PRIME MINISTER:
Ladies and gentlemen I just wanted to briefly say to our fellow Australians in far North Queensland how concerned the rest of the country is with the likely impact of the cyclone. It is clearly of enormous magnitude and we can only hope that the damage to property is less than feared and that there is no loss of life or serious injury to people. I've already been in touch with the Queensland Premier. I spoke to him last night and we have agreed to work together. The Federal Government will provide any additional assistance that is wanted by the Queensland Government. There are well established disaster relief arrangements between the Commonwealth and the States, whereby after a certain level a great bulk of the cost of disaster relief is picked up by the Commonwealth Government.
If any military assets are needed then they will be made available. There is of course nearby at Townsville a very large military base, the largest in the country and there's already been an assessment made of what assets might be needed. But I think it's important at this stage for myself and the State Government to take the advice of the experts. But very importantly can I say to the citizens in the area to take the advice of the emergency authorities in Queensland, keep your radio and television's on so that any warnings that are given out can get the widest possible dissemination. This is certainly a very fearful and challenging time for the people of far North Queensland and I want them to know that their fellow Australians are with them and will respond in an appropriate fashion to any request for help.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard when did you receive your last briefing?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh about two minutes ago.
JOURNALIST:
And what's the latest?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's no better than frankly... no more complicated or detailed than what is on the media. The media on occasions such as this are very much across the detail of the situation. I don't have any insights that aren't available and nor should I. As soon as information is available everybody should have it because it's the people there whose lives and property are at risk. But I am being provided with regular updates. I don't want to bore you with the bureaucratic details, but all the machinery that exists for cooperation at a State and Federal level has already been activated and I'll continue to be in touch with the Queensland Premier. And as I say any help that is needed from the federal level, additional help will be made available.
JOURNALIST:
Do you believe Australia generally and Queensland in particular was prepared for this?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you are never totally prepared for something like this. But I am impressed that people have already been evacuated, they have been evacuated...some of them yesterday afternoon and that arrangements were in place. I don't think any community is ever totally prepared but Australians are very good at responding to these things because everybody pitches in without restraint and without any kind of holding back to help-we all help each other-and I'm quite certain that that egalitarian cooperation which has served this country well on other occasions will operate again on this occasion.
JOURNALIST:
What precisely... resources is the Federal Government making...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they may need helicopters for example, military helicopters. They may need water purification equipment-depending on the extent of the damage. The water purification equipment that the ADF had worked incredibly well in Aceh. Now I'm not comparing it with that, I'm simply drawing on that experience to make the point that our ADF has a lot of practical equipment available. Now it may not get, I hope it doesn't get to that situation. But I'm making the point that we have got that sort of material.
JOURNALIST:
The cyclone has been felt as far north Cairns. I'm just wondering if it's had any effect on Lavarack Barracks in Townsville (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no, I haven't been given any such reports, no. There's a a fair distance.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard have you thought about travelling up. I know you've got a busy week (inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I think the important thing at the moment is to let the experts deal with the situation and sort of not get in the way. I mean obviously I will do what is appropriate at the appropriate time.
JOURNALIST:
Are you confident that we're not going to have a New Orleans type situation here?
PRIME MINISTER:
Very confident. I mean there's very close cooperation between the Commonwealth and the States. We might bicker and quarrel on some issues, but when it comes to responding to things like this, Commonwealth- State machinery works extremely well-and so it should. There is no occasion on an event like this, there's no occasion for people to do otherwise.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard could I ask you about workplace relations. Why release the details of the new IR laws during the Commonwealth Games?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well because they're coming into operation I think on the 27th of March. The law's coming into operation on the 27th of March. Now if we hadn't released it we'd had been attacked. But it's not the detail it's the regulation. The detail was contained in the legislation that passed the Parliament at the end of last year.
JOURNALIST:
But some of those fines are pretty new. I don't think people were aware that (inaudible)...
PRIME MINISTER:
Look there is nothing in this that breaks new ground.
JOURNALIST:
There is some criticism that you haven't left people enough time to read the legislation.
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't think there is a risk in that. I think that's just part of the fear campaign that the ACTU would seek to run. We've had a lengthy debate about this and obviously the debate will go on-that's a democracy. But this legislation is not extreme.
Thank you.
[ends]