SPEERS:
Well Prime Minister you've no doubt seen a lot of the disaster, the pictures on TV... at this summit talking to the leaders of the countries affected... what have you taken away yourself of the extent of this devastation and just what's needed?
PRIME MINISTER:
A confirmation of what I believed and a very strong belief that the commitment that's been made by the world in the last few days has to be sustained. It's a terrible human tragedy, an appalling natural disaster, the worst in my lifetime but out of it there is an opportunity to build bridges of trust and cooperation, not only between Australia and countries in the region but the world generally. A huge natural disaster like this brings forth the common human emotion of compassion and it reminds us of the essential decency of mankind and of the willingness of the world to help those who need assistance.
SPEERS:
You mentioned the word trust. Is one issue that needs to be addressed to prevent any sort of natural disaster having the effect it did in this case, building trust between the countries in that Indian Ocean region that were affected, so they share information, so they talk more and can handle this sort of thing in the future?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think it was a lack of trust that in anyway contributed to the disaster, but when something like this happens there's always an emotion that says we have to make sure it doesn't happen again or if it does happen again, the consequences aren't as severe. Now that is one of the things that will come out of this meeting.
SPEERS:
An early warning tsunami system?
PRIME MINISTER:
An early warning system in the Indian Ocean, whether that will be a total answer to such an eventuality in the future, we'll never know but certainly we owe it to the people who were killed in this, and we owe it to others who might be in the future, to endeavour as a community to do that.
SPEERS:
Will Australia kick in any.....?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh of course we will do out bit. I mean I don't think anybody could doubt the bona fides of Australia.
SPEERS:
Well indeed Australia's topped the list now of donor countries - $1 billion a generous offer directly to Indonesia. What sort of feedback, you mentioned from the Indonesian President he was overwhelmed with your generosity, what about other leaders, Kofi Annan did he.....?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think we are seen as not only doing our bit but, as it were, punching above our weight but we can afford to do this, we are a relatively wealthy nation, we're a very fortunate nation and we owe it to humanity and we owe it to the future stability of the region to do what we have done and I'm very proud of what Australia has done. I'm especially proud of the response of the Australian people and it's quite extraordinary that our country, through voluntary donations, has now contributed more than $100 million. That's a remarkable figure, and the way in which our soldiers and doctors and nurses were in there from the very beginning. We had the first foreign assistance on the ground in Aceh and I was the first foreign leader to speak to President Yudhoyono. Now that was how I felt at the time, I wanted to offer assistance and the Australian people have responded magnificently and I'm just so proud of my fellow countrymen and women.
SPEERS:
Australians have indeed been very generous with their individual donations as you mentioned somewhat $100 million but what I'm wondering is there ever a point at which it becomes too much money being donated or do you think that will never be the case, that any amount will still be accepted?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I don't think you ever have too much but it's a measure of the way in which people have seen it, it's a tribute to the graphic character of television, it's put into everybody's living room. You fellahs do a great service to humanity on an occasion like this because you really show it as it is and television is the most powerful medium mankind has ever had to pick up and transmit into people's living rooms the scale of the dimension of disasters. It's a great pity we hadn't had television a hundred years ago and may have had fewer casualties in war.
SPEERS:
Indeed. Well just back on Australia's donation as a government of $1 billion. You've done this not through the United Nations but with a one on one agreement with Indonesia and the money will be coordinated as to how it's spent between the two countries. What will this mean for relations between the two countries, you talked about entering a new phase?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it certainly is the biggest single aid contribution Australia has made ever. It must be seen, and is seen, and will continue to be seen by the Indonesian people as an act of great generosity. It will be administered through a joint commission, Australia and Indonesia will share the decision making process, that is the best way to deliver aid of this kind because we will know where it goes and it can only go on things that we and the Indonesians agree to. I think it is seen as a genuine response of great significance by the Australian people and the Indonesians will not forget it.
SPEERS:
Kofi Annan told the summit that the UN should be spearheading the relief effort, but you've side-stepped the UN if you like, is that a deliberate decision?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm not trying to sidestep anybody. I'm just trying to make sure that this huge amount of Australian assistance is delivered in the most effective way and the most effective way is to have the joint commission, that is the best way of delivering it. The UN has an important role but nothing can take the place of nation states because nation states have the assets and they have the capacity, the decision making processes and I don't think it is seen as a side- stepping of the United Nations. It's seen as the most logical way of handling a problem, it eliminates administration, it goes right to the problem, it gives to the donor country, that's Australia, and the country receiving the help, joint responsibility with nobody else involved to decide what the money should be spent on. And I'm sure the Australian taxpayer, who is after all providing the money, would want it that way.
SPEERS:
Are you satisfied as a member country of the way the UN has dealt with the relief effort so far?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think inevitably in something like this the first in are the people and the assets of individual countries. It's the nature of the challenge that you need decisions made on the spot by individual countries. The UN has a role, I'm not critical of anybody, there's a situation like this the only criterion of what you do is what works and the overwhelming requirement on the 26th of December was to actually get help into Aceh and Sri Lanka into Phuket. Now the quickest way of doing that was for individual countries like Australia to say we will send Hercules, we will send medical teams, we will send this and that. It's just common sense, an application of common sense, that says in a situation like this action by nation states is the right thing to do. This is not having a go at the UN, it's just recognising reality.
SPEERS:
Were you surprised at all by the apparent delay in George Bush's reaction to the crisis?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, America has been very generous and I have no (in audible) with people who take pot shots at America. America by (in audible) of her size and wealth is still the ultimate guarantor of and rescuer of so many countries and I'm getting a little tired of the predilection of some people to grab every single opportunity to have a swipe at the Americans. This is not the occasion to criticise people, it's an occasion to, rejoice is the wrong word, but take satisfaction from the fact the world has been so generous.
SPEERS:
But as the world's richest nation and as arguably the leader of the free world, it was surprising that George Bush took three days to say anything public?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think you are nit-picking on process rather then looking at the substance of what America has done and America's assets, her helicopters, her money, her 14,000 military personnel, the relief effort is terrific and I don't think we should get into some kind of (in audible) analysis of how many hours went by before somebody said something.
SPEERS:
Well another of the things that Australia is doing is a day of mourning on Sunday week the 16th of January, can you tell us exactly what that will involve?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we'll be asking people to mark it the way they think fit, many will do so by attending a church service, I will certainly do that. I'll also, in recognition of the fact that the Islamic faith has its weekly prayers on a Friday, perhaps attend a Mosque on that day and also I would like to go to a Hindu or Buddhist place or worship because a lot of the people who died, the great majority of them were not Christian. We'll also fly flags at half-mast. I'll encourage people to wear some wattle, if they can find it or some other native emblem...flower... and we'll also invite people to observe a minute silence at 11.59 in the morning, just before midday because that was the moment at which the earthquake struck.
SPEERS:
There was a lot of speculation that you may go visit one of the areas (in audible) do you have any plans to do that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the reason I'm not doing that at the moment is that the people who would be deployed as it were looking after me are better deployed caring for the sick and getting them back to health. There's a tremendous strain put on security forces and military and so forth when a Head of Government, particularly somebody in my position, goes to an area like that and I don't think it's fair on the relief workers that I should do so. That's my personal view and I think I'm right.
SPEERS:
As far as Australia is concerned the epicentre if you like of the tragedy was really Southern Thailand where so many foreign tourists were, what are you sentiments to the families that are still waiting?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the agony of waiting is appalling. We shouldn't lose sight of the fact that although our losses are dwarfed by the losses of countries like Indonesia and India and Sri Lanka, for those Australians who have lost loved ones and for those who are waiting the grief is immense and the agony is terrible. All Australians feel very much for them and part of the response, the generous response of the Australian community, is a mark of respect for them.
SPEERS:
Prime Minister just on a more domestic matter, we haven't seen a lot of Mark Latham over the past 10 days, throughout this tragedy. We now are learning that it's because his pancreatitis has returned, do you have any comment on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look if he is unwell, I'm sorry and I hope he gets better soon. I've not said anything about him, I haven't said anything. If he is ill I wish him a speedy recovery.
SPEERS:
Are you satisfied there's been good bipartisanship throughout this?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes I've not observed any untoward comment from the Opposition. I appreciate that. This is not an occasion that should get involved in party politics, it's an issue that's above politics and the Australian public would not easily accept the intrusion of party politics into something like this.
SPEERS:
And Prime Minister just finally this disaster has had an enormous impact on Australians and the Australians psyche, as someone who reads that mood of the Australian people very well, what sort of lasting impact, if any, do you think this will have on the Australian psyche and I'm thinking in terms of our spirit, our generosity, our humanity has it changed at all?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I think this has demonstrated something I've always believed and that is the Australian people are incredibly generous, they are decent good people and this incident, this tragedy and the response of Australia has demonstrated that the Australian people collectively have a heart of gold. I've always believed that and I've always been impatient with people who've thought otherwise and their generosity has been wonderful and it vindicates a view that many have held about the great decency and goodness of the Australian people.
SPEERS:
Prime Minister, thanks for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]