ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much for joining us. Today we're being briefed by the authorities on the ongoing impact of flooding around New South Wales, particularly around the Greater Sydney area but also the Illawarra and increasingly parts of the Hunter and the mid-north coast. And the Premier will outline some of those details. But on behalf of the Commonwealth again, I reiterate the fact that people need to listen to the advice, need to not take risks, when asked to evacuate make sure they do exactly that. This still remains a dangerous situation, and we need to respond appropriately. I'm very pleased that the Commonwealth is cooperating so well with the New South Wales Government. It is a seamless relationship that we have, which is what people want to see at a time like this. And this morning, I can announce that the Australian Government has approved our disaster recovery payments to kick in from two o'clock tomorrow for the 23 local government areas. That will consist of $1,000 for adults that are impacted and eligible for these payments, $400 for every child who is eligible for this. The disaster recovery allowance will also be made available to assist employees and sole traders who experience a loss of income as a direct result of this disaster and is payable to them for a maximum of 13 weeks. We've also made sure that equivalent financial assistance will be available to eligible New Zealand citizens affected by the floods. I do want to thank in particular as well our Australian Defence Force personnel, Major General Thomae is joining us here this morning. The Commonwealth have made available 250 ADF personnel, we stand ready to act positively on any request from Premier Perrottet and the New South Wales Government for assistance. There are 100 ADF personnel already on the ground right now. There will be an additional 150 available for tomorrow. It's expected that we'll use the fact that there are facilities available and personnel available in Singleton, one of the key areas that is increasingly subjected to being impacted by this flooding. And we also will make available from this evening a third helicopter that is likely to operate out of the Williamtown airbase in the Hunter and it will be available particularly for night-time operations. Our helicopters have also already been used on a couple of occasions for search and rescue. And I do want to thank the ADF personnel for the work that they are doing along with our magnificent emergency services personnel, based here in New South Wales, and all the volunteers as well as the other services who are available, who at the worst of times, we always see the best of Australians. And once again, we're seeing that right now.
DOMINIC PERROTTET, NSW PREMIER: Well, thank you, Prime Minister, can I begin by reiterating a few of those points, firstly, to thank the Commonwealth Government, but also the New South Wales agencies across the board in relation to the coordination that is taking place during this difficult time. It's certainly been a difficult couple of years, particularly with floods, and the coordination through SEOC here in Homebush, the standing up, the coordination of all government agencies working together, but not just at a state level, with the Commonwealth Government. And the announcement today of those relief payments is very important for those families, particularly who have been impacted. I want to thank the volunteers. We have, I believe, the best volunteers anywhere in the world. And we're blessed in our country to have such a strong spirit of service, where people go out of their way to put their lives on the line to help our fellow Australians. And that's what we've seen in force once again, during this flood event. So I want to thank all our volunteers, whether it's the SES, RFS, Marine Rescue, Surf Lifesaving, right across the board, right through the night, people are working on the ground to keep people safe. And it's something very special about our state, very special about our country. I think we should be very proud of the work that has been happening on the ground here, right across our state. I also want to thank the people in New South Wales for following those evacuation orders. As I've said, those evacuation orders are not in place for the sake of it. Those evacuation orders are there to keep you and your family safe. Currently, we have 108 evacuation orders in place. We have 56 evacuation warnings, now that's affecting around 85,000 people across New South Wales. That's up from 50,000 yesterday. So once again, if there's an evacuation warning in place in your area, please get ready to evacuate. If the evacuation order is in place, please leave. Please don't drive through floodwaters, time and again, we still see people driving through those floodwaters. Please don't do that, it is incredibly dangerous. The perspective that you have is very different to the reality. And the other point we always raise each day in these press conferences, simply because you've had a flood event in the past, it can be very different to the one that we're facing today. So please don't have your past experience inform your current behaviour. If those evacuation orders are in place, please follow them. We have 11 evacuation centres open across the state of New South Wales at the moment. I want to thank those people who are servicing those centres and providing the care, love and support for those people who need it. For many of the areas, particularly that we're seeing in the Hawkesbury Nepean and also in southwest, but obviously particularly in the Hawkesbury Nepean area, there's been flood event after flood event. Many people are tired. There's a lot of anguish and despair. But our commitment from a state level and being here with the Commonwealth Government today is that we'll be with you every step of the way. We know there's been challenges. We know it's been an incredibly tough two years. But we will get through this just like we've got through every one of these natural disasters in the past and whether that's through the financial support, obviously the Commonwealth Government has announced today and that we'll continue to work through those local government areas that have been affected, that that financial support and assistance will be there every step of the way to help you get through. From a operational perspective right now, we are completely focused, at a state and Commonwealth level, to keep people safe, to give them the care and support that you need right now. I note today that we've had around 1000 requests for assistance since eight o'clock yesterday and 6000 requests for assistance over the course of this flood event and we've had 21 flood rescues overnight. And once again, I just make that point that we have our wonderful volunteers, our SES, our RFS who are out there, conducting those rescues. Please follow those instructions, because what we don't want to see is our volunteers putting their life on the line in circumstances where people are not following those orders. If you think oh, well, it's okay in the circumstances I'm in, please do not. Those orders are in place to keep you safe. And please follow those instructions. I want to thank the ADF as the Prime Minister has done, we've had 100 on the ground in Northwest Sydney it'll be 150 more today. And I think that great coordination between the Commonwealth and State Government levels ensures that our communities are safe during this period of time. Jane from the BOM will provide further information in relation to the weather events that we expect. But obviously, we're expecting more rain, particularly in the north coast and around the Singleton area, there is significant risk of flash flooding in those areas. As I've said, this event is far from over. Please don't have that past experience inform your current behaviour. Please respect the advice from all our wonderful volunteers and personnel who are on the ground, keeping people safe. And as I've said, we've got through these events in the past and together we'll get through this one as well. Steph Cook will now provide some further operational advice.
STEPH COOKE, NSW MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES: Well, thank you, Prime Minister and Premier and good morning, we are now well and truly into day five of this latest emergency event. And the emergency is far from over for many communities across Sydney and also as this weather event moves north through the Hunter, Central Coast and mid North Coast areas. It's been a particularly difficult night across the Hunter area, particularly around Singleton where we've had multiple evacuation orders issued. Residents in Singleton and Muswellbrook have been doorknocked overnight. And for many it has been a sleepless night. We have additional resources arriving from interstate today to help out with our flood response and to provide some relief to our SES personnel and volunteers who have been working around the clock for the past four days and have as I mentioned, we're now into our fifth day of this event. We've also prepositioned many state resources to those impacted areas, whether they be helicopters from the RFS and other aircraft. We've got fire and rescue prepositioning resources where they are required. And of course, we've got Marine Rescue Surf Lifesaving, the Volunteer Rescue Association, in addition to the SES and all of their resources being moved around as they are required, particularly to those areas around that Hunter and Singleton area. In some good news, the rain is starting to ease across Sydney and those floodwaters are just starting to recede. But all of the river systems right across the Sydney basin are still full, and many of them still at a major flood level, particularly down through the Hawkesbury Nepean area. And so I'm just cautioning people that the evacuation orders are still in place, 108 as we've heard, they are there for a reason. And whilst it might be tempting for people to return home, we're really asking you to respect those evacuation orders. There's a reason why they are in place at this time and that is to protect you, to protect your family, to protect the community and also our emergency services, volunteers and personnel who have been working so hard to ensure that there are no lives lost or no serious injuries through this event. We will start commencing today damage assessments as those floodwaters recede through certain communities in Sydney. We will be able to start with the Georges River area and the upper Nepean and that will give us the opportunity to get in and have a look at what damage has occurred to really start to assess that impact, and that will inform government, both at state and national level going forward. With respect to the flood advice, whilst there is a reduced threat, we need to ensure that people do take these evacuation orders and warning seriously still. And to that end, just ask you to continue working with our emergency services organisations, keep listening out for the warnings put out by the BOM, and be mindful of the fact that our landscape is still heavily saturated, we may see still over the days ahead, trees come down unexpectedly, the ground is absolutely sodden, any of those large trees that are top heavy, can be quite prone to coming down even if we don't experience the damaging winds that we have seen over the past few days. It's already been said this morning, and multiple times, please do not drive through floodwaters. Each day through this event, we continue to see people get caught out in this respect, people being rescued either from inside their vehicle that's flooding or from the roof of their vehicle. So there's a reason again, why we ask you not to drive through floodwaters, you simply don't know what is beneath you. Those floodwaters can rise very quickly. The road below you can be washed away in a second. And you can find yourself in a very difficult situation and requiring assistance and rescue. And finally, we do have those evacuation centres operating in those high risk areas. In the last 24 hours, we've opened up centres at Cessnock at The Entrance and at Singleton. So we've got I think 523 people currently are seeking refuge in those centres, and would encourage anyone who finds themselves vulnerable at this time please reach out to us, those evacuation centres are there, they're listed on the SES website. But you can always ring Service New South Wales on 13 77 88. And we will help you seek the assistance that you require at this time. Thank you.
JANE GOLDING, BUREAU OF METEROLOGY: Hi, everyone. So the coastal trough that's been producing this widespread rain over New South Wales is now located off the mid north coast of New South Wales. And so that's very much where we're expecting the focus of the rainfall to be today. Over the last 24 hours, we have seen numerous sites from Coffs Harbour, down through the Manning into the Hunter District, seen rainfall totals above 100 millimetres, and some have seen close to 170, 180 particularly up on the northern part of the mid North Coast. So that's an indication of some of the numbers that we could say fall over the mid North Coast today. So that means there's a very real flash flood risk continuing for that district. For areas south of the mid North Coast today, we are still expecting to see some light to moderate showers come through so not complete clearing but certainly an easing in what we've seen over the last few days. We do however, have numerous flood warnings current and some key ones of note in the short term are really where the waters are rising. Really around the Lower Hunter in the Wollombi Brook area, Tuggerah Lakes and parts of the Hawkesbury Nepean. So just starting firstly with we'll just start with the Lower Hunter to start off with. We saw quite a lot of rain fall in the upper reaches of that catchment yesterday. And that's now making its way down through the river system. We are watching Singleton very closely and there is a major flood warning out for Singleton and we're expecting the rivers to continue to rise there today, to go through major and possibly see some issues there later today at 13.8 meters. Wollombi Brook as we move a bit further south, we saw some flooding there overnight at Bulga in particular flood levels that far exceeded what we saw in March 21 or March 22, very significant for that area. Tuggerah Lakes we also have a major flood warning out for with waters still rising in that area. So Long Jetty is the town of note that we're watching but all around Tuggerah Lakes, water levels pretty high at the moment continue to keep rising. As we move southwards into the Hawkesbury Nepean. Good news is upstream of Sackville, the water levels are starting to fall. We did see some rises in the Upper Colo, the Macdonald River which means that downstream of Sackville, we are still seeing rising floodwaters expected to continue rising through today, and then only a slow recession over the next couple of days. So for today, really the risk is around those major flood, those rivers that are in major flood. So the Wollombi Brook, the Lower Hunter, Tuggerah Lakes, parts of the Hawkesbury Nepean, but also the flash flooding risk. That is a concern on the mid north coast. So from Seal Rocks up to Wooli, over to the eastern parts of the Northern Tablelands. So in the Armidale, probably just to the east of that area, that's the area we're watching. Looking forward, we are expecting an easing of the weather. From tomorrow, the low pressure system is tracking out to sea, not expecting it to clear tomorrow. But Friday could be quite a nice day for the coast. So starting to see some fine weather on the horizon. But take a bit of time for the floodwaters to come down. So just asking, you know, residents, if you're near rivers that have seen major flooding or are seeing major flooding over the next few days, just use a bit of caution. There'll be a bit of debris coming down those rivers for quite a few days, I'd say. And I'll hand over to the SES now to take us through some of their operational impacts.
CARLENE YORK, NSW SES COMMISSIONER: Thank you. Firstly, I'd like to take the opportunity to say thanks to the community who have heeded our warnings and followed our directions over these four days of a significant weather event. We make those warnings and give out those directions as quickly as we can to as many residents or businesses that are looking at being at risk of flooding. And it's really good news to hear that people are taking advantage of preparing early and following those directions. So obviously with the weather forecast of this significant event moving further north, our area of operations is increasing. And we have been planning in the northern parts of, north of Sydney in relation to the Hunter, the Central Coast and the mid North Coast up as far as Coffs Harbour. So we've been working 24/7 planning with other agencies and ensuring we have enough resources in that area to respond to the community's needs. It was a busy night last night with 21 flood rescues. A number of evacuation warnings have gone out in the past 12 to 24 hours, as well as evacuation orders. The area we're concerned about today is particularly around Singleton, and we're working with the Bureau in relation to their forecasts. There's an evacuation order out for the Singleton CBD, and we're watching what is happening with those river rises throughout the day as the rain falls. Good news is we are starting to get in and doing rapid damage assessments today in the Georges River area also, St. George's basin in Sussex Inlet was affected, and parts of the Hawkesbury Nepean. But I remind the community that it does take a while for these waters to flow and recede from the significant high levels that we've had over the past few days. It will be a while before the, a couple of days before the bridges come back out in the Hawkesbury Nepean area. And I remind the community that people have to get in, our engineers have to get in to make sure that those bridges are safe, but also they will expected significant damage to our roads. So we're still in school holidays and we know that a lot of people may be in areas that they're not aware of the dangers, we might have people from interstate, we might have people from this state that have moved elsewhere. Please keep on top of the information that we put out. There's a lot of information on the SES website, that will assist you so that you make safe decisions for you and your family. And therefore don't put our volunteers and other agencies at risk to come out and help you. Heed the directions when there is an evacuation order. We have had as we've said at previous conferences, people who have taken a risk and remained in those houses and then found out the risk is too great and we have to go in and save those families. So please take notice of our directions, follow those orders. But be careful when driving around the roads. So not only are there the flood affected roads, but there's a lot of potholes. A lot of flash flooding has affected the roads, and it is quite dangerous out there. So again, I know it's been a number of days but really think about whether or not your travel is essential. And make sure you check with live traffic in relation to the route that you want to take that it's passable. And be careful when driving out on those roads, as we are still expecting rain. In the Hunter, we're very active there today, informing the community and engaging with the community in relation to the risk and what you can do. Again, reminders for those communities about having an emergency kit ready to go with important documentation, insurance documents, medication, think about your animals, particularly these, you know, highly rural areas. So, you know, if you're in those areas that are forecasted with possible flooding, get those livestock and other animals to higher ground now. We do assist if the farmers need evacuation for animals, but we will always give life of people priority. So we may not be able to get there. Think about your domestic animals, look after them. And just be aware, if you do go to an order, grab that kit and leave the premises. Sometimes the order might come out is because we know that the roads will be cut off, it may not be your house will be flooded. And so it's really important to leave the area whilst you can, as we sometimes expect heavy traffic along those roads with evacuation routes. And we want to make sure that you can get into a safe location as soon as possible. And as I say, it's better to go back and find your house intact then call in the middle of the night when things escalate and you become quite anxious and scared. So thanks again for following our directions. If you need assistance from the SES 132 500 and if it's life threatening 000. Thank you. Questions.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the disaster payments, can you run us through what Cabinet signed off on?
PRIME MINISTER: Cabinet signed off on the disaster payments kicking in from tomorrow at 2pm. That's in order to get the structures in place, it will be $1,000 per eligible adult, $400 per eligible child. It's available for people who live in the 23 LGAs, who have suffered a significant loss as a direct result of the floods, including a severely damaged or destroyed home or a serious injury. And this is, I believe the quickest that these payments have ever been approved. This is on top of the joint arrangements that are being made available through New South Wales and the Commonwealth.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just in terms of how quickly that money will actually be delivered. We know that from the last floods there are some people still waiting on that money. So in terms of this new round, how long until that money arrives?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the applications will be available from 2:00 tomorrow. I might ask Murray to add to this, Senator Watt, our Minister. But they'll be available from 2:00 tomorrow, through Services Australia will look after these payments. We want to make sure that they're available as soon as possible. That's why Cabinet yesterday signed off on this decision very early. Murray?
MURRAY WATT, FEDERAL MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY SERVICES: Thanks, Prime Minister. Yes, the Prime Minister is correct. The aim, of course is to get this money into people's pockets as quickly as possible. And can I reinforce one of the earlier messages from the Prime Minister, that we've seen fantastic cooperation from both levels of government here, well before this event arrived in getting resources on the ground and now in getting payment systems up and running to get money out to people. It is the case that there are some people who are still waiting for approval of payments from earlier floods. That's because in some cases there are eligibility requirements or evidence that needs to be provided. But that's actually something that I've already been speaking with Minister Cooke about since taking on the role. Fortuitously, we had our first teams meeting last week to introduce ourselves before these floods arrived and this is exactly one of the issues that we talked about. So we intend to address that going forward. But these payments that have been announced today, the quick simple payments to get out the door as quickly as possible. And that's what we intend to do.
JOURNALIST: Is it a pretty straightforward process?
MINISTER WATT: It is, as the Prime Minister said, these payments will be available to apply for from 2pm tomorrow through the Services Australia website. These payments are 100% federally funded and run, and that's why we will be administering them through our Services Australia website and call centres. Obviously the payments that have been approved already by the federal and state governments for other matters are being administered by Services New South Wales, and I know they've got a 1300 number up and running already for people to inquire about those.
JOURNALIST: These weather events are becoming more and more frequent. Are you going to keep going with short term responses like these payments, are you going to start with more long term solutions?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we are looking at long term solutions. My government has changed Australia's position on climate change from day one, for example. What we know is that Australia has always been subject of floods, of bushfires. But we know that the science told us that if we continued to not take action globally on climate change, then these events, extreme weather events, would be more often and more intense. And what we're seeing, unfortunately, is that play out. The people of the Hawkesbury Richmond area have now had four flooding events in the last 18 months. Prior to that they were impacted by bushfires. That's why my government is acting, I've got to say, as well, the New South Wales Government are acting as well on changing the energy mix in this state. But what we know is that no state and no nation can act by itself. It's one of the reasons why I've been out there engaging in the need to lift up global action. But Australia needs to be a part of that. We know that unless we do that, the science whether it be at the IPCC level, or whether it be the CSIRO, or our Australian scientists, we've been warned about this. In addition to that, of course, we need to look at issues like mitigation. That's why we've changed the money that was put in a bank account and not spent, the $4 billion, we've said that we want to look at areas of disaster mitigation, and that we'll make that money available for projects each and every year, to make sure that we're preparing for the changes in weather patterns and what that means for disasters. Whether it be lifting levies, whether it be other action as well, we've expressed concern in the past that money, that $4 billion, became $4.8 billion, because it was not invested. My Government have indicated that we will take action on that when Parliament sits in July, we'll have a range of measures as well, looking at those issues. And I want to work with state and territory governments from across the political spectrum to make sure that in terms of infrastructure investment, that it occurs in ways that take into account the fact that we do need to respond and we do need to prepare.
JOURNALIST: It's becoming more common obviously the ADF is being called to respond to these emergencies more often, do you have any concerns about (it diverting them from) jobs that they're supposed to do, so things like training, for example, doesn't suggest that we need a professional full time you know, agency professionals responding to these?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I believe that the ADF are responding and I have complete confidence in them and in Major General Thomae's leadership. And I was in Al Minhad Base about 36 hours ago, in the UAE. And there I spoke to ADF personnel who had helped with the Lismore floods. They were proud of the effort that they did. Our ADF personnel are here to respond to the needs of Australia. And they respond remarkably well every time. They're diligent, they bring capacity in. And I believe, as well, that it brings confidence to people when they see our ADF personnel helping out and I just thank each and every one of them.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, yesterday, there was nobody in the Hawkesbury (inaudible) questioning the responses and services they will be fantastic. What they are questioning is why dams weren't released earlier in anticipation of these rainfall events and perhaps this is better for the Premier to answer, are we looking into that? That is the question on everybody's lips.
PREMIER PERROTTET: Well, firstly, from an operational perspective, that would not have had a substantive impact in relation to this flood event . It is, there's a water catchment area, that is not a flood mitigation dam. So the advice that we've received was that it would actually potentially have had a greater impact in relation to the flooding event by releasing early. And I know on the ground that our frontline services are doing everything they can to provide the care and support to people. But obviously, there's been a number of flood events over a short period of time, and these issues get raised. What I do know, in relation to this issue of the dam is that discussions are underway between the State and Commonwealth governments in relation to raising the Warragamba Dam wall. That's something that New South Wales Government has worked on for some time. And there are obviously it's a complex project. And it is one that requires a lot of planning approvals, and environmental approvals at both a state and federal level. But in relation to releasing water from the dam, the advice we've received is that would actually have a more negative impact on those communities in that region.
JOURNALIST: Premier the responsiveness in the Hawkesbury especially, you will not find a local who will criticise it at all. What's changed? Is it because we've had a few of these now or is it because we have the Prime Minister here now?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Sorry, in relation to what?
JOURNALIST: The response on the ground. It's been seamless and much, much better than we've seen this year.
PREMIER PERROTTET: Well, I think we always learn from events as they happen. But I think what we've certainly seen in relation to this event, is great coordination between the Commonwealth and the state government. We got the SEOC here up straightaway, and to have the ADF, 100 ADF on the ground, very, very quickly, was pleasing. And I think that also inspires and instils confidence in our local communities who have been impacted by these floods. And this is exactly how it should work. These natural disasters are happening more and more often. And what the community expects, is not just coordination at a state level, which is what we see here, but coordination with the Commonwealth Government. And I'm very pleased as Premier of the State to see the engagement at a federal level, the engagement in relation to what support is needed in terms of boots on the ground, but also financial assistance as well. And in fact, that's important cooperation, because ultimately, that's what governments are all about. We're here to help and support our people, particularly during the most devastating and difficult times.
JOURNALIST: But given the difficulties with the federal government in the past, have you been surprised with the change?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Look, I think, you know, I'm always gonna, I'm always gonna say it as I see it. And no, I had a very constructive relationship with the previous government, it doesn't mean we always agreed. And on various things, I think people know that. But my job is to stand up for the people of New South Wales. And I do that every single day. Now, in relation to this event, which began, commenced late last week. The immediate engagement from the Commonwealth Government. And I know, in some quarters, the Prime Minister has been criticised for being away. What I would say is, from my perspective, the Federal Government needs to balance international concerns and domestic concerns. But as soon as he could, he picked up the phone to call me. I know, the engagement between Murray and Steph, the Federal and State Emergency Service Ministers has been strong from the outset. As I said, Murray is the first Emergency Service Minister from a federal perspective who has come to Homebush, where we stand up SEOC, and that's incredibly important. Because we don't want to have the bureaucracy getting in the way of ministers actually understanding and coordinating and communicating what the issues on the ground are. So you get better outcomes, you get a faster response, in my experience, when ministers are contacting each other directly, understanding the needs and concerns on the ground and responding effectively.
JOURNALIST: This new government, obviously, very warm language between yourself and the Prime Minister, and you're working well together...
PREMIER PERROTTET: I had warm language with the former prime minister, as well.
JOURNALIST: How much has the personalities perhaps played a role in in the difference in this response?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Look the main issue here, this is not about personalities, I'm not interested in personalities, I'm interested in outcomes, I'm interested in getting support on the ground for our people who need it. And whether it was the former Prime Minister or the current Prime Minister, I will always work as well as I can to get the best outcomes for our people. I think we've learned a lot from the past. I think the challenges in relation to the coordination of grant programs is important. But I'll call it as I see it. And I think, from where we sit today, the response between the Commonwealth Government and the State Government has been pleasing. I think we're seeing that on the ground. That's what Chris is saying, as well in respect of what our communities are feeling, well, that's a positive thing. And it's not about state governments working against federal governments. It's about us working together, we're naturally not always going to agree on things, that occurred in the past. I did agree with a lot of things that the former prime minister did. Now, maybe that doesn't get as much attention on the things that I disagreed with. But my job is to stand up for our people and to get the support on the ground. And I'm incredibly pleased, I'm incredibly pleased by the response so far. There's a long way to go. But in terms of this coordination, I think we've certainly learned from the past. And that's not just at a political level. I think it's also at a departmental level. That's incredibly important.
JOURNALIST: One thing that has emerged is people having trouble accessing the grants that were announced earlier in the week. They're getting online, they're being told you can't
PREMIER PERROTTET: Which grants are we talking about? Service New South Wales? Yeah, the small business and primary producer grants?
JOURNALIST: They're being told to call the 1300 number, there are some teething issues there. And many of them still haven't received money from February.
PREMIER PERROTTET: Yeah, so. No, there are. And let me just say in relation to this event, our primary focus right now is keeping people safe and protecting lives. Ultimately, though, this turns very quickly into providing financial support and getting that money out the door for those who need it. I was disappointed with the pace of the rollout of the grants, particularly at the last event, in relation to the Northern Rivers. My expectations were not met by the department, there were challenges in relation to the coordination between the joint state and federal payment systems because the guidelines are set together. Now changes were made more recently, I think when the Federal Government was in caretaker mode, those changes were pleasing, because my view has always been, we should be erring on the side of getting money out the door and auditing later, than having red tape and bureaucracy getting in the way or providing financial support for those who need it. Now, the update that I've received in relation to the previous flood events in terms of the funding and the payment system has been that there has been substantial improvements. Now, there will always be people I understand, who don't get those funds as quickly as they need. But in the main and given the scale of that event, I think that's improved substantially. There are things that we can learn from that past event in relation to the arrangements for this one. I know in the Federal Emergency Services, Minister Murray Watt just spoke earlier about the engagement with our Emergency Services Minister, Steph Cooke, in respect of those payments. So we will now go through the process of other support as we move through this event. But obviously, I want those small business grants, the $50,000 small business grant and the primary producer grant of $75,000 out the door as quickly as possible. And that work is under being undertaken, as we speak. And I'm and you know, as soon as I leave here, I'll be on the phone, to Minister Dominello, making sure that Service New South Wales has the resourcing available and directs its efforts and channels, its focus into making sure that those funds are out the door.
JOURNALIST: Is there anything that you would improve on if there was another flood?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Look, these events happen from time to time, I think, and they're happening more regularly. And we learned from that, we have a inquiry underway in relation to the flood response in the Northern Rivers more particularly, which Professor Mary O'Kane and former Police Commissioner, Mick Fuller, are chairing. I've said to them from the outset, I don't want a political report, I want a report that sets out those areas where the government response can improve in the short term, and in the medium and long term.
JOURNALIST: This time around? Are there any lessons?
PREMIER PERROTTET: From this event? I think I think we're, I think it's early days. Let's also focus on the point that we haven't lost any lives. And that's an absolute blessing. As the Prime Minister has said, we live in a country which is prone to natural disasters. The last four years, we've gone through droughts, bushfires, and numerous flood events. And to be in a strong resilient position that we are in, I think that's something that we should be very positive about. When natural disasters occur and we go through difficult times, it can be easy to be negative about it. But I think we should also be positive about it. We should be positive about the fact that whether it's our SES volunteers, our RFS volunteers, Marine Rescue, our entire country, the soul of our country is based on our volunteers. And so many people go out of their way each and every day, whether they are uniformed or not uniformed, to keep people safe. So you want to know what's going well in the response? It's once again, our volunteers and that great spirit of service, that Australian spirit of service, every single day. Our people put their lives on the line to save others and I think as a country, and particularly as Premier of this state. That is something that we should all be very proud about.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible) Do you need to work with the Commonwealth on the issues of where homes are rebuilt whether it's in Lismore whether it's in the Hawkesbury and issues of land buy-backs and land swaps potentially, does that involve the Commonwealth?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Well, I don't want to pre-empt that. I think it's more of a state issue to be to be fair, the Prime Minister might have some views, I mean
JOURNALIST: It can be expensive I'd expect?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Well, you know, you say that, but every single time we have one of these major events, the governments come together, and we put some substantial financial resources into these events. And that will always continue. And that is incredibly important. But it would be completely remiss of any of any good government to be sitting there and saying, well, we're just going to keep doing things the same way. Now, that doesn't mean you close towns, no, I have a strong view, particularly in the Northern Rivers, and around the whole region that we want those towns to flourish. But that doesn't mean we can't do things better in the future. That's something that we're working through from a state government level. My commitment, particularly into Lismore, in the surrounding towns in the Northern Rivers is that we will build back, but we will build back in a more resilient way. And give people opportunity to do that. Now we will obviously you have that report, which I expect to get back in a few weeks from Professor Mary O'Kane and Mick Fuller, once I receive that I'll consider it, Cabinet will consider it. But we're already looking at these areas, we want to make sure that we build in a way that makes sense. We're seeing these events, which we weren't, it's called one in 1000 year flood events or one in 100 year flood events. They're now becoming one in one year flood events. And so we need to do things smarter, we need to do things better. We need to do things in coordination with local communities. And if I learnt anything from the Northern Rivers, it's the input of local communities, informing and advising government in relation to how they want to build back, how they want their communities to be engaged, and how they want their communities to flourish in the future. So it's not for Macquarie Street, or for Canberra to be dictating to the people of Lismore, how they how their towns should be, but it's a partnership together. And that's what I'm committed to.
JOURNALIST: On flood mitigation, given the number of floods we've seen in the last 18 months. Is there a renewed sense of urgency regarding this for again, the dam wall raising proposal. And is it something you personally would like to see go ahead? Does it make sense?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Look, I've said from the start, we need to, this, our government has been working through that complex project for some time. It is a complex project. From an engineering perspective, from an environmental perspective, and from a planning perspective, we are committed to it. Minister Ayers is working very closely with his counterpart in Canberra, in relation to work in a joint funding arrangement in relation to raising the Warragamba Dam wall. And that's a project that New South Wales Government is committed to, we will continue those discussions they began and they commenced sorry with the previous government, Infrastructure Australia's looking at that and Infrastructure New South Wales working together. So that's obviously something that needs to progress. But ultimately, let's take, let's take a step back. Our focus right now is on our people and getting them back on their feet as quickly as possible getting people back into their, well, firstly, when, as these flood events continue over the course of the next week, making sure people are safe.
JOURNALIST: But Premier we say that every flood. In the moment it's a crisis, we've just got to save lives and focus on that. And then we'll deal with the mitigation after the fact.
PREMIER PERROTTET: We're not saying I'm not saying that. I'm not saying that at all, we're doing that work at the moment. As I said I'm due to get a report back from Professor O'Kane and Mick Fuller in the next few weeks. That report will inform in relation to the Northern Rivers reconstruction. We have a reconstruction committee that's doing a whole lot of work up there as well. We aren't just looking at the short term, it's short term, medium term and long term.
JOURNALIST: Is there a decision on the Warragamba Dam?
PREMIER PERROTTET: Well, we so the business case has been completed and it is currently with the federal government. But that's a state-federal project that needs to be worked through. It's not going to that's not something that's going to happen overnight. And I accept that. But we need to continue to work through it, work through the planning issues, work through the environmental issues and work through the engineering issues that come with that project. It's not a simple project. It's a very complex one that needs to be done properly. And it's not... one issue is or one project is also not going to solve this. We're going to continue to have bushfires, we're gonna continue to have flood events. So it's looking at all the options and having a comprehensive plan associated with it. And I accept the point. I'm not this is not just focused on the short term. The point I'm making today is we have people right across our state who don't have a home to go to tonight. There are people right now who are facing flash flooding in their areas that need the care and support right now. That's why we're here. That's what we're focused on, we're getting financial assistance out the door. But please don't take from this, that we're not doing that long term thinking, of course, we are.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, can I just ask about ATAGI meeting on a fourth dose, more broadly across the population, do you have a view on that?
PRIME MINISTER: I do have a view, which is we should listen to the experts. But what I know is that people getting vaccinated was important. People getting their booster shots was important. And I'd encourage people who haven't had their booster shots to go out there if they're eligible and do it, and do it as a matter of urgency. And we know as well that the pandemic isn't over. So my view is that we will inevitably follow what has occurred in other parts of the world, and roll out a further booster shot, because we know that over time, people's immunity decreases as the distance from when they received their last shot occurs. So ATAGI, no doubt, will look at the evidence which is there, they'll look at the Moderna vaccine, for example that's being examined. And I've encouraged them, when I met with the health authorities, including the CMO, before I departed a bit over a week ago, I encouraged them to do things as quickly as possible.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just in relation to the criticism that has been levelled at you that you are travelling overseas a lot.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, I think that says more about the people who've laid the criticism than it does about myself. And some people apparently didn't get the memo about the new politics. New politics is about getting things done, and achieving outcomes and working together in the interest of the Australian public. That's my objective. It's something that I progressed in the first meeting of the National Cabinet. It's something that you've seen on display with the cooperation between the Commonwealth and New South Wales over recent days. I did note there was a very specific criticism that said that I didn't pick up the phone to Premier Perrottet. I travelled on Saturday, from France, into Ukraine, it was literally planes, trains, automobiles. As a matter of national security and keeping not just myself, but the Special Forces personnel who travelled with me as well as media representatives, we didn't have any electronic equipment. No phones, no internet, no communication with outside. That was a matter of keeping us safe, but also keeping safe President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainian people that we were meeting with, because obviously there is a war going on. Apparently, you know, that should have just been dismissed. There's a war going on, that has implications for Australia and for our national security and our safety as well. And when I returned from, it was a train journey, into and out of Ukraine, from Poland, from a location that for reasons of national security weren't foreshadowed in advance. Then I immediately spoke to Premier Perrottet, I spoke to Minister Watt, I spoke to the Acting Prime Minister Richard Marles, and made sure that every support was being offered. At that point in time we had ADF personnel had already been deployed and offered quicker than has ever occurred in any natural disaster in Australian history. We were acting, we are not a one person show. I was fulfilling a responsibility that I believe that I had of traveling to Ukraine. To compare that with a holiday is, I just find beyond contempt, frankly. And it says a lot about the people who made those comments, and I thank Premier Perrottet for his response when asked about it. That's what people want to see. People want to see people working together in the national interest, in the interests of our people. That's what we've been doing here today. And that's what I'll continue to do. Not just with Dom, but with premiers and chief ministers around the country. Thanks.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, just on the Warragamba Dam wall raising? Sounds like a big part of that will be co-funding from the Commonwealth Government. Is that something you will commit to?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, we haven't yet had the business case finalised, assessed, there are environmental approvals, all those things will be considered at the appropriate time, we'll work cooperatively. The Premier and I have had cooperative discussions already about infrastructure, the Premier was good enough to contact me when making an announcement about increasing rail speed between Sydney to our north. And we'll work through those issues, we'll work on the issues around the new airport at Badgerys Creek and related infrastructure. I want to work towards outcomes, I'm very confident that we'll do so constructively, we will beef up and put Infrastructure Australia back at the centre of our assessments so that they're de-politicised. You won't have colour-coded spreadsheets on allocation of funding. And you're seeing that here today as well. With the 23 LGAs not being made on a political basis, not some areas and some areas missing out. Across the board, a de-politicisation, that's what people want to see. And that's what my government is committed to. And that's what I'll be implementing, along with all of my ministers.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER: Well, the measures that we supported being put in place, included, the lower middle tax offsets, LMITO, that came into place on the first of July. What that will do is provide additional income in terms of after tax income for low and middle income tax earners. That's important. We've inherited a trillion dollars of debt. That's the reality, our balance sheet are worse than state and territory governments. That's what's there. Some of that spending, of course, is absolutely necessary, because of what occurred with the pandemic and we supported that stimulus action that was required. But we also know that we can't continue to just see an increase in debt because we know that interest rate increases are impacting on individuals and households. We know people are doing it really tough. And the interest rate increases that were foreshadowed by the Reserve Bank Governor prior to the election, regardless of the outcome in the election, had been foreshadowed as well, and the Reserve Bank Governor has indicated that there will be further increases likely to occur this year. We know that's occurring. What we will do is do what we can to take pressure off families. That's why we're putting in place those structural changes, including on childcare, making childcare cheaper for families is what we'll do. I note the decisions of New South Wales and Victoria are very positive in that area as well, and I welcome that. With regard to other payments, no we can't do everything that we would like to do. The former government put in place a time limited change to the petrol payments, that will conclude. Before the election, both sides said they had no plans to increase that further into the future. And that's a circumstance that we have to deal with, we can't do everything that we would like to do. Because in the long run, if we don't do something about improving the fiscal position of the budget, then the impact on households will just flow on down the track. So we do have difficult decisions to make. And we make them with what we've been dealt with, with as I said, a trillion dollars of debt. Just as higher interest rates mean difficulties for households, they also mean higher debt levels, because that has an impact on that trillion dollars, which is there, so it worsens our fiscal position.