ROBSON:
Now the heartache felt by the families who've lost everything here in Canberra has touched the nation. And Prime Minister John Howard who toured the fire devastated areas says he's never seen anything like it and has promised government help to those in need. Prime Minister, thank you so much for your time tonight, it's a very busy time for you. It's been a harrowing 48 hours hasn't it?
PRIME MINISTER:
This is the worst property devastation from a bushfire in Australia that I've ever seen. To put it in perspective for many of your viewers it's the equivalent of three to four thousand homes being destroyed in Sydney or Melbourne and that gives you some idea of the dimension, or perhaps close to a couple of thousand in Brisbane. So it is major destruction of ordinary dwellings in a suburban environment, cheek by jowl with the bush, but a lot of us live cheek by jowl with the bush in many parts of the major cities of Australia. So it is something that in that way we can all relate to although we can't of course know the particular experience through which these people passed.
ROBSON:
Now you've witnessed the devastation first hand, you've talked to the people of Canberra. How are they coping?
PRIME MINISTER:
Very well. I mean Australians cope very well with adversity and they get together, they pitch in, help each other. They're sorry for the people that lost their homes and the random character of this sort of thing is that you'll, as you've seen, you'll pass three or four burnt-out homes and there'll be one in the middle that's untouched and it's just the way the embers have fallen I suppose. It's just the way it's all happened. But people cope very well and the community is showing great spirit and everybody's reaching out to those who need help and I'm quite sure that it won't be for want of community support that these people are helped back onto their feet.
ROBSON:
Now it's very early days but there has been some criticism that there wasn't enough warning by the local authorities. What do you think of that, was enough done?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you really have to ask the local ACT government and so forth about that.
ROBSON:
But you must have been briefed.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they argue, and I can understand it, that they did everything they could. I think in the fullness of time when it's all over there probably should be a look at the way we approach these things perhaps on a national basis but not in a blame apportioned sense, not in a finger pointing way. I have great admiration and I'll always put in a word for the volunteer firefighters and for the police. They put their bodies on the line. They really literally do that in order to save other people and for them I'll always be a powerful advocate.
ROBSON:
Well they certainly did a good job....
PRIME MINISTER:
Fantastic.
ROBSON:
....given the circumstances.
PRIME MINISTER:
They did.
ROBSON:
Prime Minister thank you so much for your time tonight.
[ends]