Penny Wong, Foreign Minister: Can I start by expressing how much my thoughts and the thoughts of so many Australians are with the loved ones of the 38 Australians who remain unaccounted for in Nepal. This is an extremely distressing time and I know, we all know, that this gets harder every hour and every day that passes without news. We are focused on doing all we can to find the missing Australians and supporting their loved ones.
This morning I announced that the Australian Government will deploy a team of specialist drone operators to contribute to Nepal's search. And we are boosting our humanitarian support. That drone team includes members of the New South Wales and Queensland fire services and that will deploy in coming days as part of a 15-person Disaster Assistance Response Team. They will use advanced drone technology to provide mapping and thermal imaging to support Nepal's search and rescue efforts. Their deployment was in response to Australia's ongoing offers of assistance to Nepal. We have made clear to Nepal that we stand ready to provide further search, rescue and recovery assistance. This latest deployment is in addition to the 19 Australian personnel already dispatched to Nepal to support the crisis response, including consular officers, humanitarian personnel, Australian Federal Police and Defence personnel.
I think we would all understand that the conditions facing search and recovery teams remain extremely challenging. Communications are difficult, infrastructure has been destroyed and many areas are still difficult to reach. I can indicate that after our inquiries that Nepali authorities have advised us that searches are being conducted in the locations identified by Australia, including Hotel Kailash and the Hotel Royal Himalaya, amongst others. In both areas, army personnel are conducting searches on foot with helicopter and drone support. We are also providing telecommunication data to Nepali authorities, which may help narrow the last known location of missing Australians. We know most of the unaccounted-for Australians were last known to be in the Gyirong and Syabrubesi areas. Nepalese search and rescue teams are on the ground in both areas and we are working directly with the authorities to gather any information that we can. We continue to work around the clock to ascertain as much information as we can and provide it to the families of missing Australians. And I know how difficult this time is for them.
This morning I also announced with Minister Aly that Australia will provide a further $3 million to the Emergency Action Alliance to match the generous donations from the Australian people. Australians have been extraordinary. You have donated $4 million to the Emergency Action Alliance appeal and we thank you for it. The Alliance is providing critical support for recovery efforts and the contributions that are being made both by Australians personally and by the Government enable the delivery of vital shelter, water, sanitation and health care. The Government has now contributed a total of $5 million to the Emergency Action Alliance and with today's announcement our ongoing humanitarian support package for Nepal is now some $11 million. Part of that $11 million includes an RAAF flight loaded with essential supplies, which I spoke about previously, that landed in Kathmandu yesterday. We will continue to do everything we can to find Australians, support their families and to aid the crisis response. I'm happy to take questions.
Journalist: Minister, the Nepalese side have obviously rejected claims that they've been slow with accepting international assistance, obviously you've had those conversations with them. Did Australia offer help early and was that rejected or delayed?
Foreign Minister: Look, first I would say I think we all understand the scale of this disaster. We've seen this through the media. The images are harrowing, and the Nepali authorities have responded by deploying some 20,000 people in search and rescue. I have made clear, I indicated to the Foreign Minister, I think on the Friday when I spoke to him, I think I've said that publicly, I offered whatever support they required, including search and rescue. Obviously at that stage there were other priorities that the Nepali authorities sought and we responded to those and we have now had a request for drone support which we are providing.
Journalist: Were there circumstances though when the Nepalese Government did reject Australian assistance that was...
Foreign Minister: Look, I offered on Friday search and rescue assistance. The indication was that they had many people deployed and their priority was a range of other requirements which we responded to. They are responding to a very difficult situation which includes not only people, not only those who are missing, 4,200 people and the death toll of 1,200, but of course also many people who are without shelter, without communications, without infrastructure. And so there are many requests that they are responding to.
Journalist: Do you have updated figures on the number of Australians missing and found?
Foreign Minister: 38 Australians remain unaccounted for. The death toll in total to date has passed 1,200 and 4,200 people remain missing.
Journalist: Minister, the wife of a missing Australian, Aarti Raval, she said that they contacted DFAT on the very first day, but went days without any meaningful information. And ultimately, she sent her brother to Kathmandu to search for her husband. Do you believe that DFAT's response has been good enough?
Foreign Minister: First, I know how difficult this is, and I accept that families want more information than can be provided. What I will say is we have done our best to engage as closely as possible with the Nepali authorities. We have engaged from a very early stage. We are continuing to engage with them and also seeking to engage with the Chinese authorities. Obviously, the disaster also affected the Chinese side of the border. We'll continue to do all we can to not only provide information to the families, but also to respond to the request from Nepal, and that's what I've outlined today.
Journalist: Going from this tragedy, how realistic is it that we can find those 38 Australians alive?
Foreign Minister: Two points I'd make. First, we all hold on to hope, and we must hold on to hope. I've also said we have grave concerns for the Australians who remain unaccounted for, and those concerns deepen every day, every hour that they remain unaccounted for.
Journalist: I'm just wondering if you have any updated figures on the South Australians who are missing or have been found?
Foreign Minister: South Australia is one of the states from which the 38 Australians are from, but I'm not in a position to be providing detail of any of those individuals. Obviously, if families wish to do that, that's a matter for them, but not something I can do.
Journalist: Minister, we're hearing that the police in Kathmandu are urging relatives of missing tourists to provide DNA samples to help them with the identification efforts now. What does this mean for those tourists because Australians are missing and the families who are here.
Foreign Minister: First, I'd say I am aware of those requests. I want to say again, we continue to do everything we can to find those Australians unaccounted for and to support their families. I can indicate to you that we have dedicated case officers assigned to next of kin and we are also working closely with the Australian Federal Police to provide support to next of kin. This includes supporting families to understand formal identification processes should they become necessary.
Journalist: Will those caseworkers assist with facilitating those DNA samples?
Foreign Minister: We will continue to support them and we are also preparing to deploy what we call Disaster Victim Identification specialists to Nepal at the request of the Government of Nepal.
Journalist: We've seen a number of Aussies missing go down as they've gotten back in touch. Does the Government have any idea how many Aussies are still out of touch as opposed to being in the disaster zone, or is that still unclear?
Foreign Minister: I think on the very first day I indicated we did have specific knowledge of three tour groups and that there were obviously additional people beyond those in the tour groups who were not engaged in a tour. We don't register everybody who goes to a country. What we have done in this, and I indicated this on the first day, is we took calls from the public. I think we had over 650 calls from memory, it might be more, where we sought to get together from families and friends on how many people were, Australians were actually in the region, which is Nepal and obviously in China as well. And that's where the figures I've given you over these last days have come from, and they have come down as people who have been identified on that list, but have been found or have been determined not to be in Nepal have come off the list.
Journalist: Do you know how many of the 38 [inaudible].
Foreign Minister: I think I'd have to refer you to my previous answer. I'm sorry, I just don't want to be in a position of disclosing things that families are not ready to disclose.
Journalist: Given the scale, I guess, of the disaster and the time is ticking, how long can you see governments like Australian resources being in Nepal?
Foreign Minister: I think we will be there for some time. I think we know that in addition to wanting to do everything we can to find Australians, we also know that our assistance is needed to aid in the recovery effort and to aid in supporting the Nepali community in what has been a dreadful disaster. Thanks, everyone.
Journalist: Minister, what is your response to the Coalition today saying they're going to cut the tobacco excise by 80%?
Foreign Minister: I think the Coalition appears to simply be following One Nation's policy and it would probably be good for Australians if they could actually work their own policy out.
Journalist: Will the Government consider reducing it?
Foreign Minister: Minister Butler has already made clear that we're not in the business of assisting or supporting or doing anything that might lead to more children becoming addicted to vapes.
Journalist: And just on housing, do you acknowledge that the housing prices are falling as a result of the Government's tax changes in the Budget?
Foreign Minister: Well, I'd refer you to the Treasurer's responses yesterday, particularly he did quite a bit of media and I thought he outlined responses to those questions very clearly.