1, AU STHA LI/ A~
PRIME MINISTER PRESS STATEMENT NO. 483
4 April 1975
VIETNAM ORPHANS
The Australian Government has chartered a
Qantas 747 jet to help in the evacuation of Vietnamese
children destined for adoption by Australian parents, the
Prime Minister announced in Townsville today.
Mr Whitlam said the aircraft would leave
Sydney at 4: 00 p. m. today for Bangkok carrying three doctors
and twenty nurses to look after the orphans on their flight
to Australia. It will also carry twenty-five tonnes of supplies
for emergency relief in Vietnam for humanitarian purposes
including rice, milk powder and corned beef.
Mr W. Morrison, the minister assisting the
Foreign Minister, will fly with the relief team to
supervise the evacuation and report directly to the Prime
Minister. The team will have as its medical director, Dr.
W Langsford, First Assistant Director-General of the
Public Health Division of the Australian Department of
Health. The aircraft will wait in Bangkok to receive
children being flown out of Saigon by RAAF Hercules
aircraft. It will also bring back to Australia dependents and
non-essential personnel being evacuated by the Australian
Embassy in Saigon. The children will leave Saigon as soon as
possible. So far three Premiers, Mr Dunstan, Mr Hamer and
Mr Bjelke-Petersen, have responded to the Prime Minister's
message to State Premiers last night seeking guarantees about
the care of the children brought i~ nto Australia and their
agreement to the waiving of usual formalities.
Some delays are being experienced in Saigon in
preparing the children for departure, but the Australian
Embassy is working to overcome these and hopes the airlift
of the children will be well underway tomorrow.
TOWNSVILLE AND CANBERRA
-2-
/ ATTAkC.-LMENT: Premiers' Replies on Vietnam Orphans
Mr Dunstan's reply states:
" South Australia gives the underaking
and agreements sought in your message tonight and we will
make the arramgements you ask."
Mr Hamer' s reply reads as follows:
" I refer to your telegram of last night concerning
the adoption of Vietnamese orphans. You have my assurance
that we will receive orphans up to the number for whom
there are approved families and that we will provide
accommodation and care in the no ' rm-al way for those
children amongst these orphans who are not eventaully
chosen for adoption because of their medical or physical
condition. Our Department of Social Welfare will maintain
close and continuous liason with your Department of Labor
and Immigration as requested. We would appreciate advice
as early as possible of prospective numbers of children
arriving in the next few days so that appropriate
reception arrangements can be made. I have arranged for
the Department of Social Welfare to send separate advice
to your Department of Labor and Ihmigration about reception,
placement, and ongoing care for these children."'
Mr Bjelke-Petersen's reply reads as follows:
Reference your telex re adoption of
Vietnamese orphans by Queensland parents. Our Department
of Children's Services is presently processing well
over 2O0applications for such adoptions and is giving
very* urgent priority to them. While it is anticipated
further applications will be received I must emphasise
that not every such application is necessarily from
suitable adoptive parents and must be examined
accord~ ingly. As always, the future welfare of the
child concerned must remain the department's paramount
consideration. In accordance with your request I
confirm that my Government would be prepared to accept
without the normal medical check any number of such
children -up to the figure of 200 mentioned above.
You may also be assured that the Department of Children's
Services will maintain the closest liason with the
Department of Labor and Immigration here."