Subjects: NSW bushfire crisis
E&OE...........
SYMONDS:
The Federal Government has promised the assistance of the Defence Force to help in this bushfire crisis and joining us from Canberra is the Prime Minister. Mr Howard, thank you for your time. How do you anticipate the Defence Force can help?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it's already helping with things like refuelling and providing food and other assistance for interstate firefighters. And more broadly, the Commonwealth is helping in a number of other ways. We're providing half the transportation and operating costs of the three Helitankers and under the disaster relief arrangements once the cost of that gets to a certain level, we take over 50 per cent and then 75 per cent from the States. And in addition, I rang the NSW Premier this afternoon to talk about the situation and told him that if any other assistance could appropriately be available from the Commonwealth it would. The firefighters, of course, are doing a fantastic job and we're all so proud of them. And the support mechanisms and the cooperation between the two levels of Government are very strong and if they need to be made stronger and if there's other help we can give, the Premier only has to ask.
SYMONDS:
Prime Minister, are there any areas in particular troops can be used?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, what you need are firefighters and we have the volunteers properly trained and they do it very well. Our position simply is that if there are further areas where in the judgement of the experts - and I'm talking like people like Phil Koperberg and others, they are the experts - if they think there are different ways in which Commonwealth resources and assets can be made available to help, they only have to get the Premier to ask me and I'll do it.
SYMONDS:
What about those appeals, Prime Minister? Will your Government be contributing to them?
PRIME MINISTER:
Of course we'll contribute, but let me point out that we contribute through the natural disaster relief system. I mean, there's people who loose things and once the cost gets beyond a certain level, the Commonwealth picks up 50 per cent of the cost and then when it goes even higher, we pick up 75 per cent. So, we are providing a very strong underpinning. But, look, we will work with the NSW Government, we'll work with all State Governments - you do when things like this happen - we are all Australians together dealing with this sort of problem and there'll be total cooperation between the Commonwealth Government and the NSW Government, as I say. I spoke to Mr Carr this afternoon and I'll be seeing him shortly tonight in Canberra. He's coming to a Premiers'; conference and we'll talk about it again. And I just want to make it very plain to the people of Sydney, I'm thinking of them of them and any additional help the Commonwealth can provide, it will be provided without qualification.
SYMONDS:
All right. Prime Minister, thank you very much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]