E&OE
7 May 2008
Interview - ABC Radio AM
Subject: Aid for Burma
TONY EASTLEY: Australia has
announced it will give $3-million in immediate humanitarian
assistance to the people of Burma.
Up to $1-million will be provided to Australian non-government
organisations with the local capacity to provide immediate
emergency shelter, water, and sanitation assistance.
Australia's Foreign Minister Smith is in Seoul in South
Korea from where he joins us on AM.
Good morning Mr Smith, $3-million, whereabouts it going?
STEPHEN SMITH: Good morning. Our $3-million, as you have indicated in your introduction, a million dollars will go to the Australian non-government agencies that have got capacity on the ground. So well-known Australian agencies as CARE, World Vision, and Caritas. Another million dollars we’ll give direct to the United Nations World Food Programme for emergency food relief. And a further million dollars will go to UNICEF. The United Nations World Food Programme and UNICEF have both got local capacity on the ground. So our contribution is aimed at the things which we are advised and which our own Ambassador told me last night were the key priorities, which is water purification, shelter, food and basic things like mosquito nets to try and prevent the spread of malaria.
EASTLEY: $3-million from a country as rich as Australia to a disaster as large as this in a country like Burma doesn't seem a lot?
SMITH: Well, it compares very favourably with other nations and that’s the judgement that we have made very quickly. This is a terrible disaster and tragedy and so we have made an immediate and urgent response. And I don't want to be sort of making comparisons, but it does compare favourably. The European Union for example has made a contribution the equivalent of $AU3.5-million, so we think it is a contribution. We are looking at what more, if any, we can do but the key thing now is to make sure that the urgent and immediate relief that can be delivered on the ground, and our aid is structured to try and give assistance to our own NGOs who have got capacity on the ground together with the UN agencies who are already there. And as I said publicly yesterday, we are continuing to urge the Burma regime to allow international access to make sure that this very urgent assistance is delivered very quickly.
EASTLEY: Would Australia consider sending personnel in Australian personnel if the Burmese authorities agreed to it?
SMITH: Well, we've got a mission on the ground in Rangoon.
EASTLEY: Over and above that, I mean.
SMITH: Sure, no well I just … in our mission in Rangoon, we've got about 20 people when you include family. That includes an AusAID officer, experienced in this area on the ground. As I said yesterday, our position remains the same. We stand ready, willing and able to provide whatever assistance we can render and if technical assistance or further people on the ground is required, then we stand ready and willing to consider that. Just in terms of our own people, if I can just make this point, I spoke to our Ambassador late last night. All our people, all our officials and their family are safe and accounted for. We still have a number of Australians who we haven't accounted for but to date we have had no indication that any Australians are in trouble or in need of consular assistance. But we continue to urge any Australians in Burma to make contact with the mission there or with the department here or with family and friends in Australia. We also have consular responsibility for Canada as part of an international arrangement, and we were able to say the same thing in respect of Canadians. We have accounted for very many of the Canadians and we’ve had no reports that any of the Canadians are themselves in trouble, so hopefully that remains the case. Our urgent priority remains just getting the water purification and the shelter assistance and the food on the ground as quickly as possible.
EASTLEY: Yes, that $3-million you talk about, are you confident, Smith, that the Burmese generals, the junta that runs Burma, won't want to have a hand in the pie?
SMITH: Well, Australia has been harder on the regime than most other countries and certainly the new Australian Government has been very tough on the regime.
EASTLEY: But you think the money will get to where it is supposed to get to?
SMITH: Well, yes I do because that is why we focused it in the way that we have. A million for our own agencies, like World Vision, who have got capacity on the ground and as I say, the two UN agencies, World Food Programme and UNICEF, they've got on the ground presence. They have had that for a period of time in the run up to this particular tragedy so that is why we have structured our assistance in the way that we have.
EASTLEY: Just quickly, if I could ask you, Burma's constitutional referendum will go ahead on Saturday in most places, what is Australia's position on that?
SMITH: Well, as I said before, the referendum is a sham. It is nothing more, nothing less than an attempt to perpetrate or continue the perpetration of the military regime. Whether it is held on the 10th May or the 24th May or next year, is neither here nor there. It is a complete fundamentally flawed process just aimed to bolster the regime. My preference of course, would be that they just put it off entirely and concentrated on looking after their own people. But they have decided overnight to delay in the worst affected areas for a couple of weeks but to continue generally. My attitude in this is: there is a humanitarian crisis here, so let’s put all that stuff to one side and just get on with the job of delivering what is required and doing that as quickly and effectively as we can. Getting an international community response and from Australia's perspective, just trying to be a good international citizen in our region.
EASTLEY: Australia's Foreign Minister, Smith in Seoul, thanks for joining us this morning on AM.
SMITH: Thank you, thanks very much.
[Ends]
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