Prime Minister
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I'm very pleased to be here in Hobart today for this very important event, and I'll I'll ask Sussan Ley, as Minister for the Environment, to speak more to that matter shortly.
But can I also welcome, of course, the Premier, or, rather, I'm pleased to be welcomed by the Premier into Tasmania, and and welcomed to be welcomed back into Tasmania. But sadly the events of the last few days, I mean, it's, it's a terribly, terribly awful time for Tasmanians. And on behalf of Jenny and I, and all Australians, want to extend our deepest sympathies to the five families, in particular, who've lost the, those precious young ones. And we think also of the families of the, of the three who are still in a terribly critical condition. We think of the entire community that is just heaving with sorrow.
As I said yesterday, there are no words, only prayers, for our fellow Australians, and Tasmanians, and for the community that will carry this burden, and it will be a heavy burden. It will weigh them down. But I want to say to them, whether they're the first responders, the teachers, the friends, the family, the P&C at Hillcrest, the whole community, that Australia is one with them, and we grieve with them and we mourn with them, and we want to do everything we possibly can to help them through this terrible, terrible, unthinkable, unimaginable tragedy.
I want to thank Premier Gutwein for being in close contact with me over the last few days. We were speaking by by chance just that morning, we'd arranged, and these events overtook those conversations, and we've stayed in touch about trying to understand what we can do, as a Commonwealth, to help the the community in Devonport, and particularly the families and others directly impacted.
And so we discussed the need that there will be ongoing, ongoing counselling and other emotional support, particularly mental health support. And I'm, as a result of those discussions, I met with the, and discussed this with the Health Minister and our other advisers, and we are providing $800,000 to support families and communities affected, in counselling support - $250,000 for first responders, $550,000 for the broader community. This will be paid to the, Tasmania's Primary Health Network. It will be provided over an 18-month period because we know support won't just be needed in the next few weeks, it'll be needed for many, many, many months, to try and begin that process of healing. There's additional trauma counselling in the $250,000 for those involved and training for those services in trauma of informed care and psychological first aid and to assist the recovery. The $550,000 includes $200,000 for additional trauma counselling in the community. There's $200,000 for the local Headspace, trauma care and training, and expanded supports for young people. There's $100,000 to support the return of school in 2022, including training and counselling for teachers and staff, and $50,000 in community mental health and wellbeing grants to support the community. And obviously all the team up there, particularly Gavin Pearce, the Member for Braddon, who's done a terrific job working with the local community, and to Senator Duniam who's here and the whole Senate team, our whole team at both state and federal level, has been reaching out to support the community in Devonport.
And so we will reach out our arms and we'll throw them around the community of Devonport and Australia will throw their arms around Tasmania as they seek to to console for what has been an unthinkable time.
And so with that, I'll ask the Premier to say a few words, but on the topic of being also here today, it's been a great pleasure to be able to launch the new Nuyina and the great mission that she has embarked on. It's testament to our commitment to our stewardship of the Antarctic and our commitment to the Antarctic Treaty, amongst so many other like-minded nations who share a passion for this unique environment. And as Antarctica's, one of its closest neighbours, we have a special responsibility and have always stewarded that responsibility to the utmost of our ability and our commitment. And I particularly want to thank Minister Ley for her strong commitment to this project and all the work that has been done by our agencies to bring us to this day. And with that, I'll pass over to the Premier. Thanks Peter.
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, thank you, Prime Minister, and it is my pleasure to welcome you to Tasmania, along with Minister Ley. Look, firstly, if I could just touch on Devonport, and thank the Prime Minister for the support that his Government is providing. When I spoke with him yesterday and again on the day that this event tragically happened, he immediately offered whatever support was necessary, and obviously in terms of the counselling and working with our community, that work is going to be ongoing for some time. And so I thank him for that. I'd also acknowledge that other premiers around the country have reached out and offered us support from their states as well.
This builds on a package that we announced late yesterday. We've put in place the Regional Social Recovery Committee under our State Emergency Management Act to deal with matters like this, and that committee has already met. It has members, including the Devonport City Council, and others from across our departments. And one of the recommendations from that committee was that the Government should immediately make a first stage allocation available of $500,000 to support counselling and other supports in the community. And we announced that yesterday, and so I'm very pleased that the $800,000 that the Prime Minister has announced this morning will build on that.
But could I just say once again to all of those who have been impacted by this terrible, terrible tragedy, to the families of the five children who passed away. You know, words can't express the sympathy that I feel, that Tasmanians feel, the outpouring of sympathy right across this country, and I thank people for that. But note that we have five families whose lives have been irreparably damaged. Our thoughts must always be with them.
Importantly for the three children that remain in hospital, our hopes and prayers remain with them, in terms of the challenges that they face. But in respect of the broader community, as I said yesterday, it was inspiring to hear the comments and the thoughts and the offers of support from right across those that live on the North West Coast, those that are engaged with that school, those that are employed in our emergency services and with our first responders. You know, Tasmania will get through this and we will stand with those families and with that school community as they work through this very challenging time.
In terms of this morning and the Nuyina, as I said when I spoke this morning, on the 14th of October, unfortunately, we were in a very short lockdown, one of the very few that we've had in Tasmania, and as this magnificent vessel sailed into this magnificent harbour, I was one of only a handful of people that watched this arrive with little pomp and ceremony. But this vessel and the investment by the Australian Government, and over a long period of time as part of a program of nearly $2 billion worth of investment, will strengthen the links that we have with Antarctica, but importantly also embed and cement Hobart as the gateway to Antarctica, and I'm very thankful for the investment by the Commonwealth in that regard.
I do also just want to touch on the matter of COVID, and this morning we've had another case, it's in the north of the state. The details in respect of that case are on the coronavirustas.gov.au website. Our contact tracers are working through matters at the moment. I understand that initially there are around 19 close contacts, 16 that were on the flight that arrived on Thursday afternoon, and three close family members. And we'll continue to update matters as we receive more information.
But my message to Tasmanians is we expected that this would occur. We have planned for this. Our systems are strong. The procedures that we have in place and the investment that we have made readies us for this. But most importantly, we are one of the most vaccinated places on the planet. Yesterday, we passed the 90 per cent double vaxxed threshold for those aged 12 and over. In terms of over 16s, we're closing in on 97 per cent in terms of first vaccinations, and so we have a very vaccinated population. We have invested well in terms of our supports and our health system. And importantly, Tasmanians should not be concerned by this. We always knew that COVID would arrive. It's just simply a matter of ensuring that you keep informed and you do the little things. There is no mask mandate in Tasmania, but it is being considered. But importantly, if you can't socially distance, ensure that if you're indoors that you wear a mask, that you have good hand hygiene and you do those things that we can each take a little bit of responsibility for to keep our community safe. I'll hand over to Sussan.
THE HON. SUSSAN LEY MP, MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT: Thank you very much, Premier and Prime Minister. Can I echo your words of sympathy and sorrow for the Devonport community and wish them all the love, help and courage over the months ahead.
It's an important occasion today, and one that as the Premier said, we weren't able to mark earlier given the logistics of COVID. Today, we've had a really good recognition and send off for the RSV Nuyina, a $1.9 billion state of the art icebreaker. There is no more advanced polar research vessel in the world. This is an extraordinary ship, and I've been privileged to have a look over her this morning, and she is indeed remarkable. And she will not only transport expeditioners and resupply our four stations in Antarctica, she will also host international collaborations of scientists, on laboratories that have to be seen to be believed. There is what's called a 'moon pool', a 13 metre well that lifts through the ice, the waters of the Southern Ocean, to examine a range of indicators of the ecosystem.
So if you can consider science in the depths of the ocean, ice sheets and also in the upper atmosphere, contributing to climate science internationally, this vessel is a real underscoring of our commitment, and I want to thank the Prime Minister for his leadership in recognising that our Antarctic science program is underpinned by Tasmania. Thank you, Premier. The jobs, the investment, the industries, many of whom I've had an opportunity to meet personally over the last few days, are extraordinary. They've come up with novel ideas, with adaptations. They've gone down there and spent time in the traverse tractor being pulled, pulling the sleds that go 1,100 kilometres inland to build remote mobile stations and drill [inaudible].
This is such a Tasmanian gateway and a gateway for jobs and growth and the future of this incredible state. But my mission is always for the whole of Australia to understand our Government's commitment to Antarctic science and to meet the people. So as Senator Jonno Duniam often reminds me, the scientists, the expeditioners themselves, the suppliers, the provisioners, the mechanics, the repairers that make up the Antarctic program are extraordinary. And I want to thank also AAD, the Australian Antarctic Division, led by Kim Ellis, wonderful staff and what they do every day to make Antarctic exploration possible. And with this ship, this incredible ship to take that exploration, that science, that environmental protection to the next level. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER: Happy to take some questions.
JOURNALIST: PM, just on the Hillcrest tragedy, we've seen around $1 million raised for families affected through GoFundMe. Have you been personally touched just by how deep the community has been willing to help out those families in need?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I have, but I'm also not surprised at the generosity of spirit that flows. I've seen this as Prime Minister every day as we've dealt with some terrible tragedies in the country over the last three years, and on each occasion there is just, Australia are big hearted people. They they feel the tragedies that others experience and their instinct is just to reach out and console and support and do whatever they can. And we're seeing that again here. And for the families and the community that are going through this, that will, that will sound like, I'm sure, hard to connect to, because of the level of their grief. But it will [inaudible] and it will help the grieving process. And, so, on behalf of all Australians, thank you Australians, for reaching out in the way you always do.
JOURNALIST: Safety experts have called the national consistent guidelines, sorry nationally consistent guidelines so all inflatable equipment, regardless of whether it's three metres tall or not, has to be registered. Is that something you'll look at?
PRIME MINISTER: That's ok, no I think I got the question. And look, and Peter might want to comment on this as well, because, you know, actions have already been taken here in Tasmania, actions have been taken here in Tasmania already. And of course they'll be the appropriate inquiries by the authorities here, and that is the best place, I think, for those issues in the first instance to be investigated. But of course, the Commonwealth always seeks to harmonise between states and territories, and I think they'll be, of course, lessons learnt in this process, and the Commonwealth will work with the other states and territories who have carriage and responsibility for these issues to seek to harmonise that consistency wherever possible.
JOURNALIST: You and your wife Jenny will be visiting Devonport later today. What conversations will you be having with the school and the wider community about this tragedy?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're visiting to privately pay our respects today, and I spoke to the Police Commissioner yesterday and what we are doing is respecting his advice, which is we need to give the families some space and time. It is unimaginable as a parent to think what they're going through. You don't even want to contemplate in your own head. And so they will need time. They will need stillness. And they'll need quiet. They'll need those closest to them in their own families to be throwing their arms around them and and weeping with them. That is what they need. We need to respect their space. We need to respect their privacy and how they wish to grieve. But Jenny and I will go there today. We'll go there as the Prime Minister and as a couple, but also as parents, like any other parents who are coming along and paying their respects.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there's a study out overnight [inaudible] London saying there's no evidence as yet that Omicron is less severe than Delta [inaudible]. On the basis of that, is there a risk the Australian public is being lulled into a premature sense of complacency about the possible threat of Omicron? Would you urge Australians to keep wearing masks and doing rapid antigen testing over Christmas?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, what I'd say is that we have been waiting for much information to be coming through, and I'm in regular contact with the Chief Medical Officer. Indeed, he just provided me with further advice this morning. I met with him yesterday. We are constantly in contact on these issues, and his advice to me is that there is still a lot to learn about Omicron. And at the last meeting of National Cabinet, we tasked the AHPPC, the expert medical panel, to be looking at all of these issues. And I wouldn't agree that Australians are complacent about it. I wouldn't agree that any premier or chief minister or me as Prime Minister or any of our health ministers are complacent either. We take this incredibly seriously, but it's best addressed with a calm head and a clear plan and being able to rely especially on what the Australian people have done with vaccination. And Peter made this point. Tasmania, I can tell you right now, is the lead state on boosters, just like they were, as Peter will recall, was the lead state on getting vaccinated as well. The other states caught up with them, of course. But they are taking, they're on the leading edge of states on vaccination and and Peter was running through the figures.
Australia is not the UK, Australia is not Europe, it's not North America. Our experience with COVID has been very different. We have one of the highest vaccination rates in the world and our booster program is well underway. Over 1.2 million people have already had their booster. On top of that, our economy is coming through strong, and I always said we must save lives and livelihoods. We have to protect lives and livelihoods. And you've got to get that balance right with your settings. And we have one of the lowest death rates from COVID of any country in the world. So that puts us in a strong position to deal with these challenges. But you take the challenges seriously. You listen to the best medical advice. You get the information. You don't jump at shadows, you wait for the best information. And that's another piece of information that has come in, and I'm sure will help continue to inform all of the decision makers about what the the best way forward is.
But what I do know is, Australia can't go back. We have to go forward. We have to live with this virus. We have to live with it safely. The National Plan was about opening safely, to remain safely open. And that's what we're doing. It was based on the best medical science in the world through the Doherty Institute. And so the best thing for people to do is, as the Premier said, show common sense with your own personal health care and hygiene, get vaccinated and listen out for the information and the rules. And Australia will live with this virus and we are doing it, even now.
JOURNALIST: ATAGI has decided not to reduce the interval period for booster shots. Is that a decision you agree with?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course they are the medical experts who decide those things, that is their job, to make the medical determinations about what the appropriate period is between a booster shot and the second vaccine. Now I know that that is under constant review. I know that they are looking at different timeframes. But at this point, they've decided not to do that. There are well over two million, almost three million Australians who are eligible right now for boosters. And so there are plenty of vaccines. And so it's important that they go and get their their booster shots now. You can get the Moderna shot, you can get the Pfizer shot, they're all as good as each other. And I would encourage you to go and do that, whether it's from a pharmacy or GP. And I particularly want to thank Premier Gutwein for his commitment to keeping the state-based vaccine hubs rolling out. That's tremendous and have asked all premiers and chief ministers to be doing the same thing, as I discussed with at National Cabinet the other day.
JOURNALIST: Is there any medical advice about when states and territories should potentially consider restrictions with case numbers? Because we've seen 2,400 in New South Wales today. Is there any advice at all about restrictions in cases or?
PRIME MINISTER: Living with the virus under the National Plan is not about case numbers. And so we need to be careful in how we talk about case numbers. We're not going to alarm people on case numbers. What matters is hospitalisations, ICU, people on ventilators and severe illness. And that's what matters, and that's the key indicators and the thresholds for determining what public health settings should do. We're past the time when we just talk about case numbers. That is not the trigger for other decisions. It is a leading indicator on some, on some issues. But the real issue is how many people are experiencing serious illness. Now, there's just, 24, I think, in New South Wales currently that are, who are in that situation. And as a result, you know, the case numbers are not translating into into immediate pressure. But that's not to say it won't. But we're ready for this. We've been planning for this. We planned to live with the virus. We didn't plan to remain shut in.
JOURNALIST: For weeks now, the Government said that it's working to lift Indigenous vaccination rates, yet in Tennant Creek only, in the Tennant Creek area, only around one in three people are vaccinated. What are you doing to lift that rate? And is it a concern?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we're working directly with the community and the Northern Territory Government, as we move through every community, as we have done in other states and territories to improve the vaccination rates in Indigenous Australians as best as we possibly can. We have teams doing that. But the good news is is we're pushing on 70 per cent vaccination in Indigenous communities now. And I know that compares extremely well with other nations and their Indigenous peoples. So I want to thank all the Indigenous leaders, I want to thank our medical teams, I want to thank those on the ground. I mean, in many cases, this is a door to door activity. And that's exactly what we're doing, working together with the Northern Territory Government.
But thank you very much for your questions. Is there anything else you wanted to add, Pete, before we?
JOURNALIST: Premier, can we just talk about the positive case you've got today?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Yeah of course.
JOURNALIST: Just in terms of, I know there were some wastewater positive testing in Norwood and you don't know of a case there. What do people, what should people be doing in terms of getting tested in that area?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: In terms of the positive test, in terms of the wastewater treatment plant serving Norwood, if anybody's experiencing symptoms, even light symptoms, please go and get a test. We don't have any public health advice in terms of the positive case in the area, so if you do have symptoms, please go and get tested.
JOURNALIST: And you're confident there's no broader risk to the community, given this positive COVID case has travelled to multiple locations in the Launceston area?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, I think once people view the exposure sites, they'll see that the person only spent a short period of time at the different exposure sites. We're working through that contact tracing now. As I've said, my advice first thing this morning was that there were only 19 close contacts initially, but we'll work through that. I would expect public health to update that when they have further advice.
JOURNALIST: Patrons at the JJs Bakery Cafe are going to be deemed close contacts. How many people are you expecting will be isolating from there?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, again, that's a matter for public health to work through. It was only a short window of time, but public health will work through that process and they'll obviously contact those people and appropriately advise them in terms of what action they should take.
JOURNALIST: And this man obviously got a test once he was notified from public health about being in that high risk area of New South Wales. Should he have got a test anyway?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, he was tested, I would expect, prior to coming in, coming from New South Wales. But, you know, again, we have at the moment a recommendation from public health, a very strong recommendation, that anybody that is in the state, that has travelled in, that was outside of the high risk areas that have been identified across both Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT, if they weren't subject to a pre-departure test within 72 hours before arriving in Tasmania, they should get a test.
JOURNALIST: So this man did take a pre-departure test?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Look, I don't have that public health advice at the moment, we can certainly find out whether or not he did.
JOURNALIST: And just one more from Hillcrest, families of the victims are frustrated by the lack of information provided about what actually happened that day. Can you understand their frustrations and will they get answers?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Look, I can absolutely understand their frustrations, but there needs to be a proper investigation into this and obviously WorkSafe is working with Tas police and we do need to let that take its course. And obviously, when we're in a position where we can provide answers to the families and to the broader community, we will do so.
JOURNALIST: Just one more on the virus. So we've seen five cases now in three days since the reopening. Do you have any second thoughts about about reopening at the time you did, considering WA's still closed to other states?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, the framework that we put in place to reopen was this. Firstly, as a Government, we needed to be satisfied that 100 per cent of eligible Tasmanians for the vaccination had had the opportunity to be vaccinated. Now, we passed that threshold a number of weeks ago. Importantly, we set a target initially to be 90 per cent vaccinated for over 16, for over 16s. And then, for over 12s. As of yesterday, we hit that 90 per cent target for the over 12s. And so we've achieved the vaccination targets that we want. And as I've said, we're one of the most vaccinated places in the country and on the planet. We have put in place the systems to manage this. And importantly, we've been upfront with the Tasmanian community. We always knew that we would see cases in the state once we reopened. That's just going to continue to happen. Importantly, Tasmanians simply need to do those things that they are asked by public health, should they be a close or casual contact. And importantly, across the state, once again, I would say to Tasmanians, do the right thing, ensure that you have good hand hygiene, that you follow the rules in respect to social distancing, and if you're inside indoors and you can't socially distance appropriately, wear a mask.
JOURNALIST: Just on Nuyina, finally, COVID delayed its arrival originally and then delayed its celebrations and the launch today. How exciting is it that it's finally going to embark on its journey?
THE HON. PETER GUTWEIN MP, PREMIER OF TASMANIA: Well, look, I think it's fantastic that Nuyina not only could be welcomed and launched in the state, but it will be departing, as well, on its first journey. You know, this is a significant investment, in fact, the largest investment it's ever been made by an Australian Government into Antarctic operations - more than $500 million into the ship, a $1.9 billion program over coming years. It's an incredibly important day for Tasmania because what this will do is underpin the benefits of the Antarctic program and Hobart being the gateway to the Antarctic for decades to come.