PRIME MINISTER:
Ladies and Gentlemen, I would start by expressing on behalf of all of the Australian people my deepest sympathy and great profound condolences to the people and the governments of so many our countries in the region. So many of our friends have been affected. The loss of life is calculated at this stage at over 12,500. The heaviest loss of life appears to have occurred in India, Sri Lanka and in Indonesia, although there has been extensive loss of life also in Thailand and in the Maldives possibly, and to a lesser extent but nonetheless to a degree unknown in Malaysia. It is an unstoppable natural disaster but that does not in any way reduce the magnitude of the calamity that has befallen so many of these countries, many of which have poor infrastructure and will struggle very much to cope. So far as affected Australians are concerned, my latest advice is that there about 5,500 Australians in the affected area. Consular assistance including for people who are hospitalised is being provided at present to about 250 Australians. Serious fears are held for the safety and wellbeing of five Australians. I stress that all of these figures are at best estimates. There is a great deal of indecision as you can imagine on the ground. The situation is chaotic and we have to understand that it will be some time yet before a really clear picture emerges. Australia has already announced a contribution of $10 million to international relief efforts. I stress that that is an initial contribution. Australia will and should give more. Of that, $5 million will form the basis of a government contribution to a public appeal by the Australian Red Cross and it, in turn, will be sent to the International Res Cross. We're also providing $3 million of direct assistance to Indonesia and some $2 million, making up the total of $10 million, to other Australian non-government organisations. In addition two C130 transport planes are ready to leave Richmond later this afternoon with appropriate provisions such as water purification units and blankets and bottled water. At this stage it's intended to preposition those C130s in Butterworth in Malaysia. If before their departure, or if during their journey, appropriate arrangements are made for them to go to a more directly affected area, that will be the case. I imagine, as you will all understand, that it will be some days before the full extent of this tragedy unfolds. I can only repeat that the Australian people feel the greatest sympathy for our friends in the region. We'll do everything we can as a regional neighbour and regional friend to assist the countries that have been so very badly affected.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Alexander Downer said that there were 6 Australian missing. You say it's just five?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it just illustrates my point that it varies according to the time. He may have said that a little earlier. I think somebody did turn up in a hospital.
JOURNALIST:
Your message to those families?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well my message to them is that all Australians try as best they can to share your grief and your anxiety, and we can only hope that in each case there is good news. Every effort is being made by our consular people. Where there is no Australian consular representation, such as in the Maldives, Australian interests are being looked after by other embassies and consulates
JOURNALIST:
Are there any suggestion of evacuations of Australians at this stage?
PRIME MINISTER:
No we don't have any plans for evacuation at this stage. I think, Paul, it's a little early to be considering whether that would become necessary. I think in many cases, particularly where tourists are involved, some of the tour operators are already making arrangements for that to occur. And in the nature of things, they're not all concentrated in one area. I mean, if you had 5,000 people in one spot you could do an evacuation, but they're scattered all over a vast region covering tens of thousands of kilometres. True it is that there are a number of holiday makers in places such as Phuket, but there are, I understand, aid workers in Sri Lanka, there are tourists in India, there are an unknown number of tourists in different parts of Indonesia. The concept of a mass evacuation when they're scattered is not an easy one.
JOURNALIST:
Can Australia provide some direct assistance to some of the more remote places affected such as Aceh?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Brad, we will if we can make arrangements with the Indonesian authorities. We will do what we're asked to do within the limits of our resources by countries such Indonesia. I hope to speak later today to the President of Indonesia and also the Prime Ministers of Thailand and India, not only to convey directly our sorrow at what has occurred but also to talk about things of that nature. But I can tell you that there's already been extensive contact between our people in Canberra, Emergency Relief Australia, and the Indonesian authorities, and we'll provide directly to Aceh what assistance we can and, depending on what response we get from the Indonesians, it may well be that the C130s will be commissioned to provide that kind of assistance, but you will understand that we are dealing with another country and we have to make arrangements with the Indonesian authorities before we actually provide aid to particular parts. We are giving aid in their country and we have to respect their wishes.
JOURNALIST:
So it's going to be a matter of waiting and seeing over the next few days what sort of requests you get for further assistance?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yeah. Well, I think they will begin to come more quickly and more precisely as the hours go by. But the scale of the disaster is such that, to put it bluntly, that people really don't know what has happened, and there would be chaos in any country if something like this hit it and it always takes time to assess what has happened - the scale of it, and, more particularly, what needs to be done immediately to help people.
JOURNALIST:
Do you intend to visit any of the regions?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, look I don't think there is any point in my planning to visit these regions at the moment. I think that would put an unnecessary strain on resources that frankly could be used for better purposes of relief. I mean, what these people want is to be helped to look after the sick and the wounded and to comfort the bereaved. I don't think visits from foreign heads of government in the next couple of days is going to assist that process.
JOURNALIST:
Would Australia be able to help by providing medical assistance in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, that could well emerge as a possibility. We have medical teams available for that. It's very much a question for us indicating, which we've already done at an official level, and I'll reinforce it in my discussion, that we'll provide what our resources will enable us to provide, but we have to be told what to provide and where to provide it because we are obviously not as familiar with what has happened as the Governments of the countries concerned.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) what the scale of the disaster, the number of (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I guess, like everybody else, I started to get reports about it last night.
JOURNALIST:
Would your government consider helping set up a tsunami warning system? Do you think there's any merit in that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think in the wake of something like this every government in the area looks at what it can do to prevent something like this happing in the future. I don't want to say, yes we are going to do that because I really don't know what's involved, I don't how effective it is. My understanding is that it is not particularly easy to warn against some of these things. Although there is apparently, according to one of the news reports this morning, an elaborate warning system in the Pacific, not in the Indian Ocean, but obviously we would look at something like that, but whether it is feasible I don't know.
Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister could we ask you a couple of extra things on different subjects?
PRIME MINISTER:
Really? What?
JOURNALIST:
Well, the first thing is that there was a poll in the Australian today, saying that 58 per cent of Australians now have not supported the commitment of troops. So what's your comment on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neither result in that poll surprised me. The immediate message coming out of that poll is that the Australian people want us to stay and finish the job, whatever reservations they may have had.
JOURNALIST:
What would you say about the group of Coalition MPs who would like to see a reduction in the top marginal tax rate?
PRIME MINISTER:
Their marginal tax rate, I didn't think they were saying their own. Well, you know they weren't singling out themselves. I think everybody is in favour of lower taxation. I have never met a person yet who is not. It's human nature. But you have got to pay for certain things, it's a question of striking a right balance and we will always do that. Thank you.
[ends]