PM: On behalf of Australia I want to express our very sincere condolences to the people of Japan and the government of Japan on the death and devastation we're seeing following the earthquake and tsunami.
Like people around the world I've been watching the images on our TV screens. They are truly shocking. This is a major disaster and whilst it's still unfolding we don't know the full scale of the devastation yet.
It is really very apparent that the Japanese people have been dealt an incredibly cruel blow by this earthquake and the tsunami following it. I've spoken this morning with the acting Prime Minister Wayne Swan. He will convene a meeting with the National Security Council tomorrow, Australian time, to discuss how Australia can assist the people of Japan.
I have also spoken to our ambassador in Japan, he informs me that we have around 45 Australians registered in the region hardest hit by the earthquake. What of course we know is that there will be more Australians there than the 45 who registered. We don't know the total number at this stage.
The ambassador will be doing everything he can to get in contact with Australians and to ascertain their safety and welfare, but as people would well and truly understand the situation on the ground is difficult to make contact with people but he will be doing everything he can over the coming few days. I've indicated to him that I wish him to formally convey to the government of Japan our very sincere condolences and the fact that Australia stands ready to assist.
Now of course following this earthquake there is a tsunami warning for many countries across the ocean as the force of this continues to move through. I'm advised that there is no risk of a tsunami in Australia, but there is a risk for many other countries and our posts have been activated there, our diplomatic posts, to do everything they can to contact Australians.
My advice to Australians in any of those countries is to listen for emergency warnings and certainly to make contact with our local embassy and authorities when they can.
For Australians who are concerned about loved ones in Japan and of course tens of thousands indeed hundreds of thousands of Australians travel to Japan every year. For Australians who are concerned about their loved ones our advice is to endeavour to contact them first.
If that proves impossible then there is a hotline number to ring at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade to assist people, that number is 1300 555 135 but please if people could try and contact their loved ones first and use that number if they're unable to get in contact.
The devastation we're seeing is in the north of Japan, having spoken to the ambassador whilst Tokyo was shaken there is not bad damage there and his advice is that Australians in Tokyo are safe and that there are not in concerns for Australians there. So the focus for Australians concerned about loved ones would be if they know they are in the north of Japan, in the hardest hit region.
This is a terrible, terrible natural disaster. I have been personally shocked by the images that we've seen. It's going to be a very, very stressing, difficult, tragic time for our friends in Japan. We'll stand by them and we'll do anything we can to assist.
JOURNALIST: Will Australia be sending in teams or what shape is the assistance likely to take?
PM: Look we will stand by and we will act in accordance with the wishes of the government of Japan. As people would know from the Christchurch earthquake which was so recent, these natural disasters just seem to be coming at us all the time.
But as people would know from that earthquake we did assist with things like search and rescue teams, we had very expert search and rescue teams. We did assist with hospital and medical facilities, with the emergency transportation in of medical personnel to help and we did in that earthquake assist with police resources as well. But we will do what we are asked by the government of Japan to assist.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister a number of MPs are currently in Japan at the moment. Do you have updates about their whereabouts and their well being at this stage?
PM: Yes I do, I spoke to our ambassador about our Parliamentary Delegation which is travelling in Japan. This involved MPs Amanda Rishworth, Stephan Jones, Senator Cash from Western Australia, Stuart Robert from the Gold Coast and one Victorian MP Natalie Hutchins. They are safe and well, they were on a bullet train, the journey was interrupted but otherwise they are safe and well.
JOURNALIST: Will this affect your own travel plans, to get back to Australia, at this stage?
PM: At this stage we don't quite know. It had been my intention to meet with Admiral Willard in Hawaii. We now anticipate Admiral Willard will be very much focused on American efforts to assist the people of Japan, but we will commence our journey now.
We were due to refuel in San Francisco and we will continue with that refuelling stop and then take advice there about the circumstances in Hawaii and how Admiral Willard is positioned. Clearly I will well and truly understand if his focus and attention needs to shift to directing American military assets to assist the people of Japan.
JOURNALIST: And just saying that there's definitely no threat at all to any parts of Australia?
PM: That is the advice we have. We have a tsunami warning system and from information from the warning system and from the bureau and our experts who track the weather and tsunamis for us the advice is that there is no threat to the Australian mainland.
But I don't want to be seen to be dismissive about what will follow this earthquake. This was a huge earthquake, 8.9, that's a very, very huge severe earthquake and consequently the tsunami and ocean reaction it will cause will be considerable. So there are countries at risk, fortunately Australia is not one of them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister are you shocked at what nature is throwing at us this summer?
PM: It just goes on and on and on doesn't it. I think the people of Australia would be looking at this and just shaking their heads in wonderment.
Every time we've hoped we've seen the worst and that we're in recovery and life is following a more normal pattern, then mother nature seems to throw another huge disaster at us and this is a huge disaster.
The images are really shocking. And whilst we can't be clear about the scale of the devastation at this stage, I think all the early indications are this is a dreadful natural disaster and will cause considerable loss of life.