HOST: Julia Gillard joining is in the ‘Gabba commentary box. Great to see you in Brisbane again.
PM: Thank you very much for having me in the box.
HOST: And look, which parts of Australia haven't you seen at the moment, because over the last couple of weeks there are so many people in need and you've been incredibly busy.
PM: I've been trying to get round to as many communities as possible because 1) you want to offer a word of reassurance; and 2) you want to really see it for yourself, what it's like on the ground, how much we're going to have to rebuild.
HOST: You'll have to call a few of the boundaries, too, Prime Minister.
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There are millions of stories. Is there one that strikes you off the top of your head at the moment from all the devastation, regional, suburban?
PM: From all of it I think the thing that stays with me the most is the people of Grantham and talking to them - the absolute smashing up of homes and cars and planes and bridges and roads in the Lockyer Valley and in that community, Grantham. I met a little girl who'd been evacuated from there and she told me this horrific story about the night they'd had on the roof of the house waiting to be rescued, but told it to me in the same sort of tone of voice a child would tell you about what happened at school that day, just amazing. She was a great kid.
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HOST: To think, here we are today trying to rally the community in and around Brisbane again and throughout the state of Queensland because of floods, and there are people in the northern part of the State battening down the hatches once more with a cyclone imminent.
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So, only a cyclone imminent here in Queensland but I think the good word is it is getting a little, well, the threat's been downgraded in Western Australia, which is good news.
PM: That's a little bit of good news, but, gee, it just seems so cruel doesn't it, that at the end of the summer period we've had and at the end of all of this flooding that now we have to talk about cyclones here in Queensland and in WA. It really is just cruel, I think there's no other word for it, putting more pressure on people.
HOST: We do live in an extraordinary country, though, because on one side of the continent we have floods and a few weeks ago in West Australia we had bushfires, so you go from one extreme to another.
PM: We continue to have farmers in drought in some parts of the country, so just as people are cursing too much water there are still people with too little.
[Cricket commentary omitted]
HOST: And there's been all manner of appeals over the last couple of months, but from the cricket community today already over $1 million has been raised through Cricket Australia, the State bodies, the players' match fees from today.
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And Prime Minister you've got a wonderful announcement today as to the Federal Government's recognition of today and realising that you're also going to pitch in?
PM: We are going to pitch in, so Cricket Australia's done a remarkable job bringing together the cricketing community, so we're going to match that dollar for dollar and we're also going to match the donations people make today to the Premier's Relief Appeal, whether that's by phone or on the website. So, if you're thinking of donating, do it today because you're going to double your money. We're going to match it.
HOST: And that's the Queensland Premier's Flood Appeal website and also the number today?
PM: The number today is 1800 219 028.
HOST: So 1800 219 028, we'll give that number again.
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HOST: Prime Minister just wondering whether or not, we have had previous Prime Ministers partake in the gentle art of cricket. We have seen a previous Prime Minister attempt to bowl a cricket ball. When are we going to see you at the crease at some stage or other?
PM: Never. I saw John Howard at the Sydney Cricket Ground and said to him I'm never going to try and match you for being the biggest cricket tragic who's a Prime Minister. You win hands down. I give up right now. And so I'm not going to try and keep in his footsteps.
HOST: Are you a cricket fan?
PM: Look I'd have to say Tim, my partner, is probably the fan in the family. I'm the one in the study doing the paperwork but I can track what's happening by the shouts coming out of the lounge room.
[Cricket commentary omitted]
HOST: And you speak of your partner Tim, did I read that he's going to be part of a game at Manuka Oval in Canberra?
PM: There is a game at Manuka coming up for the first sitting week, which is also going to make a contribution for flood appeal fundraising. I think he's hiding some of the details from me but he's talking about wicket keeping.
HOST: OK.
HOST: If he wants any tips just give us a yell.
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HOST: Yes a former Ashes tourist wicket keeper here in Ray Phillips, but, yes, I believe the ACT Brumbies and the Raiders and a lot of the sporting community in Canberra. We've seen it everywhere across the country. It doesn't matter whether people have been affected or not, but they're trying to do their bit.
[Cricket commentary omitted]
HOST: There you go Prime Minister. Tim would have seen Matt Prior moving nicely to his right there are gloving it very softly.
HOST: It's all in the footwork.
PM: All in the footwork - I'm not guaranteeing that we will see that move reproduced at Manuka Oval.
HOST: (inaudible) down at Canberra there and bowl a few overs, just behind closed doors.
PM: I'm not sure I'm going to be the best person to practice with. We might have to get a few others around to help.
HOST: David Hussey's the new man. Prime Minister just before you go a word on, there are so many stories of community help and so forth, but those that are employed at the same time to do the work, out national service over the last month or so, the men and women of the national service probably haven't had as much talked about them because there's been so many other stories out there. They've come off leave, they've done all manner of things just as, well, all others around Australian in voluntary means, but what are the stories you're hearing from them?
PM: Amazing. We've had more Defence Force personnel here helping in Queensland than any time since Cyclone Tracy for a natural disaster and I've met with a number of them. They've literally saved dozens of lives in the Lockyer Valley, getting people off roofs. Some tremendous stories of individual courage, and then they were there moving filth and muck just to give people that sense of confidence that help was there, help was coming, and they were going to be there to help people rebuild their lives. It's been tremendous.
[Cricket commentary omitted]
HOST: Well, Prime Minister, just to reiterate that the Federal Government today matching the donations of Australian cricket, which is already upward of one million, the Premier's Flood Appeal donations today on the website and on the phone number 1800 219 028. So, it's great to see that on this day where the cricket community is pitching in - as Hussey gets off the mark, turning Woakes through the onside for one, they'll come back for a couple, the score to 4/115 - that again the Government has seen yet another part of the community doing its bit and has decided to put its hand up as well.
PM: It is terrific and we do need people to keep donating. That is going to help their fellow Australians in a really personal way as people get about the job of rebuilding their lives. Our job as a Government is to get on a rebuild all the big infrastructure that's been damaged by floodwaters, but help a fellow Australian, ring the number today and we'll pitch in as well.
HOST: Prime Minister of Australia, Julia Gillard, thanks for coming in.
PM: Thank you.
HOST: And now you've got another one on your partner. He'll be jealous if he's a cricket fan, that you've been on board ABC Grandstand cricket.
PM: I'll have bragging rights for a good while.
HOST: Thanks for your time.
HOST: Wish him good luck at Manuka Oval.
PM: I will. Thank you.