Press Conference, Parliament House, Canberra

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

Subjects: Japanese earthquake and Pacific tsunami

12 March 2011

KEVIN RUDD: Morning all.

This is an unspeakable tragedy for the people of Japan. Our hearts go out to the Japanese people and the Japanese Government at a time like this.

For Australians Japan is one of our closest friends and partners in the world, and this I think cuts deep into the hearts of Australians as well.

If you run around Australia, you see that there are hundreds and hundreds of sister cities and sister schools, probably thousands of sister schools, in Australia who have partners in Japan. And so there are towns small and large in Australia who will be thinking of their counterparts today in Japan, and there will be schools all over the country who will be thinking of their counterpart schools in Japan as well.

I've just come now from the conclusion of a meeting of the Interdepartmental Emergency Taskforce, which the Department of Foreign Affairs convenes when we are dealing with crises abroad. Regrettably, this taskforce has had to be convened on many occasions in recent times, and now we face the crisis in Japan. I've also spoken several times this morning to our Ambassador in Tokyo, Murray McLean.

The most recent information that we have concerning the earthquake itself and the tsunami and the impact is, of course, that it's focused on a number of prefectures. Of course, the most serious is in the city of Sendai, which of course is the prefectural capital of Miyagi Prefecture. We're concerned about the impact of serious aftershocks at the ski resorts at Nagano and Nagata.

Furthermore, we're advised that Narita Airport at present is inaccessible because roads are closed between the city of Tokyo and the airport. Haneda Airport, which is operating, is operating at reduced capacity and flights are significantly delayed. On the consular front, as soon as we have access to Narita Airport, we will of course be dispatching a consular team there to assist Australians leaving the country.

Also, you may or may not be aware that there are concerns about the Fukushima nuclear power plant. We are concerned about reports of some leakage from that plant; we have not been able to verify them comprehensively. The United States has issued through its system of consular wardens in Japan a recommendation and a requirement that those living within a 10 kilometre radius of the Fukushima nuclear power plant evacuate. The Japanese Government itself has upgraded its warning for evacuations from a two kilometre radius. I am now advised by our Ambassador, to a 10 kilometre radius as well. This will now be inserted into the Australian travel advisory as of now, as this information is only just to hand from Tokyo.

As I said, we have unconfirmed reports about the status of the plant and the status of the cooling tower, but that's why we are advised that these precautionary measures have been taken by the Japanese authorities, and we reflect that also in our advise to Australians who live in that part of Japan.

Turning now more specifically to Australians themselves. Our estimate is that we have something like 11,000 Australians who are resident in Japan, primarily of course in Tokyo and Osaka. We have 54 registered Australians in Sendai. Beyond that 54, it is the embassy's estimate that we have probably hundreds of Australians living in that area, the reason being that it has been a place where a number of Australian language teachers have gone to work. This is the embassy's best estimate, and I'm providing it to you. Of course, these numbers will be subject to continued upgrading and revision.

The Australian Embassy has been able to establish telephone contact with all affected prefectures and their emergency operation centres with the exception of Miyagi Prefecture, which is, of course, where the danger and the damage has been greatest. We are seeking to obtain contact with them at the earliest opportunity.

Furthermore, when it comes to the response of the Australian public to concerns about their family, friends and loved ones in Japan, we of course have stood up the Department of Foreign Affairs Consular Crisis Centre as of 5.00 p.m. yesterday. As of 8.15 this morning, we had taken some 2155 calls and the phones, understandably, are running very hot.

My advice again to all Australians seeking confirmation as to their friends', family and loved ones' whereabouts is as follows: first, seek to establish mobile phone contact, understanding that some of the systems are down. When I spoke to our Ambassador this morning in Tokyo, his phone had been down for the better part of about 10 hours and only just come back on. Secondly, if you cannot get through on your mobile, use the land line, if you have a landline. Thirdly, if you can do neither and you can't get through to confirm, then please immediately contact the DFAT Consular Crisis Centre emergency number, which is being run across the television screens of the nation at present.

On the question of Japan's request for assistance to Australia, we have, we are advised, received requests for sniffer dogs. I am advised further from the department this morning that Emergency Management Australia has placed on standby a sniffer dog and search and rescue team from New South Wales. Sniffer dogs are also being accessed from Queensland. We have defence assets, I am advised, ready to fly these forms of assistance into Japan in terms of C130s and C17 aircraft, which are currently ready to go into operation. I'm advised that this sniffer dog team search and rescue team with added support from Queensland into the New South Wales team itself is scheduled, we hope, to depart for Japan by early this evening Australian time.

Furthermore, in terms of the need to enhance consular support for the needs which the Australian community will now have in Japan itself, we have now a team of additional 10 Japanese language speakers ready to leave to go to Tokyo during the course of today. They will supplement the Australian Embassy team at present. The Australian Embassy is - it has been working around the clock since the earthquake and tsunami hit under the capable leadership of Ambassador Murray McLean - as I said, I have spoken to him a couple of times today - and the embassy is working in shifts so that there are always people on hand to deal with inquiries as they come inbound.

Finally, the National Security Committee of the Cabinet will be convening at 11.00 this morning Canberra time; I also will be speaking with the Japanese Foreign Minister later today, with two objectives. One is to convey formally the condolences of the Australian Government and the Australian people at this extraordinary disaster that the people of Japan have now suffered, and secondly to of course offer any other form of assistance which Japan may need at this time of great crisis.

The Australian Government stands ready to throw anything at this, as is required. We will do so also in terms of the consular effort we put into contacting each and every Australian in these disaster-affected areas. This will take time - the numbers are large, the damage is great - but we will be throwing everything at it.

I'm happy to take your questions.

QUESTION: Has detail [indistinct] for the families [indistinct] Australians in the Sendai region that was hardest hit who have survived?

KEVIN RUDD: Based on my information, communications with that area have been severely degraded and therefore no extensive contact has occurred. If I have a further update on that in terms of numbers, I will let you know in a subsequent briefing.

QUESTION: Thank you.

KEVIN RUDD: But, as I said, we have a real problem with even direct contact with the prefectural authorities in Sendai, because communications are so degraded. QUESTION: When you look at the pictures though, can you hold much hope for any Australians that are in that area?

KEVIN RUDD: The pictures are awful, and they are stomach-turning in terms of the level of destruction and the force of nature, and we haven't seen pictures like this, of course, since Aceh, back in 2004. Therefore, we are deeply worried, we are deeply worried about the impact and the loss of life for the local Japanese communities in that area, as we are about the numbers of Australians who were registered as being in Sendai and the additional number who we believe to be resident in Sendai as well.

But let's take this step by step, let's work our way through it. We know in these difficult times of crisis that numbers bounce around a lot, and so let's just take this step by step. I'm providing to you the best information that's available to the government as of now.

QUESTION: Given the situation with the airports, what is your plan, if there can be one at this stage, of getting people out if they want to - getting Australians out when they can get out of those airports?

KEVIN RUDD: As I'm advised, there is no physical damage to airports themselves - that is, the principle ones at Narita and Haneda, which is closer to the city of Tokyo. The problem lies in terms of physical transport to the airport at Narita. And as for Haneda, it's under extreme pressure and flights are therefore significantly delayed.

We will be despatching consular teams to the airport as soon as we are able to get them through in order to provide every physical assistance we can on the ground. In terms of contingency planning, we are now working on all of that and that will be discussed in the meeting I'm about to attend of the National Security Committee.

QUESTION: What information do you have about the likelihood of this - that the reactor has leaked, and what that means if it has?

KEVIN RUDD: I don't wish to be alarmist on these matters. I'm not in possession of further technical information. I have simply advised you of what - that which the Government has been advised both through the Ambassador and through my most recent debriefing from the emergency taskforce at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade this morning.

Let's take this step by step as well. We take this information seriously, that's why it should be attended to as people look at the upgrade to the Department of Foreign Affairs travel advisory for this region.

QUESTION: This rescue team that's going over - how many people are involved, do you know? And are these people who were in New Zealand recently? And what sort of concern is there about any fatigue factors of our rescue troops from, you know, Queensland, Christchurch, and now Japan?

KEVIN RUDD: Your question is a good one, because our search and rescue teams have been run ragged in recent times - Queensland, Christchurch and now the prospect of Japan. But these are very professional, dedicated people. I'm advised by EMA through the Department of Foreign Affairs that this is a capability which we can deploy, and all necessary associated arrangements in terms of the continued presence of some of our operational capacity in New Zealand will be taken into account as well.

QUESTION: In terms of the National Security Committee meeting, will the Prime Minister be participating in that from the US? And, given that I thought her plane was going to refuel in Honolulu or in Hawaii, is that - is she going to stay in the US while this is going on so she can continue to talk to the National Security Meeting, or what's her movement?

KEVIN RUDD: I'll brief you on that later on. The - we are convening as the normal ministers of the committee. Other ministers who are not physically in Canberra will be beamed in as is our usual practice and depending on physical availability. I'm not advised as to where the Prime Minister is currently located - either mid-air or on the ground somewhere - but we will see.

QUESTION: You said that there's concerns about two ski resorts. I guess there's undoubtedly Australians in those resorts. What sort of information do you have about that?

KEVIN RUDD: We have simply reflected our concerns about both Nagano and Nagata ski resorts. I am advised, and we have said in our travel advisory that people should consider their travel to those areas. As I'm advised, these have not been the subject of, obviously, direct impact from the tsunami themselves, but aftershocks have been significant - in excess of six on what we would describe as the Richter scale. So we are concerned about those areas as well.

QUESTION: When the Christchurch earthquake happened, your government described the New Zealanders as being like family, saying that we'd throw anything we could at them to help. How does this compare? What - how much help are we willing to give to Japan?

KEVIN RUDD: The same. And I said before in my remarks the Australian Government is prepared to throw anything and everything at this, consistent with the requests of the Japanese Government, and we will do that. We will also be throwing anything and everything at this in whatever is needed for the consular support for Australians, both those on the ground in Japan, and those who are obviously anxious, and understandably anxious, about the well-being of their loved ones back home here.

QUESTION: Mr Rudd, could you talk us through where you were when you heard reports of the earthquake, and what was your first response?

KEVIN RUDD: My first response as I was leaving from Dubai last night was to contact through my office the Department of Foreign Affairs to immediately direct the establishment of the Consular Crisis Centre. And, as I said to you before, that was stood up at 5.00 p.m., as I'm advised, yesterday Canberra time. Furthermore, I sought to telephone immediately our Ambassador in Tokyo, but as he confirmed this morning the phones - in fact all phones through to him - were not operating as of when the disaster hit. As you know, I have been back in the country this morning, and I have been attending to this as of about six this morning.

QUESTION: On another matter, can you tell us what the current status is of Australia's pursuit of a no-fly zone over Libya and where international discussions are on that issue?

KEVIN RUDD: I'm more than happy to talk about that at some later stage today, and I'm more than happy to go through all of that, but I think all of our efforts right now are legitimately focused on the question of this extraordinary natural disaster in Japan and Australians at risk. On these other matters, I am more than happy to discuss them at a later occasion once we have got a full handle on the dimensions of the disaster we are dealing with, the consular response that's necessary and the physical need for assistance on the part of the Japanese Government. By the way, I'm advised by the United Nations that they currently have 30 search and rescue teams on standby across the wider region for deployment to Japan, should the need be so deemed by the Japanese Government.

QUESTION: And have DFAT officials been in contact with anyone in any area of Japan who's reporting injuries of any type or anything of that nature?

KEVIN RUDD: As I've said, the embassy's constrained by two things at the moment - one, not being able to get through to the prefectural level emergency centre in Sendai itself and, secondly, that the roads, many of them, and other forms of transport out of Tokyo are severely disrupted. So on that sort of information, I don't have any to hand. This is a rapidly unfolding crisis in terms of its implications in the Sendai area and beyond. We will keep you updated as we have further information to hand.

QUESTION: Australia has decided to throw whatever's required. Therefore, is the Security Committee meeting more of an update on what the latest is out of Japan? What's the purpose of the meeting?

KEVIN RUDD: Well, it's important that when we have major crises around the world, particularly involving Australians, that we ensure that all assets are properly coordinated for deployment. That's why we have the National Security Committee of the Cabinet, that's its function. Therefore, it's a meeting which will focus explicitly on this. We will receive further inputs from all the agencies, including those who are participating in the emergency taskforce meeting at - held at the Department of Foreign Affairs this morning at nine o'clock. It's the right course of action, and I imagine we'll be meeting it on a regular basis until we have greater clarity on the dimensions of the challenge, both at a consular level and at a direct assistance to Japan level in the days ahead.

QUESTION: Mr Rudd, given our proximity to Japan, you said we're deploying this evening, are you aware - will we be...

KEVIN RUDD: We're seeking to deploy this evening.

QUESTION: Will we be the first on the ground in that event, are you aware?

KEVIN RUDD: I have no information to that effect. We were very quick in getting the offer of assistance in to our Japanese friends and they were quick in getting the response back, and we, therefore, will deploy as soon as we can.

I should add one further thing, which is I said before both Narita Airport and Haneda are experiencing difficulties for different reasons; we're also looking at contingencies whereby we can provide this kit and equipment and sniffer dogs to Japanese military air fields as is necessary. All those contingency plans are being worked through by the relevant officials, and this is the sort of practical work which our highly competent staff attend to.

QUESTION: So how many people are actually involved in these sniffer dog teams and how many dogs?

KEVIN RUDD: On that level of detail I'm sorry, I don't have that to hand. I'm sure we'll provide further updates during the course of the day, given that, obviously, the people of Australia are deeply concerned about what's unfolding in Japan, because we feel deeply about Japan and the Japanese people, and we feel deeply about the large number of Australians who live in Japan.

Thank you very much.

END

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