ADAM STEPHEN, HOST: The man on the phone with us this afternoon is in charge of the country and we'll put to Anthony Albanese some of the concerns of you and find out what the Federal Government has planned with the assistance and recovery from this weather event. Prime Minister, thanks for joining us.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good afternoon, Adam. And it's a reminder of the important role that the ABC plays in times of crisis, in keeping people informed. So thank you to yourself and to your team on what you're doing, providing this vital service at what is a really difficult time.
STEPHEN: And Prime Minister, it's been very hard for people outside of far north Queensland to get an understanding for what's been going on. There aren't a lot of cameras up here, there were plenty of cameras covering Cyclone Jasper when it crossed the coast, but a lot of the national media left after the event and it's only been the local media that's been able to share the impact. But still, have you been able to get a gauge or appreciation with the vision you've seen and the stories you've heard about the significance of what we're dealing with here in far north Queensland?
PRIME MINISTER: Well indeed, I spoke yesterday with Nita Green, who was there, of course, a Cairns based Senator. Talking about her experience with, her young child actually was with her, and she was quite emotional about what her community is going through. And having a look at the footage which is there, it's been quite horrific. We are still trying to organise, along with the Queensland Premier, to see whether we could get up there tomorrow. We would have gone today, but of course, because of the circumstances it was simply, you don't want to be an impediment, you want to be an assistance. So, we will certainly see firsthand when that is feasible and appropriate. But on the ground, I know that it has been incredibly difficult for people and the authorities are doing their best under this difficult circumstance. We have activated our Australian Defence Force assistance for both personnel and resources that are required. I spoke with the Defence Minister, Richard Marles, this morning. I've discussed with Murray Watt, we convened a meeting of the Australian government Crisis and Recovery Committee has been brought together and we're working very closely with the Queensland authorities. QFES is, of course, the key body providing assistance there, along with local authorities as well. But it's such a broad area, I think that's something that people outside the region need to comprehend. It wasn't just Cairns city, but right up to Cape York and the tablelands and south of Cairns as well, and so many shires have been impacted.
STEPHEN: Yeah, and hundreds of rescues from houses and people have been ferried out of suburbs today on basically any vessel that's been available. We've had locals helping SES, QFES, there's been some assistance from the Navy. People have been a bit agitated about the fact that there isn't an Army presence in Cairns, not a large one yet anyway. And we're told that that call needs to be made by the Premier generally. But what kind of assistance can the ADF play now once the floodwaters start to recede?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, HMAS Cairns already yesterday was providing a small boat assistance in order to assist with the rescue of residents. There are two Chinook helicopters as well as two AW139s have been made available and personnel and resources will be made further available too, as requested. It has been difficult to get people on the ground and, of course, there were some issues with safety with some of the helicopters, which would have been normally used are, of course, grounded post the tragedy that occurred in the Whitsundays.
STEPHEN: So, that is in some way impacting here, is it? At the moment, those helicopters aren't available.
PRIME MINISTER: That's right. That’s right, and that's a circumstance which is unavoidable. But we are making other helicopters available from Townsville, that are Townsville based, as well as activating further support which is there. In addition to that, we have already made available personal hardship grants that are there for individuals and families and providing assistance for local government as well through the essential services, safety and reconnection scheme. All of those federal and state assistances have been activated and we'll continue to work with people on one, making sure that people are kept safe, of course, is the priority at the moment. But there's going to be a lot of work required on essential infrastructure repairs like roads and bridges, right across a range of council areas, including Cairns, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Wujal Wujal, Yarrabah, Mareeba and Tablelands. And of course, evacuation centres have been established as well. That will be an important part of the process.
STEPHEN: Hearing here from the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, with you live on ABC Far North and ABC North Queensland and around Australia and the world on the ABC Listen app. As the cleanup begins from one of the biggest floods in far north Queensland history, and certainly the biggest flood in recorded history on the Barron River and the Daintree River, with hundreds of homes inundated. The true figure we can't get a grasp on at the moment, Prime Minister, but we're told to expect hundreds and it may in fact, be more that had water through them. We're talking about several populated parts of Cairns, suburbs of Cairns that had extensive damage. The town of Mossman, north of Port Douglas, a lot of homes there had water through them. We haven't even properly been able to access the Daintree River following Cyclone Jasper. The ferry was only just about to get going when this rain event started and it's been very difficult to get an idea for what's happening north of the Daintree River with telecommunications down. And then in Wujal Wujal, a small Aboriginal community of about three hundred people in the heart of the Daintree Rainforest, we're hearing that evacuations are taking place this afternoon. The town is almost uninhabitable. Dozens of homes have had water through them and residents say that they feel like they've been abandoned. Do you know who's going to be playing a role in those evacuations in Wujal Wujal? Is that a thing that the Federal Government gets involved in or are these decisions made at a state level?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, largely they're made at a state level. The Queensland Disaster Management committee, which is made up of State Government Ministers, heads of agencies as well as local councils, was meeting this afternoon, and the federal Minister, Murray Watt, was joining that meeting on behalf of the Commonwealth to ensure that whatever support was requested could be provided.
STEPHEN: And, Prime Minister, you've talked about the impact on the road networks and the need to rebuild. Have you seen some of the footage of some of these major crossings from the Tablelands to Cairns? Some of the images are just mind blowing. The damage to the Rex range, the Palmerston Highway, which is one of the main B-Double routes that connects the Atherton Tablelands agricultural area to the Bruce Highway, and, of course, the Gillies and Kuranda Range roads, those very important roads that connect the tablelands to Cairns and Gordonvale. Extensive damage on those four roads that are huge connectors west to east in far north Queensland. And that's not even talking about any of the damage to any of the roads through the city of Cairns or any of the rural roads that we're going to see. And even the Captain Cook Highway connecting Cairns to Port Douglas, extensive damage there. We could be talking about weeks or months of roadworks that might be required just to get those roads accessible again. What role can the Federal Government play in help speeding up those repairs?
PRIME MINISTER: The Federal Government will be prepared to, of course, play a role. It is a reminder of the power of nature. I've seen on other occasions, earlier this year, I was in Eugowra in southern NSW and saw there a whole bridge that had simply been moved. A bridge made of concrete and steel that had been moved like it was paper, effectively. Hundreds of metres away from where it was previously located. The power of the water, clearly that some of the footage that has been shown, bearing in mind your comment that a lot of the media wasn't there, it was relying upon local footage. But it is there for people to see the power of what has occurred here. And it will require the three levels of government to work together in order to overcome this, because those connections are, of course, vital for people to get access to essential services, as well as the impact on the economy of a natural disaster like this as well. Many of those routes are essential transportation routes. The Tableland is, of course, a very rich agricultural area as well. And the disruption that will occur as a result of this will be felt for some time.
STEPHEN: Hearing from the Prime Minister of Australia, Anthony Albanese, at twenty past four. This is Adam Stephen, with you across far North Queensland and North Queensland as we continue our extensive coverage of the flooding disaster that's occurred over the last forty-eight hours. And, Prime Minister, just to leave the listeners with, we've got thousands of displaced people in Cairns and far north Queensland at the moment, but more broadly speaking, a community in shock still at what we've just lived through, and is still living through. We still have major floods in many of our rivers. But what would your parting message be to those that have been impacted?
PRIME MINISTER: My heart goes out to people who've been impacted by this. It will have had a devastating impact on them, many will require support for some time. I'd encourage them to reach out for support, not just in terms of financial support, but this will have an impact on people's mental health. People will be traumatised by the experience that they've had. And to all those people in QFES and from the National Emergency Management Agency, from Defence, from local government, just a big thank you, once again. What we've seen from the stories coming out of people being rescued is that at the most difficult of times, we see the best of the Australian character. People digging deep, people taking some risks to themselves as well in order to help others. People who they don't know, but Australians really do provide inspiration, I think, at times like this. And a big thank you to all of those police, emergency services and others who are providing that important assistance. And again, a final shout out as well to the service that you're providing at the ABC once again.
STEPHEN: Thank you, Prime Minister. That's what we're here for as emergency broadcasters and our community feels very connected at the moment through this trauma and disaster. The airport, it's understood a decision will be made later today as to whether it can reopen tomorrow. And once that reopening has happened, we look forward to seeing you on the ground so you can get a true indication for what's happened here and we can get a better idea for what's needed in the cleanup and recovery. For now, thank you very much for joining us.
PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much, Adam.