PM: It's great to be in Toowoomba for Australia Day, it's been fantastic to be able to move through the crowd and talk to people, it's also been great to be able to thank the Emergency Services workers who made such a different on that dreadful night in Toowoomba.
I'm please to be here with the local Federal Member Ian Macfarlane, with the local Mayor and with the local State Members as well, I'm also really pleased to be in such a strong community that's showing the spirit of this Australia Day, which is the spirit of mateship, of reaching out to each other and not letting go.
And I've also come here to announce that from next Australia Day on we will create some new Australia Day honours. Through the Governor General I am asking the Queen to create some new Australia Day honours, so from next Australia Day we can especially recognise those people who have helped their fellow Australians during times of emergency and natural disaster.
We'll be backdating that Australia Day honour so it can capture the courageous work that was done during the floods here in Queensland and in other parts of Australia. We'll indeed be backdating that honour so some of the amazing things done in Victoria to help people during the devastating bushfires can also be honoured.
And we won't be waiting 'til next Australia Day, working with Premier Anna Bligh and States and Territories around the nation, we'll make sure that there's some recognition during the course of this year and Premier Bligh as already indicated she want to strike a special medal to honour those who made such sacrifices during the dangerous flooding in Queensland.
So my congratulations go to her on that initiative and I'm looking forward to similar initiatives around the country and then next Australia Day being able to formally honour Australians who have made a difference to their fellow Australians during a natural disaster.
It's great to be here.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, of all the places you wanted to come today, you wanted to come to Toowoomba?
PM: Yes I did want to come to Toowoomba. I picked Toowoomba, there are many places to go on Australia Day and of course as Prime Minister I've got some obligations in the Australian Capital Territory in Canberra, but I wanted to come to Toowoomba because this is a community that faced water of such ferocity and is now pulling together with the communities of the Lockyer Valley that faced such deadly quick flash flooding.
This is where Australians are grieving, but also where Australians are pulling together and showing so much community spirit, even in the face of such loss.
JOURNALIST: Is there any developments or announcements with the levy?
PM: Look, I'll have some things to say about those matters in the days to come, but on Australia Day it's a time to say happy Australia Day, to reflect on what we've lost, to grieve for those we've lost, to extend mateship to each other and to pull together as we rebuild.
JOURNALIST: You've met a lot of people who have been heroes in the last couple of weeks, are there any stories that particularly moved you?
PM: Look, I did have the opportunity to meet Ambulance workers, Police, SES and some of our great Australian Defence Force personnel, Fire fighters, who have all made a difference.
I suppose the thing that's been said to me today that will stay with me is those Emergency Service workers themselves just had to sit at home with a sleepless night afterwards in shock at what they'd seen here. That's how sudden and unexpected it was, that even for professionals who have seen so many other traumatic scenes, it was such a huge shock to see those flood waters.
I think that sums up how many Australians felt when we first heard the news.
Thank you very much.