HOST: Prime Minister, thank-you for your time. Firstly your reaction to the thought there that some of these fires are the work of arsonists?
PM: If arson is proven to be a cause for some of these fires then I simply underline what I said the other day. Such people if they are convicted are guilty of mass murder. The laws of the State provide that they can be put away and put away for life.
My own personal view is they should be allowed to let rot in jail, that's my view. This is unspeakable murder on a mass scale. But the facts in each case have to be established.
HOST: Okay now today you've announced an extra $5 million in funding, the total is up to $15 million. Where does that extra five go? What's the breakdown?
PM: That's just one very small part of what we've announced today. That's simply to provide extra cash to great organisations like the Salvos and to the Red Cross to continue providing that emergency upfront assistance as people walk in the door.
More importantly, beyond that what we've indicated today is one, anyone who is losing their jobs as a result of this, or can't resume their normal business or farming operations, they're immediately able to access Newstart for a period of 13 weeks and then we'll further review it after that. Those are Newstart payments which will begin straight away.Also we've indicated we'll establish a small business and farming fund, assistance fund to help people get back their enterprises that they had before.
Together with the measures that you outlined before and assistance for housing and for the rebuilding of schools, these are the sorts of measures I outlined in parliament today.
HOST: Now Prime Minister, you've been here, you've seen the devastation, you've spoken to the people here and the emotion is felt right across the country. As you return back to Canberra what did you take with you emotionally from that experience?
PM: I think two things. The first is to have some small sense of the trauma that these poor people have gone through. And that is reflected very much in the other statements made to the parliament today by members on all sides of the house.And the second is this, the extraordinary feats of courage by people across the board and our fire, country fire authorities and elsewhere and neighbours and friends standing in the breach, putting their lives on the line. These I think are the great, empowering messages to the nation. And we as a nation intend to stand behind the rebuilding of these communities. These communities will be rebuilt, it will take time, but we are going to see this through. And we're going to see it through together.
HOST: Mr Rudd we thank you for your time tonight.
PM: Thank you.