Transcript
2 October 2009
Interview with Channel Nine's Today Show
Subjects: Pacific Disasters
CAMERON WILLIAMS: But now there are concerns for Australians missing in the Indonesian surfing mecca of Padang following that massive earthquake.
Here with the latest on the situation in Indonesia and in Samoa is Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.
Good morning to you, Minister. Overnight reports were that there were at least six Australians in Padang, Indonesia who remain unaccounted for. What's the latest on that?
STEPHEN SMITH: We've had 13 Australians registered in Padang. Overnight there are four whom we haven't been able to make contact with. So 13 Australians who we definitely know are in the area because they've registered with us and four of those we haven't been able to make contact with.
Much more concerning, is that our Embassy and officials have been working very hard overnight, we now think there could be up to 250 Australians in the general area. We've made contact with nearly 140, so we could have as many as 100 Australians not currently accounted for.
And so we're working very hard to ascertain whether they're in the area and whether they're okay and we'll be doing that with the Indonesian authorities in the course of the day.
CAMERON WILLIAMS: What is the best way for Australians here that are concerned, to make contact with the Australian Government?
STEPHEN SMITH: They should try and make direct contact with their loved ones or their friends if they think they're in the area. And if they can't make contact with them, then ring the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular number 1300 555 135 and provide the details.
That would then give us a better judgement and a better guide as to the people who were there and will then try and track them down. We've got officials on the ground in Padang as we speak.
CAMERON WILLIAMS: All right, that situation of course is expected to get much, much worse as time unfolds. What is the Australian Government doing to assist at this stage?
STEPHEN SMITH: Currently the official Indonesian death toll is over 500 but it will increase, it's a terrible toll but it will get much worse.
Overnight the Indonesian authorities have agreed to Australia to providing assistance. So we've already got some disaster stores already propositioned in Indonesia, things like medicines, tarpaulins and tents, that'll be distributed in the very near future.
But importantly Indonesia has agreed to Australia providing a search and rescue — an urban search and rescue team. That will leave Australia this morning and as well, they've also agreed to a defence force engineering assessment team to help on the assessment of the earthquake damage and also help on the rescue advice, and that team will also leave Australia today.
So given the magnitude of the problem, Indonesia is now wanting assistance from the international community. We'll be sending those two teams from Australia in the course of the day.
CAMERON WILLIAMS: Minister, we've heard that the six Australians believe missing in Samoa have been found. Are you confident that all Aussies have been accounted for there?
STEPHEN SMITH: From Samoa overnight we brought back six injured Australians. They arrived at Amberley at about 4 o'clock in the morning and went to Ipswich Hospital just to be checked.
We've got one injured Australian still hospitalised in Samoa. All of the Australians who we knew about in Samoa have been accounted for including, tragically, the four Australians and the one permanent resident who are confirmed dead.
All of the ones who we are aware of, we've accounted for. There just remains the possibility that there may have been some Australians on that south-east coast where the worst of the damage was done who were holidaying there and who haven't reported in. But we've got nothing to base that on other than just being cautious and that will probably take a couple more days to give a final sign off in Samoa.
But we've got one Australian still injured in hospital and we're obviously giving her as much assistance as we can.
CAMERON WILLIAMS: All right, that's good to hear. Thank you very much Stephen Smith.
STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks, Cameron.
Media inquiries
Foreign Minister's office (02) 6277 7500