CURTIS: Well there are meetings that have gone on this morning between Government ministers and the Prime Minister and Defence Force officials. The Prime Minister has also spoken to the Australian High Commissioner in Papua New Guinea, they've sent a number of Defence Force assets - planes, helicopters are on the way, there's also a helicopter already there that was on board HMAS Success.
They, as I've said, have arrived or will be arriving to help with the search effort. But as we've heard, the fate of the plane is unknown, and that's a point the Prime Minister made when I spoke to him a short time ago.
PM: There are of course a number of leads from villagers as to where things may or may not be, but we have no confirmed reports which is why this morning we are deploying all possible Australian assets to try and locate this aircraft.
We are particularly concerned about the nine Australians who are reported to be on board, of course we are concerned about all those on this aircraft. This is a time when I think the hearts of all Australians go out to the families of these fellow Australians who are going through extraordinary anxiety this morning waiting for news.
CURTIS: You spoke last night to Papua New Guinea's Prime Minister Sir Michael Somare, have you spoken again either to the Papua New Guinean Government or to the Australian High Commission?
PM: I spoke to the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea Sir Michael Somare last night to, frankly just to get it all clear that we'd be deploying all these Australian Defence assets immediately to make sure there was no bureaucratic problem and he was very, very good about it.
This morning at 6.30am we met with, or I met with the Chief of Defence Force, the national security advisor, the consular officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade together with the Defence and Foreign Ministers to go through exactly what is being done and what more can be done. And I've just got off the phone 7am from the Australian High Commissioner in Port Moresby.
At six o'clock this morning the Papua New Guinea search and rescue authority met, as a result of that I'm advised two helicopters now moving towards or at the site. As of 8.30 this morning the Australian sea king helicopter from HMAS Success, which we diverted to Port Moresby last night, will be on the ground in Port Moresby ready to be deployed to the site as well.
Together with the Australian Caribou aircraft which is on the ground in Moresby ready for deployment in a coordinated fashion by the authorities. We've also got other assets arriving, but we are absolutely determined to use this opportunity of light this morning to exert every effort to find this aircraft.
CURTIS: And how long are you prepared to leave them for? As long as it takes?
PM: As long as it takes. These are our fellow Australians; this is a horrible, horrible experience for families waiting for news. Therefore our responsibility as the Australian Government is to throw every possibly asset at this.
On top of those I've just mentioned, we also have a C-130 aircraft on the way from Richmond which has an aero-medical team on board and also later today from Richmond a C-17 with two black hawk helicopters as well.
Our responsibility is to do everything we can, and we're talking about Kokoda, I think there's so many tens of thousands of Australians who have walked this track, whose family have walked it, and for Australians this is sacred ground.
And so I think the nation's thoughts and prayers and our sense of being Australian is actually with us this morning as we work with the families. Consular officials have also been working with the families last night, and will be again this morning.
CURTIS: You've walked the Kokoda track, you have some idea of how difficult the terrain is. Do you think Australians who want to go there understand the dangers?
PM: It is a very difficult and potentially dangerous part of the world, it's one of the most difficult flying environments in the world. I was talking to the Chief of Defence Force about this this morning, pouring over maps myself because I know most of those towns along the track and where you have this coincidence of extremely rugged mountain terrain and on the other hand at the same time you've got these extraordinary changing weather patterns, it's a very, very difficult flying environment.
But for Australians Kokoda has a unique significance which is why people flock there each year, and having been there myself I understand why.