Extract from Interview with Fran Kelly, Radio National Breakfast
Transcript E & O E – PROOF ONLY
Subject: Pakistan Floods
17 August 2010
FRAN KELLY: Foreign Minister, Stephen Smith is WA's most senior Labor figure and he joins us in the breakfast studio.
Minister, good morning.
STEPHEN SMITH: Good morning, Fran.
FRAN KELLY: Before we get to this election campaign, can I ask you as Foreign Minister about the Pakistan floods. This morning, the Australian Government has responded to the call for more aid.
STEPHEN SMITH: We've previously announced $11 million worth of assistance and this morning the Prime Minister has announced an additional $24 million worth of assistance. So our total contribution now is $35 million and we've done that because the situation continues to deteriorate. There are grave risks that the flooding will worsen and Pakistan's social circumstances, but also its longer term economic circumstances are potentially devastated here. So we're responding to the call from the United Nations' Secretary General and Pakistan itself to give more.
FRAN KELLY: And is it more cash or aid supplies?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well it's both. It's $10 million to the World Food Program for emergency food supplies, also to UNICEF for water and water sanitation equipment, also two and a half million dollars to our own NGO's, Non-Government Organisations active in the development assistance area. Indeed later this morning, I'll be having a meeting with some of them to talk about what more we can do in Pakistan. One of the things that we've noticed with Pakistan is that when the Haiti disaster occurred there was an overwhelming positive response from the Australian community. The Government tipped in about $24 million and the community tipped in about 26, so it was nearly a $50 million contribution to Haiti. We think because of the election there hasn't been the same public focus on Pakistan, and so the NGO's are very keen to get the public support as well, so we'll be…
FRAN KELLY: But do you think that is just because of the election? I know - recent comments from aid agencies in Pakistan are overnight saying that the world response had been relatively weak so far because if Pakistan is what they say an image deficit?
STEPHEN SMITH: Everyone knows Pakistan has its difficulties, you yourself had my Foreign Ministerial counterpart, Foreign Minister Qureshi on radio this morning. He always makes a point to me that for Pakistan to overcome its security problems it has to overcome its economic problems. That so-called deficit if you like will only be overcome when Pakistan does overcome its security issues and difficulties. So these two things are clearly linked. That's one of the reasons why we're making a substantial contribution. It's not just humanitarian. Our primary motivation of course is humanitarian to do the right thing, but there are also strategic considerations. Pakistan of course is strategically a very important placed country which has grave difficulties as you've drawn attention to.
FRAN KELLY: And I'll come to the strategic thing again, but just in terms of the size of our commitment, $35 million, the UN Secretary General calls it the worst humanitarian crisis he's ever seen. Is $35 million adequate for a country like Australia?
STEPHEN SMITH: We've made it clear that we will continue to monitor it in two respects. Firstly we will continue to monitor together with the United Nations and Pakistan officials the emergency relief required and if there's more that needs to be done or that we can do, we will certainly respond positively. But also the Prime Minister this morning and I make it clear that we're also looking at what we can do in terms of longer term reconstruction and rehabilitation. Over the last three years we've effectively doubled our development assistance to Pakistan so down the track, given this disaster, we obviously need to look at what more we can do in the longer term as well.
FRAN KELLY: And just finally, on the strategic implications, the floods have affected some of the centres of the worst fighting over the past couple of years. You'd think that might slow down the hostilities, but we heard this morning fears that militants are backing some relief efforts and entrenching their support in these regions. Is that a concern?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well it would be a concern if Pakistan's friends and neighbours and allies didn't respond in a generous and positive way. What we don't want to occur is any suggestion that the people who are standing shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan on a security front are not also standing shoulder to shoulder on the humanitarian front. But it is a disaster, the scale of which was not appreciated in the first instance. Since then we've also had additional rains and the spreading and the rising of the floods. So it's a compounding of circumstances which has seen us respond in what we believe is a signal that shows Australia is not just the friend that stands shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan, but also a good international citizen, but if there's more that we can or should do, we will.
Media inquiries
- Minister's Office: (02) 6277 7500
- Departmental Media Liaison: (02) 6261 1555