Interview on Today Show, Nine Network

Transcript, E&OE, proof only

Subjects: Japan, Libya 

18 March 2011

KARL STEFANOVIC: Well for more on the situation in Japan, I'm joined by Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd. Good morning to you Mr Rudd. First of all can you update us on the number of Australians unaccounted for this morning?

KEVIN RUDD: Yes I can Karl. We currently have information to the effect that we are now - have 14 unaccounted for Australians. This is good news. A couple of days ago we were working on a list of 143 and now we're down to 14. Our consular teams have been out in the field.

We're going from morgue to hospital to emergency shelter to get this list down and we're then seeking to transport Australians who we find from there back to Tokyo and to the airport and given fuel problems and road problems and transport problems our officials are doing a great job on the ground.

KARL STEFANOVIC: It is very difficult because if - if people are for example in the northern parts, around those north east provinces that were badly affected, it's hard to get them out.

KEVIN RUDD: Well it has been really tough and our consular officials have been in there virtually since day two. They're one of the - I think they're one of the first teams to actually arrive in Sendai and they've been working with prefectural administrations right across that north eastern part of the island of Honshu and they have worked exceptionally well in very very difficult circumstances.

It's also been really tough for the Australian families who've been waiting for news of their friends, their family, their loved ones to get them out. And it's just an imperfect situation.

We've also got teams of consular officials waiting at Narita Airport and they're assisting Australians onto flights and making other practical arrangements as is necessary.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Things look to be increasingly unstable with respect to the nuclear plant. The US and France have this morning started to evacuate residents. Should we be getting to the point where we are doing the same?

KEVIN RUDD: Well Karl as of 10.45 pm last night the Australian Government through the Department of Foreign Affairs, issued a new travel advice. This follows two meetings of the National Security Committee of the Cabinet yesterday on this matter, taking advice from all the relevant officials including our nuclear safety officials.

There are three key elements of this. Number one, concerning the Fukushima nuclear plant itself and the immediate area. We are advising that Australians within an 80 kilometre radius of it should leave that area. Furthermore if there are difficulties in leaving that area contact should be made with Australian Embassy officials as we assist to get you out.

The second is this, for Australians thinking of travelling to Tokyo and to areas to the north east of - or in north eastern Honshu, the main island of Japan, our advice to them is don't - unless your presence there is essential.

The third element is this: if you are an Australian citizen currently in Tokyo or in the north eastern parts of the island of Honshu and your presence is not essential then you should leave those areas.

On the question of how then to leave we are providing advice to Australians that they can either leave to the southern parts of Japan or they can leave the country all together to other locations within the wider region or back home.

On commercial flights, our contact over night again with the Australians airlines, there is good availability on commercial flight out of Japan. That continues through the course of today.

We are also in close contact with the commercial airlines to add extra capacity as is necessary and as for other contingency planning the Government is also of course doing that as you would expect. These are precautionary measures but we take them, Karl, very seriously because we're concerned about the situation on the ground.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Also having been - having been in contact with the Australian search and rescue teams north of Sendai, Sendai itself is only about 80 kilometres stretching to the outside of that exclusion zone if you like. That's not far from where the Australians were actually working. At some point their safety may come - may be have to be factored into all of this.

KEVIN RUDD: Well the safety of all Australians on the ground is critical, including those that we have sent there. It goes for the Australians search and rescue team, it goes for Australian consular officials who are working in Sendai and in other areas in some of the more far flung parts of eastern Honshu, together with our Royal Australian Air Force personnel operating C17 aircraft to get equipment for the Japanese Government into and out of the disaster affected areas.

We are taking advice from the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency here in Australia and the Australian Department of Health and other relevant agencies on their wellbeing as well and we have left of course our Ambassador in Tokyo, Murray McLean, who I've got to say he and his team are doing a fantastic job. He has discretion in terms of the safety arrangements concerning those Australians as well.

KARL STEFANOVIC: Okay. And one final question before you, before you take off. I know you're a busy man this morning. What is the latest on the no-fly zone over Libya? Where do we stand with that this morning?

KEVIN RUDD: Karl, this morning I spoke early to our Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York. The UN Security Council is meeting now. We expect a vote to be taken on a Resolution before the Council by about 9am Australian Eastern Standard Time.

The content of the draft resolution I'm advised goes to a no-fly zone in itself plus other associated measures.

In terms of the outcome of the vote that is uncertain but when it comes to our diplomats in New York and our own engagements with governments around the world Australia continues to argue strongly for this course of action because of the appalling situation on the ground and Qaddafi's brutality to the Libyan people.

KARL STEFANOVIC: All right, let's hope the UN is going to show some leadership, like the leadership which you're showing on this issue. Thanks very much for your time this morning.

KEVIN RUDD: Thanks for having me on the program.

END

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