Transcript E&OE
3 October 2009, 1:00PM AEST
Press Conference
Subjects: Sumatra earthquake, Tsunami in Samoa and Tonga, Typhoon Ketsana damage in the Philipines and Vietnam, Australian assistance in the Pacific.
STEPHEN SMITH: It's been a very difficult period for our region, both in Asia and in the Pacific with the range of natural disasters on a very large scale. I'll deal in detail with Sumatra and Samoa. But firstly can I just indicate today the Government is making a range of announcements, rendering humanitarian and other assistance to adversely affected countries in our region.
Firstly Tonga. Tonga of course hit by the tsunami. At least ten dead in Tonga and we're today announcing a million dollars assistance to Tonga that will provide equipment, emergency equipment, which we have placed on board a French ship which is sailing to the Nuia island, which is a remote island which has been most adversely affected in Tonga. This is cooperation between France, Australia and New Zealand. So a million dollars' worth of assistance to help Tonga.
Secondly Vietnam. Vietnam of course was recently subject to the ravages of Typhoon Ketsana. Today I'm announcing a million dollars' worth of assistance to Vietnam, both to the Vietnam Red Cross and to Australian NGOs active in Vietnam. Again humanitarian and urgent assistance.
The Philippines. The Philippines of course was originally hit by Typhoon Ketsana, suffered terrible devastation, over 280 killed. The Government announced last week a million dollars' worth of emergency assistance to the Philippines and today I'm announcing a further $2 million worth of assistance for emergency food assistance through the World Food program.
The Philippines of course about to be buffeted again today by Typhoon Parma. I've spoken this morning to our Ambassador in the Philippines to advise us that the typhoon appears to have gone north off manila. But it is raining very heavily in Manila and we saw extensive flood damage in Manila.
So a range of announcements there, assisting our friends and neighbours in the Asia Pacific. It reflects Australia's regional role but also reflects the fact that we regard ourselves as a good international citizen trying to help out when countries or people fall on very difficult times.
So far as the two main areas of Australian operation are concerned, Samoa and Sumatra, let me firstly deal with Samoa.
We now have over 100 Australian personnel on the ground, rendering assistance in Samoa. One hundred and two was the count this morning. Shortly we'll see the arrival of an Australian Federal Police team of ten to deal with victim identification. So further support to Samoa.
It remains the case in Samoa that we have four Australians confirmed dead. We cannot at this stage discount with certainty that other Australians may not be involved. Although as each day goes by the prospects of Australians being in Samoa who we weren't aware of, of course, reduces.
But a significant effort now in Samoa, across the board assisting there and we are of course also now, so far as Samoa is concerned, giving thought together with New Zealand to the longer term reconstruction and rebuilding of Samoa. But the additional effort going into Samoa today is an Australian Federal Police team for victim identification.
On Sumatra, we of course have seen the devastation of the earthquake in Padang and there's a considerable Australian effort now going into Padang.
Yesterday the Prime Minister spoke to President Yudhoyono to personally extend Australia's condolences but also to detail the Australian assistance effort and that is now extensive.
Yesterday in Padang we saw the arrival of the Defence Force engineering assessment team. This will help on the assessment of engineering when it comes to trying to rescue people from large buildings, damaged or destroyed by the earthquake.
A health assessment team is also there and in addition to the engineering assessment team and the health assessment team, there's also a large urban search and rescue team which arrived in Padang yesterday.
So we have now on the ground in Padang about a ten person team, aimed at trying to make contact with Australians who may be in the area, a consular team, foreign affairs and trade officials, Australian Federal Police, defence and AusAID officials. So that's forming our consular presence in Padang.
In addition to that consular presence, and I'll make some further remarks on that in a moment, we've now got the engineering assessment team, the urban search and rescue team and health assessment.
Scheduled to arrive today is, through a defence C17 plane, is effectively a field hospital and further medical and health professionals and that's due to arrive in Padang today and to be supplemented tomorrow. So that will see an extensive medical and health team in Padang.
As we speak HMAS Kanimbla is leaving Sydney to head to Padang, via Townsville and Darwin, where it will pick up supplies and equipment and there's a Defence department release which details that, just as there's an Australian Federal Police, which details arrangements for the victim identification team in Samoa.
In addition to that in Sumatra in the course of yesterday and today emergency stores are arriving, what are described as family kits, people who have lost everything require everything from tents, tarpaulins, cooking utensils, clothing and the like. Essentially everything except food and water which is being supplied locally. So an extensive effort on that front.
Yesterday we were dealing with, so far as Australians at risk, we were dealing with 13 Australians who we knew were in the central Padang area when the earthquake struck. And in the course of yesterday we still had Australians unaccounted for.
I'm very pleased to indicate that overnight we have managed to account for all of the Australians who were and known by us to be in the central Padang area at the time of the earthquake.
There were 13 Australians registered in the central Padang area and late yesterday we accounted for all of those and that's very good news. We can't of course discount the possibility that Australians who weren't registered with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade weren't in the area at the time.
Yesterday morning I indicated that we'd been made aware of anywhere up to 100, 110 Australians who may have been in the area or generally in Sumatra at the time of the earthquake. In the course of the day that figure was reduced to 60 and today we have now overnight reduced the number of Australians unaccounted for who may have been in the Padang area, who may have been in the general Sumatra region, on Sumatra itself. That has now been reduced to 40.
And so our officials in Padang with our ten person team are working very hard together with officials in Jakarta and Canberra to try and account for all of these Australians.
Having said that we have no information, no evidence, nothing to indicate that any Australians have been killed or injured as a result of the earthquake.
But as a result of people supplying us with information, family members and friends supplying us with information, we've got about 40 Australians, who may have been in Sumatra, who may have been in the general Sumatra region, who may have been in the Padang area at the time of the earthquake, who we haven't accounted for and our officials are working very diligently on that front.
But the good news is that 13 Australians who we knew were in the Padang area at the time of the earthquake have now been accounted for.
So I'm sorry for that lengthy briefing but that's an update on Samoa and Sumatra and an update on the government and Australia's response to the devastation in Tonga and the Philippines and Vietnam. And I'm happy to respond to your questions.
QUESTION: The amount of money, sorry, that's going - that's being announced today. Can you go on with that for us then?
STEPHEN SMITH: So far as the Philippines is concerned last week the Government announced a million dollars' worth of assistance to the Philippines for emergency assistance as a result of Typhoon Ketsana. The Philippines have suffered terribly from the typhoon, particularly in the Manila area, over 200 people killed in extensive flooding. Today I'm announcing $2 million worth of emergency food supply for the Philippines through the World Food program.
Part of the devastation has seen crops which were just about to come to harvest have been destroyed and so it's emergency humanitarian food assistance for the Philippines.
So far as Vietnam is concerned, a million dollars to Vietnam, the Vietnam Red Cross and to Australian non-government organisations working on the ground in Vietnam. Typhoon Ketsana crossed the Vietnamese coast about 80 kilometres south of Darnang, seeing loss of life and considerable devastation. So a million dollars assistance to Vietnam.
And Tonga of course damaged by the earthquake in one of the remote islands of Tonga, the Nuia Island, at least nine dead. That's remote and our million dollars' worth of assistance which is emergency supplies will be loaded on a French frigate, which is sailing to that island today and that's a combined France Australia and New Zealand effort.
QUESTION: A few days have passed since these natural disasters occurred and issues to do with hygiene and disease are now coming to the fore. Is there anything Australia can do in that regard to help?
STEPHEN SMITH: The most recent advice from Samoa is that we haven't yet seen evidence of that, but as I say in Samoa for example we have an extensive team of Australians there now, 102, that will be supplemented by the Australian Federal Police Defence Identification team.
Part of our contribution in Samoa is medical and health assistance. So obviously that is a key concern which we're very well aware of, as is the Samoan National Disaster Committee, which met this morning. Our High Commissioner was there and I spoke to him about these matters this morning but obviously we will pay very careful attention to that, as will the Samoan government.
On Samoa, could I just indicate that the last of the injured Australians, an Australian woman, was flown back from Samoa and arrived at the Richmond Air Base in Sydney late last night? And so all of the injured Australians have now been returned to Australia.
QUESTION: On the number of areas that consulate staff are having to work on at the moment, they're well spread out. How are staff coping? Is there enough resources?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well we're very confident that we've applied enough resources, both in terms of consular officials, both to Samoa and Sumatra but also resources in Canberra and resources at the two main embassies or missions, our embassy in Jakarta and our High Commission in Apia in Samoa.
Our officials are working very hard and I've been speaking to our Acting Ambassador in Jakarta and our High Commissioner in Samoa on a daily basis. They're both confident that they have sufficient resources. They've of course both been the subject of extensive additional resources in Samoa.
When you, as I've done this morning tally up the Australian, the Commonwealth and the State officials who have gone to help out, 102 additional Australians in Samoa and a significant effort now in Sumatra.
So our officials are working very hard, both in Apia in Samoa, in Jakarta, in Padang and also in Canberra where of course we've got our consular crisis centre operating on a 24 hour basis.
So everyone is working very hard but we're satisfied that all of the resources have been applied to meet, not just our obligations to Australian citizens who may have been caught up but what we regard as our obligation as a good friend and a good neighbour and a good international citizen to help out other countries when they are in very difficult circumstances.
QUESTION: Minister, you might have heard this story this morning about a Vietnamese man who had Australian citizenship who was wrongfully detained for three years under the former government. What are your thoughts on that?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well I'll leave a detailed comment on that to my colleague, the Minister for Immigration, Senator Evans but obviously it's a very bad event, serious administrative error and a terrible circumstance. But I'll leave my colleague Senator Evans to make additional remarks on that.
QUESTION: Are you aware of any other situations of wrongful detention that are...
STEPHEN SMITH: Well again that's a question you need to address to Senator Evans.
[ENDS]
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