Prime Minister
Patrick Connolly, Mayor, Hawkesbury City Council: Good morning, everyone. I'm Patrick Connolly, the Mayor of Hawkesbury City Council. This has been a devastating event here for us in the Hawkesbury. It's come a year after another devastating flood we had last year, and before that, bushfires. Our community is has been through so much and so many people are struggling. Today and and the last couple of days, we're moving from immediate response into the recovery. And so we're very, very happy to have the Prime Minister here today. We've had a chance to talk to him about what Councils response is like and what we're going through. And and I know Sarah Richards has had a chance today to to show him some of the impacts on the ground. So very happy to have the Prime Minister here with us.
Prime Minister: Well, thank you, Patrick. And thank you for the opportunity to come here today. I want to thank particularly all the local command here, where they've been doing such an incredible job. I'm joined of course by Sarah. But I was also joined today by the State Member Robyn Preston and the Federal Member Susan Templeman, and the opportunity to get briefed across all the agencies and all the services in terms of the impact of a flood yet again here out in the Hawkesbury. It wasn't even a year ago when Jenny and I were here and seeing the terrible damage that occurred on that occasion. Here we are less than a year later, and we're dealing with a flood of a similar magnitude, in fact, just a bit bit more than that, in fact, here in the Hawkesbury.
But wherever I go to these terrible events, I see the same thing every single time, and that is such a strong community resilience and response. And here in the Hawkesbury on this occasion, after the events of less than a year ago, the preparedness, the resilience that even has been built up in the last year - the way that homes have been fitted out to better equip themselves to face a flood, the fact that we've had large containers being put on people's sites so they can get their property into a secure place. One of the families I was talking to this morning on the phone that we met last time was able to do that.
And so that doesn't mean the flood doesn't have a terrible impact. Of course it does. But the readiness and the way that people help themselves or help each other is always a part of the response to natural disasters in this country. It's a conversation I've been having with other leaders across the country - premiers, local governments, and even when I spoke to the Governor-General last night. You've heard it from Peter Cosgrove, former Governor-General, and both of the former heads of the Defence Forces. In Australia, the community response mixes together with the local government response, with the state government response, with the Federal Government response. It's not one or the other. The reason we're able to push through so many of these events is they all come together. And, of course, those who were first here are always going to be the local community, neighbours helping neighbours. That has always been an important part of our natural disaster response, and always will be. State, local and Federal Governments aren't there to replace that, but to aid it, to support it and continue to build on it. And that is especially true once you get past the immediate impact of the flood event itself and you start moving into the rebuilding phase and the recovery phase, which is going on all around us here today.
A couple of things I want to bring to your attention. Across the country, as of this morning, 766,000 individuals have been supported by the Commonwealth Disaster Payments and Recovery Allowance support to date. That's $631 million which has gone out the door and into people's bank accounts and their pockets about the last two weeks. Here in New South Wales alone, $423 million makes up that $631 [million] across the country, and that says something to the scale of the floods that we've seen here in New South Wales. Here in the Hawkesbury alone, there are 8,671 claims and over $7 million in direct support that has gone in.
There are over 4,000 [ADF] boots on the ground here in New South Wales, and we have over 6,000 right across the country, operating as part of Operation Flood Assist. And they're engaged in a myriad of tasks, from the initial phases when they were winching people to rescue, to now, as you see them with boots on the ground, as we see them here in the Hawkesbury out there assisting with the clean-up and the recovery. That presence is a very welcome sight and I know a great encouragement. And I want to thank all those Defence Force personnel who have been out there doing that, and particularly the reservists who have been part of those call outs, and up on the Northern Rivers especially. Those reservists, I want to thank their employers as well. Employers have released them to go and serve their communities and serve their country in the way that they are doing now. It's a very important part of our ability to respond.
In total, here in New South Wales, the Commonwealth and the State Governments have already committed and spending around $1.5 billion to support the flood recovery and response effort. The Commonwealth, that includes the Commonwealth Disaster Payment and so on, has contributed $1 billion of that. And so we are here in a significant way, just as we are in Queensland. The way this flood response funding works is requests are made to the Commonwealth Government, and we have met every request that is being put to us. In particular up there in Lismore at the moment, there is a caravan convoy. There are 20 mobile homes already there as part of the initiatives that we're putting in place to support temporary accommodation for so many who have been affected. Just this week, the Premier announced a further around half a billion dollars in support up there in the Northern Rivers. That is 50-50 funded by the Commonwealth Government. I spoke to the Premier that morning. He announced it later that day, and that includes a $285 million housing package, which the Commonwealth is supporting 50-50.
Also last night, I met with the, with the Governor-General in Canberra, and we declared the state of emergency for New South Wales. The Premier, sorry, the Governor-General had himself been in Northern Rivers during the course of that day, and that gave us the opportunity to discuss firsthand and get his feedback on what was happening on the ground, and I'd obviously been there a day or so earlier. This followed consultation, of course, with the Premier here in New South Wales, and sitting down yesterday morning at Cabinet, the National Resilience and Recovery Agency, the Emergency Management Authority, and looking further, at the further data that has come through. We had considered also doing it for Queensland. I consulted with the Queensland Premier. Her view in our consultation was that the cooperation between the Federal and State Governments have been excellent, and I agree with her. It has. It's been very good in Queensland, and I saw the first, firsthand the rollout of the recovery and clean-up effort that's underway. The Premier didn't believe that was necessary in Queensland. And so I listened carefully to her and our agencies, and that's what consultation is. You listen and then you make decisions, and that's what we've done.
In New South Wales, the situation, particularly in the Northern Rivers, is absolutely devastating. They've had an inland tsunami there and it is as awful as the impact of the flood event here, once again in the space of just one year, here in Hawkesbury is. What I really want, I thank people upstairs, and I want to thank people in flood-affected areas all around the country. Even though as they're cleaning up their own homes and trying to re-establish their own businesses after being impacted by those flood events, it is amazing how they send their best wishes to those who are in northern New South Wales at the centre of what is like a blast and an epicentre, and at a scale of a one in 500 year flood. And I think that says a lot about Australians, that even when they're going through, as they are here in the Hawkesbury right now, Patrick and and your community here, they're also thinking of people in situations like in Lismore and Coraki and all of those areas in the Northern Rivers. So I want to thank Australians for their generous heart when it comes to that, and the practical ways they're seeking to support each other.
So with that, I'm happy to take some questions.
Journalist: Prime Minister, a lot of the people we've been speaking to say, especially along the river here, they're used to floods, they're very aware of them, it's a well-oiled machine in terms of recovery. One of the issues they've always had, though, is insurance companies. What would you say to the insurance companies who are trying to penny-pinch in the months to come?
Prime Minister: Pay out. That's what I'd say to them, and to honour their their contracts, and those who have been able to have that flood insurance expect to be supported. That's why you take it out. And if there are issues there, then I have no doubt that those matters will be raised. And I know Sarah would be happy to hear from them, and the Treasurer and I will be happy to take those matters up. This week, Bridget McKenzie, the Minister for Emergency Management, Disaster Resilience and Recovery, has been meeting with the insurance companies and the banks just to monitor their response to the flood events, not just in the Northern Rivers, but right across the country.
What is also important is, you know, in dealing with climate change, you have to get emissions down, and we've got them down by over 20 per cent. We've got our commitment and the plan to get to net zero by 2050. But I said this two years ago, before the floods that we've experienced here over the last couple of years, and I said, dealing with climate change is about resilience and adaptation as well. And so whether it's up in the Northern Rivers and the resilience works that frankly haven't been done for a long time, there's been a lot of resistance to some of those works. We've got to get that done, because if you do that, then the insurance companies will be in a better position to be able to insure. Now, that doesn't mean they can insure everywhere. But up in the northern part of the country, our Government established the the reinsurance pool of $10 billion. Now the reason we did that was because of the market failure that was occurring in the insurance market, which meant it was very difficult for people to get insurance and then live and run businesses in Northern Australia, and build strata units and things of that nature.
So it's not just a question of calling out insurance companies when they don't do the right thing, but we will. But we also have to work together - councils, state governments and the Federal Government to ensure the resilience and adaptation policies are in place that can make more places insurable. Now, Peter Cosgrove's made some points about that. I commend Anthony Roberts, the New South Wales Planning Minister, and the comments that he's made today. When I spoke to the Mayor of Ballina the other night she was able to tell me that in those parts of Ballina that were subject to the new development approvals guidelines, they were able to avoid much of the damage that occurred in Ballina, which shows that sort of resilience to floods, that sort of adaptation actually can save so much. And I know here in the Hawkesbury, it's a, it's a big challenge for the Council to get all those settings right. And so I I applaud what Anthony Roberts has said today. I think he's spot on.
Journalist: Prime Minister, you mentioned a convoy of about 20 motorhomes going to the ...
Prime Minister: It will be over 100, ultimately, 20 are there now.
Journalist: So over 100, ultimately. We are facing a pretty large scale housing crisis in that region. On top of these motorhomes, what are you doing to make sure people have somewhere to stay and they can stay in accommodation?
Prime Minister: Yeah, well, there's everything from rent assistance and other temporary income support to support those accommodation. It's a $285 million package, which the New South Wales Government has brought together and they're running, and we're funding half of it. So my answer is $142.5 million directly committed in the discussions the Premier and I had to support them address the accommodation crisis that is occurring in the Northern Rivers. So I commend the Premier on the package. And he had me at hello when it came to our support for it. We know it's essential. I've been there, I've seen it, I know it, and the Governor-General, and I want to thank His Excellency for being there and and giving me further feedback in some of the other outlying areas he was able to get to, whether it's business support that is needed. But it's it's going to be a long road back up there, and we're going to be there every day, just like we were there up in North Queensland, just like we have been there in all these floods. People know the payments. I mean, Patrick, Sarah, you know, after the last floods, the support that was provided. It got through. It got to people. It got to the primary producers, it got to the businesses that were directly impacted, and the individuals who need that support. So housing is a very serious issue.
The other big issue up in Northern Rivers is is the, is the water treatment plant, and it's something the Premier and I have been discussing, and I know the local Mayor up there in Lismore, he's, they're very troubled about this, and I'm very keen to see that that gets sorted out. That will, that will create health issues, if that's not sorted out as well. And I know the Premier has that high on his list, and I'm I'm sure they'll they'll get it sorted.
Journalist: On the emergency declaration, just to be clear, why did you change your mind about declaring a national emergency in parts of South East Queensland? Was it after those discussions with the Premier?
Prime Minister: Yeah, I mean, the way you do this is you consult. And it was our intention to do it in both states. But after consulting and listening, and particularly listening to, as we got further information in from our agencies, the National Recovery and Resilience Agency, who, where more damage assessments had been completed. We were just talking upstairs, I mean, damage assessments are still being done here in the Hawkesbury right now. And so as you get more data, that better informs your decision, and it also followed my discussion with the Queensland Premier. So when I say I'm going to consult someone, I mean it. I'm not, I'm not, I'm not so stubborn to, as to not listen. And when the Premier tells me she doesn't think it's necessary, well, of course, I'm going to listen to that.
Journalist: But a week ago she did think it was necessary. She just said it was too late.
Prime Minister: Well, if she thought it was necessary a week ago, she could have written to me and asked me to do it, but she didn't. That's that's the way it works. If the state wants it to be done, then they can request for it to be done, and no such request was made by the Queensland Government. The first person to talk about putting it in place was the Federal Government, and but the rule says, and I think it's a good rule, that you should consult. And I did, and I listened to what she had to say.
And I should stress, the state of emergency declaration has no connection to the deployment of Defence Forces or payments or any of that. All of that's flowing. And as as Premier Palaszczuk noted, that was working incredibly well in Queensland, and the cooperation was outstanding. What the state of emergency does, and this will be particularly helpful, particularly up in the Northern Rivers, where the situation remains drastic, it helps with things like having the waiver on our regulations for Commonwealth agencies so they don't require a signature on a bit of paper. I mean, people won't have documents, they won't have access to, they could have lost everything of of their their backup storage on their computers, and all of these things. And under our laws, there is a requirement to ensure that certain declarations are made, and and that's normal process. But when you're in the middle of a one in 500 year flood, it makes sense to have some flexibility about that.
So the state of emergency declaration at a Commonwealth level, at a federal level, is to deal with those things. So the money has flowed, the boots have been on the ground. And as I said in Queensland, back in 2011 when the big flood hit Brisbane, this time round we had three times as many ADF out, and a week earlier.
Journalist: Just on COVID, Prime Minister.
Prime Minister: Sure.
Journalist: Nat Cab yesterday.
Prime Minister: Yeah.
Journalist: Sounds like COVID's almost over.
Prime Minister: Well, we did have a good discussion about the National Plan yesterday with premiers and chief ministers. And you'll know, Phases A, B, C and D, and we believe we're pretty much in Phase D now. There are few exceptions to that. Phase D, remember, means living with the virus like the flu. And, you know, our airports are open again, international arrivals can come, there's the waivers now on quarantine and so on with people returning. So we're pretty much in Phase D. Western Australia's, you know, a month or so behind where the rest of the country is. And so they'll continue to be some different arrangements there for for the next while. But I know the Premier there is as keen for, to get to that next phase as the rest of the country, but he's obviously got to do that at their pace, because they've been in a different cycle on COVID. Similarly, up in the the Northern Territory, there are discrete communities up there, Indigenous communities, where they will continue to have to exercise some real caution. So there are some exceptions to where we're at at Phase D, but pretty much, especially here in New South Wales and and Victoria and I'd argue Queensland as well. We're pretty much there in South Australia. I mean, South Australia, all the, the Premier has taken off all of those remaining restrictions, I think, last night.
The other big change we talked about yesterday is getting rid of the close contact rule, which makes a lot of sense, and that's that would be done only with further advice from the medical expert panel. And so we gave them some some tasking yesterday and said, look, it's, for for a whole range of reasons, it's important that we remove this close contact rule because it's it's it's starving businesses of staff, of hospitals of staff, and all of these things - although for the health sector, there have been some exemptions. And for people who are running hospitality businesses and things like that, the close contact rule, particularly with the kids back at school. I mean, we all know what it's like with kids and flus and and other things that, you know, they bring it home, and then then the whole family has to stay home and can't go to work. So that rule is is becoming, we believe, as leaders, redundant. But so we've tasked the medical expert panel to say, want your urgent advice on this as soon as possible, because we'd like to say goodbye to that rule as quickly as we can.
Journalist: And how worried should we be that this could be the first winter that we're going to get COVID and the flu potentially hitting at the same time?
Prime Minister: Well, this is the challenge going into winter. I mean, we've had obviously COVID the last few years, and but the fact that we've had so many of the social restrictions means that we haven't had bad flu seasons the last couple of years. In fact, we've had very few fatalities from flu. They they dropped dramatically during that period. Now that we're living with the virus, it means we're living with everything again. And that means there'll be a flu season. And, so, vulnerable people should be getting their flu shots, and even more broadly than that, we said that, again, that the flu shot should be mandatory in those aged care and disability care and places like that, which is something that has to be renewed by the states. The joint testing process that deals with both flu and with COVID, with PCR tests. So we went through our preparedness plan for winter yesterday. I thought it was a very constructive discussion and the states are well-prepared. I mean, we've come through the Omicron wave, the hospital system has stood up to it in every part of the country.
Journalist: Do you see a world in which we could regress in restrictions? Regress back to the old, old COVID ways of restrictions here, there and everywhere?
Prime Minister: No.
Journalist: Do you see a world in which that happens at all?
Prime Minister: Well, I certainly hope not. Oh no, I can't, I can't see that. I think, well, I mean, you can never know what the next variant may be. And I know there's, we discussed the mutations of the existing variant with Omicron yesterday, but we're largely talking about the same virus. The difference with Omicron and Delta is like a completely different virus. That's when you get a variant of of really significant concern. What we've seen with these latest permutations of this variant is it doesn't need to change our settings. We can keep doing what we're doing. We may see some more cases, but as we've known now, and I've been trying to be, trying to say for a long time, cases is not the point. How your hospital system is going is the point, and our hospital systems have held up extremely well.
Journalist: Prime Minister, have you considered what you'd do if there's an outbreak with media staff or your staff while on the campaign trail?
Prime Minister: Well, I'll just follow the rules. Same as what would happen in your staff or or anywhere else. I've had it and I isolated for a week, and I'm back and on my feet. It wasn't that pleasant. But what I'd say is this, is make sure you get your booster. One of the key things we we were briefed on yesterday, if you've had your booster, even after you've had COVID, the evidence is starting to say that that reduces the risks of long COVID effects on your health. So just if you've had COVID, you don't have superpowers. You still need to get your boosters, and you still need to look after those things. And so I'm pleased I had my booster.
We we have discussed and are already acting on where we need to get a fourth shot into those who are more vulnerable, immune deficient, things like that, aged care and so on. And that is progressing. But my advice to everybody is get that booster because you still might get it. But I can tell you, I know what I had, and I wouldn't have wanted to have something a lot worse than that. It's no fun. It's not pleasant.
Journalist: Prime Minister, the ABC's been receiving reports this morning that nine refugees have been released from the Park Hotel in Melbourne. Are you able to confirm whether they've been given bridging visas?
Prime Minister: I'll leave that to the Home Affairs Minister to to confirm those arrangements.
Journalist: There were emotional scenes in Darwin yesterday when the police officer Zachary Rolfe was acquitted of murder.
Prime Minister: Yes.
Journalist: What was your reaction to that and what is your view on calls to ban guns in Indigenous communities in Darwin?
Prime Minister: Well, look, I'm not going to provide a a response without getting further information on this. I can understand just how high the emotions are running in the Northern Territory about this case right across the community. And it is a very difficult time for that community. But we have a justice system in this country. A justice system that looks at the evidence and makes decisions through our courts. And that's what I respect and that's what I trust, is that that justice system to do its job. And I think the traumatic circumstances here that the court would have had to work through, the court officers, the families, the communities impacted. This has been a really difficult time, and I think what we have to do is give the community some space, give them some time to comprehend all of this, deal with this, and and seek to heal and move forward together. This has been a terribly traumatic event, and so that's where our focus will be, supporting the communities ... One of our ADF assets out doing it's job, which is great ... But our our task is to support the Northern Territory Government to support communities to help them work through what is a very, very difficult time for them. These are not simple issues. They are, they are not straight forward. And and so our response will reflect that complexity. Ok, thanks very much, everyone.