ALLISON LANGDON:
Well, let's bring in our Treasurer Josh Frydenberg in Melbourne. Treasurer, I mean, so tough, isn't it, seeing what's happening in Southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales right now. I know you've made federal assistance available to those impacted. Is it going to be enough? And is there a limit to how much you'll offer?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
We'll continue to do whatever is necessary and required and is asked of us. We will partner with the Queensland Government. We've already made payments available to those who need it. The disaster recovery payment is a one‑off $1,000 payment. It's not means tested. It's tax exempt. We're also making available a disaster recovery allowance for people who are unable to get to work. That can be a 13 week payment. And again, that can be very, very helpful for those families in need. Firstly, Ali, my condolences go to those families who have lost loved ones in these floods, very distressing situation. Obviously, my thoughts are with all those families and small businesses who are affected. I was speaking just yesterday to Adiel, who runs a restaurant called Pilpel in Redcliffe, and he's seen more than a million dollars worth of damage as the floodwaters have taken over his restaurant. And he's like so many other small business owners really worried about getting those insurance claims paid out and getting his staff continued support. And then, of course, a big thank you to all those emergency service workers who are doing so much on our behalf to help people in need.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Yeah, this is going to go on for a long time. The repair bill is going to be enormous. It's going to be billions. It's going to take a really long time and you just wonder, how much can people take? Hey, look, it's not the only crisis we're looking at this morning, too. Let's talk about Ukraine. How real is Putin's nuclear threat?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
Well, this is another escalation in a very dangerous and concerning crisis. And obviously, there's the humanitarian fallout where hundreds of thousands of people are moving across the border looking for shelter. There are people cowering in bomb shelters in Kyiv right now as we speak. And obviously, hundreds of lives have already been lost. Putin's the aggressor here. There's no act of self defence. He was not threatened by Ukraine. And what he has done is completely unacceptable. That's why there's a strong coalition of countries who are coming together to seek to isolate Putin and his cronies from the international financial system and, indeed, from the family of nations. Last night, Ali, I spoke to my US counterpart, Secretary Janet Yellen, and we agreed to continue to work closely in turning the screws on Vladimir Putin and his associates.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Okay. I know the PM has committed to funding weapons for Ukraine. That's a change in his position over the last couple of days. So you're saying here that you are looking at further sanctions and everything is on the table?
JOSH FRYDENBERG:
We've already sanctioned over 350 individuals. We've also got commercial entities. We're looking at other actions that we may be able to take, but we're not going to stop here. Just as Putin's actions in Ukraine are not stopping here. He needs to get a message from the international community, from like‑minded countries like the United States, like the United Kingdom, like Japan, like Canada, like so many other European Nations, that what he has done has breached the norms and the values that have helped keep Europe prosperous and peaceful for the last 70 years since the end of the second World War. This is the single biggest threat that we have seen in decades to peace and stability across Europe.
ALLISON LANGDON:
Okay, look, we know that peace talks are going to be held as early as tomorrow. Hopefully that something comes of that. Treasurer, really appreciate your time. There's a lot on your plate.