Subject:
New South Wales floods
E&OE...
PRIME MINISTER:
Can I just start by saying that I am sure I speak for all Australians in expressing my absolute admiration for the emergency services, the SES, the police, the ambulance, the local community, the work of the local mayors in the Hunter Valley and also the great cooperation with the local Members of Parliament, state and federal, both sides of politics. This is one of these occasions when the Australian spirit of cooperation in adversity shines through in a truly impressive way and to look at that board inside showing the locations from where all the emergency teams have come, some have come from Victoria, I met a group of blokes who'd come from Broken Hill. This happens all the time when there's a natural disaster in Australia and it's a wonderful reaffirmation of the Australian spirit of cooperation.
I've had a lengthy discussion with the New South Wales Premier. I spoke to him first of all on Saturday and there's full cooperation between the Federal and State Governments, the normal disaster relief arrangements kick in where the initial more modest cost is borne fully by the state and as the cost mounts it's shared between the Commonwealth and the states and in addition to that I announced some emergency cash relief over and above that for people who've been seriously injured or lost their homes or had them rendered uninhabitable for a period of 48 hours or more and I've also indicated to the Premier that if there is any further help that is reasonably required by the New South Wales Government then that help will be made available. It would appear on the basis of the briefing I've been given that the river didn't quite reach the height expected, affecting Maitland and that is of course something for which we're very grateful but there are still other areas in the river's course that are under threat further down and clearly we are keeping our fingers crossed but it's just one of those very inspiring reminders of the great cooperative effort within the Australian community when there's adversity. Do you have any questions?
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you've seen obviously from up in the air the, what the Hunter looks like. What's your view of, what do you think?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look, as somebody who's visited this area on numerous occasions in my lifetime and I've flown in and driven in and wandered around, it's unrecognisable from, in many ways from the air and very, very different and it is a vivid illustration to me as it has been to other people of just how savage the storms have been and the tragedy of course is that there has been a loss of life and we're all touched by the human tragedies in each individual case where a life, and in one case tragically five lives in one family were brutally taken away through an accident.
JOURNALIST:
You've also had a chance to talk to some families, what sort of things have they been saying to you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm going to meet some more families, I've met just a few but I'll be meeting some more later and look, I always find in these situations that people are very, how shall I put it, very positive and they're optimistic and they're willing to cooperate and recognise it's one of those things where everybody has got to work together. Thank you.
[Ends]