NICK MCCALLUM:
Mr Frydenberg thanks for your time.
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Nice to be with you Nick.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Ok so is there any update that you can tell us from the State Control Centre?
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Well I was fortunate to get a briefing from Emergency Management Australia, from the Australian Defence Force, the Bureau of Meteorology, as well as the state authorities, and the good news in what is very difficult circumstances is that the ADF is positioned there in Mallacoota ready to relocate some of the people who are there. There are three to four thousand people at Mallacoota and, as you know, there’s some ferocious fires in that area and we have an amphibious vessel there, another naval vessel as well as some aerial support ready to go. The ADF also have chinook helicopters and blackhawk helicopters as well as fixed wing spartan aircraft that is providing support by getting firefighters and emergency service personnel into some of the more difficult to reach terrains to support people. So everything that can be done is being done.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Minister, obviously you are the Treasurer as well so this disaster in New South Wales and obviously in Victoria is going to cost billions of dollars, that money will just be forthcoming wont it?
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Well the support will be there, financial as well as operational. What is critical about this State Control Centre is you see the federal authorities working very closely and effectively with state authorities. Not only is the ADF there positioned but Emergency Management Australia, I met members of the Bureau of Meteorology who are there, as well as NBN Co who are helping with the telecommunications side of things and you’ve got the Australian Energy Market Operator who are there. In terms of income support and disaster recovery repayments, we’ve already made a number of announcements in that regard. I spoke earlier today with my Victorian counterpart Tim Pallas as well as speaking with my New South Wales counterpart and obviously the Federal and the State Governments will continue to work together to get the support to those who need it most.
NICK MCCALLUM:
You and the Prime Minister have made a big deal out of the surplus and I understand all of that, but you would imagine would you not that the Australian people would understand if that surplus is eaten into by what has been this enormous tragedy. There won’t be any complications with that, it’s just the way it is isn’t it?
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Well in terms of getting financial support to people who need it most, that’s our number one priority and the Prime Minister was very emphatic in his press conference earlier today Nick, where he said whatever it takes and whatever the cost, we will get the support to people who need it. When it comes to the Budget Surplus, that has always been about ensuring that we have the buffers in place to resist some of the economic headwinds that we face and to ensure that Australia continues to live within its means. That obviously is part of our economic strategy but as you’ve seen with our response to the devastating drought that’s occurred across large parts of Australia we will open the wallet to get that support to people who need it.
NICK MCCALLUM:
I’m pleased to hear that, and finally Treasurer are you worried that whatever the cause, whether it be climate change or whatever, I mean, forget about the cause, are you concerned this now is going to be the new normal, that we’re going to have to face up to these what appear to be much longer periods where we face bushfires both in Victoria and New South Wales and all around Australia? Are you concerned this is the new normal now and we’re just going to have to learn how to cope with it better?
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Well we’ve always got to prepare for a range of contingencies and a range of scenarios and what these fires have shown is not only can they be ferocious and devastating, but as you said they can occur in multiple states simultaneously and they can go on for a long period of time and it’s not just tragically the lives that have been lost and the homes that have been lost, but it’s also the many people who have been affected by smoke and the hazes across many parts of our country and I know that our authorities, federal and state, are very responsible in this regard and will ensure that there are lessons that are learnt out of this experience as they have done, as you know in previous devastating natural disasters here in Victoria, and so that we continue to ensure that people get the support that they need at the time that they need it.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Josh Frydenberg, Federal Treasurer and Member for Kooyong, thanks indeed for your time.
JOSH FRYDENEBRG:
Thanks Nick, and my thoughts are with all those people who are currently listening, who are battling difficult bushfires and terrible times and all those brave volunteers who are helping to support them and to save their lives.
NICK MCCALLUM:
Thank you very much Mr Frydenberg.