather conditions and so forth do cause a great deal of concern. Now, I don’t want to put it any more strongly than that, I don’t pretend to be possessed of any greater knowledge than others who are hoping and praying that there will be a change in climatic conditions to provide relief, particularly for the men and women who are fighting the fires in such a valiant and courageous way. And on behalf of the Australian people I express my thanks to them, as well as particularly sending my sympathy and deep concern to those family and friends of the people who have lost their lives so tragically this afternoon.
[Ends]