ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Well, it’s good to be here in Queensland, although the circumstances are of course unfortunate. But I do want to begin by congratulating the new Premier of Queensland, Steven Miles, and to say that we've had a really good strong working relationship over a long period of time and I look forward to working with him in the interests of Queenslanders and in the interests of the nation going forward. Today has been an opportunity for me to get firsthand briefing on the events in Far North Queensland which are causing so much distress and hardship for communities and individuals. I will travel to Far North Queensland on late Thursday and Friday again. I will spend time on the ground with the Premier. But today's been an opportunity to receive briefings from everyone from the state ministers who are working so hard, local government mayors and shire presidents in the region, as well as, of course, the wonderful people in emergency services and people responsible for the recovery, including our people from the Australian Defence Force. An opportunity to thank them here at the headquarters, but an opportunity to hear firsthand about the efforts that are being made to keep people safe, the efforts that are being made to plan for the recovery and going forward. Of course, it will be some difficult days and weeks ahead. One of the things that I find though is that at the worst of times brings out the best of the Australian character. And we're seeing that from the stories coming from Far North Queensland at the moment. This morning I was speaking on radio in Cairns and heard about Magoo, a helicopter pilot helping to fly people out on his little chopper one by one, collecting them from roofs, taking them to safety. An extraordinary effort. Gavin, who was interviewed on ABC this morning, he got in a tinny with his mates and started rescuing strangers clinging to trees in floodwaters. These are the stories of which every Australian can be proud of the very essence of the Australian character that shine through. The true Australian spirit that we see time and time again. We are providing whatever support we can through the Australian Defence Force, through other personnel and assistance, Chinooks on the ground there in Far North Queensland and we heard that this morning. From tomorrow at 2pm, applications for the Australian Government Disaster Recovery Payment and Disaster Recovery Allowance will open for people who live and work in the councils affected. Cairns, Cassowary Coast, Cook, Douglas, Hope Vale, Mareeba Tablelands, Wujal Wujal and Yarrabah. The AGDRP is a one-off payment of $1,000 per eligible adult and $400 per eligible child who suffered a significant loss as a result of the floods, including a severely damaged or destroyed home or a serious injury. The Disaster Recovery Allowance provides for up to 13 weeks of federal income support to assist eligible employees or sole traders who experience a loss of income as a direct result of a major disaster. People will soon be able to check their eligibility and how to claim on the Services Australia website. And Bill Shorten, the Minister responsible for government services, is ensuring that there are additional people as well on the ground to provide that support along with the cooperation that we're seeing across the three levels of government. This is a difficult time for flood impacted Far North Queenslanders, but what we're doing is working as close as we can with the Miles Government here in Queensland, with local government and with all of the authorities to make sure that we make this recovery as smooth as is possible. I say as well though that after the floodwaters have receded and after some of the physical aspect of damage has gone, some of the scars will remain as well. So we need to as governments, but also as a community, be very conscious about mental health issues, about the trauma which people have suffered from during this difficult time. Both those people are directly affected, but also just a huge shout out to the people in all of the emergency management authorities, to the police and emergency services, to the SES, to volunteers who'll be there helping on the ground as well. Thank you for what you do each and every day for Australians. You are inspirational in the support that you give to in this case to Far North Queenslanders, but each and every day we see that support coming through.
STEVEN MILES, PREMIER OF QUEENSLAND: Well, I want to thank the Prime Minister for coming to our Queensland Disaster Management Committee meeting today and also for those allowances which will assist those North Queenslanders, Far North Queenslanders who've been affected by this disaster. Now the cleanup and the disaster assessments begin and I want to assure Far North Queenslanders that just as we have stood shoulder to shoulder with them and provided all that they needed during the disaster, we will be there with them during this cleanup, the disaster assessments and then moving into the recovery phase. I think it's a very important signal that all three levels of government are working closely together through our disaster management arrangements to support Far North Queenslanders. We have continued since I last addressed the media to see acts of bravery from frontline workers and local heroes, local volunteers. Far North Queenslanders are incredibly resilient. I know that they're tired and some of them are wet, but we continue to see them doing what they do, supporting their neighbours and getting on with the job of cleaning up from this disaster. Safety during the cleanup has to come first. And so we are asking anyone who's cleaning up mud or damage from floodwaters, please make sure you wear enclosed shoes. Today is not the day to wear thongs. We need enclosed shoes for everyone who could be in contact with contaminated floodwaters or mud. Some areas have seen over 2,000 millimetres of rainfall in just seven days. That means that all of these catchments are very wet. There continues to be forecast of possible heavy showers and thunderstorms across parts of the Cape and north of about Cooktown, so we could see significant river level rises depending on those showers and storms. The evacuation of Wujal Wujal is currently underway. Chinooks are on their way to Wujal Wujal now. I want to say to those residents who've been waiting, I know that you're tired and wet and uncomfortable, but help is on its way just as soon as we could have done it, we will have support there for you. So, the Chinooks are bringing in support personnel and then we'll be able to take residents out of Wujal Wujal and to Cooktown. To Wujal Wujal residents, I want to say to you that we have supports in place for when you get to Cooktown. Healthcare, food, showers at the PCYC. So, please, if your circumstances in Wujal Wujal are in any way uncomfortable or unsafe, please take up that opportunity to evacuate with the rest of the town. We do have concerns for an 85 year old male missing in Degarra and search and rescue is working on that. As I say now, the damage assessments start and we are very early on the damage assessments, but we know that one home has been totally destroyed, 15 have been severely damaged and 50 moderately damaged. The remaining 92 have been assessed as having minor damage. We're working with the local disaster groups to ensure that we get, restock and resupply of food, essentials and water and delivering bottled water where necessary and appropriate. The Cairns hospital though and the Cairns CBD have sufficient clean water. Damage to roads remains a significant impediment to people being able to move between towns. All major arterial roads north to Port Douglas and west, so significant damage remains on all major arterial roads, north to Port Douglas and west to the Tablelands. But the Bruce Highway is open to Cairns, which is an incredible effort from our road workers, and I'd like to thank them. Cairns Airport is reopened. Three evacuation centres are open with 35 people in those. We are setting up the community recovery hubs there to support people in each of the towns. So, it's moving now from disaster stage, disaster response stage, into cleanup, assessment and recovery. And to update us on the weather, first we'll get Laura, and then police and QFES are here to talk about those stages.
LAURA BOEKEL, BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY: Thank you, good morning. The update from the Bureau of Meteorology this morning is woe have seen continued decreased rainfall conditions, leading to an easing of flooding across the north tropical coast communities. However, we are still seeing showers and thunderstorms and the focus is now around that Cape area. These showers and thunderstorms might bring significant rainfall and it could lead to localised flash flooding during today and then into Wednesday. So, significant river level rises are occurring about several catchments across the Cape and that will continue over the next few days, as these floodwaters move downstream. As I mentioned we are seeing an easing trend about the north tropical coast catchments and I will give a run through of what seeing in terms of our Riverine flood warnings. We have now issued a flood watch for part of the Cape York Peninsula and one have one major flood warning current and that's for the Murray River. The Daintree River has been downgraded to moderate flood warning. We are still seeing water in these rivers and we are still seeing moderate flood levels, even though we are seeing that easing trend and that will continue to ease throughout the day as we're not seeing any more rainfall in those areas of significance. And we have also finalised the flood warning for the Barron River and so we are seeing quite decreased flooding in that area. It's important to note that we are still seeing flooding in part of north tropical coast. So, even though the rainfall has eased significantly, there are still a lot of water in those rivers, and we still do have a large amount of warnings current for those areas. So, we're asking people to remain up to date with those warnings to understand what the rivers are doing over the coming days as we start to see them decline and see that downstream flow and also for residents in the Cape York area to be across our warnings over the coming days as well. Thank you.
KATARINA CARROL, QUEENSLAND POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good afternoon, everyone. From the very outset, I would like to thank all police, fire and emergency services, all our volunteers, SES and also community that has been outstanding in a lot of the rescues and evacuations that have taken place in the last few days. The Prime Minister spoke to a few of those but there has been substantial amount across that area in the last few days so a sincere thank you. Thank you also to the community who have been outstanding and heeding the warnings and working with authorities as we go forward into recovery phase. So, there are a number of priorities for policing at the moment. And one of those is to go into all of our isolated communities and there are still a lot of isolated communities in that part of the world and start evacuating the people within those communities, but also carrying out an assessment as to what is required. That, as you have heard, is already taking place in Wujal Wujal there’s an excellent evacuation plan in place which will take place throughout the afternoon and those people will be taken into Cooktown who also have an excellent plan in place to receive those people. Sadly, we have the report of an 85-year-old gentleman missing in Wujal Wujal. He spoke to his family very late on the 17th and was reported missing yesterday. As a result, police have been deployed into that area to search for that gentleman. As the waters recede, please be mindful the roads are extraordinary damaged and there is still flooding over many of our roads. So be careful going about your business and please, as always, if it's flooded, forget it. We are planning for substantial staff to go into the far north over the next few weeks. Not only to continue to assist with the response, but also particularly to assist with the recovery, to assist community to get back on their feet, to support them and provide the high visibility patrols into those communities as we go forth. Thank you.
SHANE CHELEPY, DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER: Good afternoon. As has been said, we are moving from response into recovery. But can I say this morning we were still undertaking a number of aerial rescues in the area north of the Daintree River and this area remains isolated. As we speak, as the Premier and Prime Minister have indicated, the evacuation of Wujal Wujal is underway. We're expecting that to continue through the day and we are planning for that to continue into tomorrow if necessary. We have the ADF's support with the provision of two Chinooks into that area and all persons evacuated will undergo an assessment and then be taken to Cooktown, where we have increased medical support, community support, as well as food, water, etc that's needed there. The Commissioner has indicated that the police are going in to a number of communities, this is critically important. We have over 32 communities in small locations of a small number of houses or properties that we need to access today to check on the welfare of those people. And we're using our rescue helicopters and police and other emergency services to do that as we speak. I've been in contact with both the local disaster coordination groups and the district disaster coordination groups. And the resupply efforts into areas like Mossman, Cooktown, and our other isolated communities has commenced. We are aware of the essential need to get food, water and, in particular, medical supplies into those communities, and that is occurring today. We know that a number of those communities have been without power and water and can I please assure the community that we are aware of that and that those resupply efforts will commence today, and we have plans in place for those resupply efforts to continue. Thank you.
STEVEN SMITH, QUEENSLAND FIRE AND EMERGENCY SERVICES ACTING COMMISSIONER: Good morning. It's been an extraordinary operational period for Fire and Emergency Services over the last week, and particularly over the last couple of days. So, whilst our core numbers remain high, we have seen a tempo shift from that move from emergent calls to non-emergent calls that we're providing assistance in a more timely manner across the area. We do remain postured in order to support 000 calls, life-threatening calls. But we have shifted into a mode of supporting damage assessment, supporting wash-outs and general recovery activities across those impacted areas. I just would like to acknowledge the extraordinary efforts of our personnel, both staff and volunteers, across SES, Fire & Rescue service, working alongside our partners in QPS, Defence, and the community. Remarkable efforts have occurred over the last period of time, and that has generated an incredible, definitely saving lives and contributing to better outcomes for communities. So, I applaud everyone that has been involved in that. There is still a lot of water moving through our systems. There is risk still in the environment. So, we ask people to still operate with a high degree of caution. If you are in those good Samaritan-type roles, we'd please ask people to take their own safety into consideration as they do that. But appreciate the community's support for us. It has made our job easier and it's greatly appreciated. And we look forward to continuing to work closely with community. We've been with community through the event, and we'll be there through the recovery. Thank you very much.
PREMIER MILES: Any questions?
JOURNALIST: In terms of the evacuation of Wujal Wujal, is there any concern about some of that forecast rain across the Cape and how many people do you need to get out of there?
PREMIER MILES: So, we understand the evacuation could take all of today and into tomorrow. I think the Brigadier is probably best placed to talk to the operation, though.
BRIGADIER RICHARD PEACE: Good morning. In terms of the evacuation of Wujal Wujal, at the moment we're forecasting that we can evacuate up to 120 people today and depending on their desire for further evacuations, we should be able to support into tomorrow again, with the weather being clear, obviously that would impact any future support. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: And do you know how long it will be before they are able to go home and process things after you evacuate them?
BRIGADIER RICHARD PEACE: I'm not the person to be able to brief on that, but I'm sure the relevant Minister can. Thank you.
QUEENSLAND POLICE COMMISSIONER CARROL: It may take days depending on the receding of the water and what damage there is to infrastructure and houses. There has been considerable damage to infrastructure and houses, water, energy and obviously the rapid damage assessments need to get in and do that as well. So, that will happen over the next couple of days. I know the Energy Minister is here. They are getting in as well to try and repair that, as well as the housing needs to be repaired. So, we've had an overview of the town today and it is still inundated with a lot of water and I would expect that there would be significant damage in that area. And as was alluded to, at least 120 today, but we're working through, and Shane can obviously talk to this as well. Some will choose to stay, but I am confident that most will choose to come out. Thank you.
JOURNALIST: There's been a lot of criticism about the tracking of the system and the adequate warning of the rainfall for residents up there. Can you explain how the Bureau got it so wrong?
LAURA BOEKEL, BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY: Yes. So, in terms of this situation, the weather situation evolved quite rapidly. So, we did have a lot of lead time for that tropical cyclone and the flooding in the aftermath of that. However, it was the rain rates that evolved very quickly over the weekend. So, we used the best science to make those predictions and we had to change that warning strategy quite quickly into the weekend as we got more information that those rain rates were likely to be higher than initially predicted.
JOURNALIST: But on Saturday, there was no tweets issued either. So, people were having to go on the website to physically understand what situation they're in so they're quite frustrated, they're unprepared. Are you going to change that for the next serious weather event?
LAURA BOEKEL, BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY: In terms of our warning strategy, we do advise on all of our social media that the most up-to-date information is always on the website. That's where all of our warnings and all of our forecasts will be published. And then we use social media to try and backup and emphasise those messages to get out to the community. And also noting that we have the Bureau of Meteorology app as well that can know your location and also give you push notifications of warnings for the location you're physically in.
JOURNALIST: Do you accept there were delays though? A lot of people lost power, they didn't have phone reception, and a lot of these areas are in isolated areas as well, where you can't get phone reception. Were there delays? Do you accept there were delays?
LAURA BOEKEL, BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY: So, in terms of delays, I'll walk you through the timeline over Saturday. So, that's when the situation started to evolve and change quite rapidly. So, in the afternoon we started calling and briefing emergency services as well as local councils, and then we started issuing our first warnings by around 9pm. So, acknowledging there wasn't a lot of lead time and we started seeing those rainfall rates really change in the early hours of Sunday morning.
JOURNALIST: Can I ask Minister Watt to address some of those questions too?
MURRAY WATT, MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: I've certainly seen the criticism that's been made by a number of political figures over the last 24 hours of the Bureau of Meteorology. And I'm here to say that we have full confidence in the ability of the Bureau of Meteorology in its prediction systems. The reality is that we were dealing with a highly unpredictable weather system that Laura has walked you through, and as I said in some media outlets yesterday, meteorology is not a perfect science. The Bureau of Meteorology do the absolute best they can with the science they have available. I can't think of another agency in the world that I'd rather be relying on to make decisions. And I can tell you, having participated in several of these meetings over the last few days, that the efforts of emergency services personnel to keep people safe would not have been possible without the advice of the Bureau of Meteorology. We're obviously aware there's one 85 year old gentleman at the moment who there's a search underway, touch wood, that will work out okay. But it is pretty remarkable that in an event of this scale, that we have not yet lost a life or a serious injury. So I'd ask people to keep it in perspective about the Bureau of Meteorology. They do the absolute best they can and they've guided every response effort made by all levels of government, which to date have been fantastic.
JOURNALIST: There were similar criticisms raised after the flooding event in the NSW Central West. Have there been any changes implemented since then?
MINISTER WATT: Well, I'd need the Bureau of Meteorology to address specifically what changes they've made internally. But this proves the point that there are sometimes weather systems that even with the best will in the world and the best possible science, can't be absolutely predicted down to the precise detail. But the fact is that I was certainly seeing warnings on the general media, on social media, from the Bureau of Meteorology for days leading up to this event, that we were facing life threatening flash flooding. That was there for all people to see. And if we weren't able to get through the Bureau of Meteorology, every single detail right, that's unfortunate. And of course systems will always be worked on to improve them. But as I say, I'd ask people to remember there has been an immense effort undertaken over the last few days by three levels of government based on the meteorology from the Bureau. And overall, I think they've done a fantastic job.
JOURNALIST: People, though, trapped on the roof of their houses by the time they were getting text messages. Do you accept, though, there should be improvement when you look at the extent of all the people who've been brave enough to go rescue, they’re putting their own lives on the line because other people weren't getting warnings in time.
MINISTER WATT: As I say, after every major event, we always refine the systems that we have in place and I've got no doubt that will occur this time as well. If there are improvements that we can make around warning systems, then we'll make those warnings. But again I'd ask people to remember that what we were dealing with was a highly unpredictable, unprecedented amount of rain into an area of Australia that knows how to deal with storms, cyclones and floods. The water was moving so fast that it simply wasn't possible to update everyone with information as quickly as things were moving. But I know that the Bureau and all of the emergency services personnel did the absolute best they could. We of course, would prefer to see systems where people aren't kept on roofs, but unfortunately, sometimes systems are too great to be able to cope and will make any refinements needed.
JOURNALIST: What about, though, aside from text messages and things like that, door knocks and crews going out physically door knocking. Was that happening?
MINISTER WATT: That's probably better for Shane.
DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER CHELEPY: Thanks, Murray. Can I just say in relation to alerts, the Bureau of Meteorology is embedded within the State Disaster Coordination Centre as well. And it's not just the alerts that go out on the website of the Bureau, the moment we are given those alerts, we issued a large number of emergency alerts via text, through our telecommunications networks and also at the local level councils were also issuing early warning system alerts from their system. So, it's a tiered system, but it is a complex environment. We are reliant upon at that early stage of text messages and social media, and we know that the environment, once it gets water in it, we lose power, we lose communications, and we accept that. Can I say that during the emergency response phase, we had a large number of emergency services out there door knocking. Can I say during the evening, when we completed over 250 rescues from rooftops, we had members of the Special Emergency Response Team with night vision goggles on, walking through water, walking up streets, knocking on house doors, making sure people were safe. This water rose quickly. It was a lot of water. But as early as 9am on that morning, we were starting to put alerts out about rainfall through the emergency alert system. It is a tiered response, we accept that people would have lost communications, we accept that people will lose power, and that's why emergency services were out doing what they were doing. It's why we use both the text messages through the emergency alert system, but also why local council, and state republished, but local council put out there also warning systems through their social media and disaster management pages. But can I say all the time through when we saw that water rising, emergency services, not just police, fire and emergency services, SES were out door knocking right through those communities saying that this is happening. But I was speaking to the CEO of Wujal Wuajl today. The CEO of Wujal Wujal said that community has never seen water through Wujal Wujal like that. And the pace that that water came through at and they said the community did door knock each other and they headed for high ground. But obviously, the speed that that water comes, we know we still had people trapped on roofs at Wujal Wujal. So can I commend the emergency services, those members of police, SES. We had surf lifesaving out there. We had members of the community assisting us under our control as well, getting around to those houses. Can I commend them.
JOURNALIST: We're at the start of the summer period. Are you confident that crews, which are already exhausted, there'll be enough resourcing as we head continue into the season?
DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER CHELEPY: Absolutely. As I've been saying every day here, our crews are fatigued, our crews are tired, our crews have done a fantastic job. But this morning, when those Chinooks came in from Townsville, we flew 58 additional resources into Cairns. We now know the Cairns airport is open and the commissioners indicated that we'll be moving a lot of police crews up. I know, as the state disaster coordinator, that we're moving a lot of fresh crews into that area because this is just the beginning. We need to go into now relief, supporting the communities into recovery, and then we need to prepare our response for the next event we'll get in Queensland this year.
JOURNALIST: The Douglas Shire Mayor, Michael Kerr, says that he feels his community there has been forgotten. What’s your response to that and what assistance will be made available to those residents?
PREMIER MILES: The new Minister for Emergency Services and Disaster Recovery has been talking with Mayor Kerr this morning. We understand the concerns that he has raised. I've organised for the CEO of the Queensland Reconstruction Authority to be addressing those concerns. The Douglas Council have been closely engaged with our disaster management system. The CEO has been in constant contact with the Deputy Commissioner, the lead of the disaster coordination. We are and will continue to do absolutely everything that we can to support the Douglas Shire and their residents through the rest of recovering from this disaster event.
JOURNALIST: What considerations have gone into whether there were evacuations needed in places like Mossman and Togara where we understand people are also flooded in the same way that they are in Wujal Wujal?
DEPUTY POLICE COMMISSIONER CHELEPY: Absolutely those considerations have gone in. I've been in contact with the mayor and I've been in contact with the disaster management group there. In any large scale disaster like this, we need to prioritise our resources. We were using every available resource vessel and aerial resources to rescue people off roofs. I spoke to the Mayor yesterday and the first available rescue aerial resource helicopter that I had available yesterday was put into that area to rescue people off roofs. Access through this event has been incredibly difficult, as we know. We also know that we've tried to put aerial resources in the air over multiple days that were required to be grounded due to weather. So, the moment we could get our rescue helicopters in the air yesterday afternoon, they were put into the Mossman Daintree area. They were put back into that area again today. We have been in contact today. You will see we have moved additional resourcing into that area. We have a vessel going up to Port Douglas to be able to resupply Mossman and Port Douglas today because access is opening.
JOURNALIST: Do you feel there's been a gap left in ADF resources in particular, given how many aerial rescues have been needed, given that all the Taipans were grounded without any sort of sufficient replacement for them?
PRIME MINISTER: No. We have been able to provide four helicopters here on very short time. The ADF resources were here very quickly. HMAS Cairns assisted with some of the rescue by making boats available. And the decision was made about the Taipans after the tragedy that occurred in the Whitsundays on the basis of appropriate safety recommendations.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister the cyclone and reinsurance pool covers damage until 48 hours after the cyclone. Is that going to be extended up until today or yesterday, given the rainfall?
MINISTER WATT: Well, the cyclone reinsurance pool was created by the former Morrison Government. There were lots of promises made at the time about what it would deliver in terms of insurance premium reductions which have not yet materialised. Our Government said before the election and since the election that we need to take a good look at the reinsurance pool, and that's something that's underway now. I can't be any more specific than that.
JOURNALIST: Are you concerned by the lack of notice provided by a federal agency, given that we've got hundreds of people stranded on rooftops?
PRIME MINISTER: I think that all of the agencies have, whether they're federal or state, have done a remarkable job under what are difficult, unprecedented circumstances.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, the Budget had about $10 million to update the disaster alert system in May, the Federal Budget. Where are those upgrades and will you look at fast tracking them now?
MINISTER WATT: I suspect what you're talking about is the national messaging system update that we funded. The most recent Federal Budget contained a range of measures to really make sure that Australia is much better prepared for natural disasters than we historically have been. One of the measures in this year's Federal Budget was to upgrade the national messaging system to ensure that we can get more accurate, more reliable, more quick messages to people in an emergency situation. When we announced that funding during the Budget, we said that we expected it to be available by the end of next year. And the most recent advice to me is that is still on track.
JOURNALIST: The New Zealand Prime Minister is arriving tomorrow for its first trip. What's on the agenda for those talks tomorrow and will you accept support from New Zealand for the floods?
PRIME MINISTER: The New Zealand Prime Minister, I very much welcome him. Tomorrow will be Prime Minister Luxon's first visit away from New Zealand after his election victory just a couple of months ago. It took them a while to be able to form government, but we'll continue to talk about the strong relationship that is there between Australia and New Zealand. One of the things that we were able to do with the previous governments of Prime Minister Hipkins and Prime Minister Ardern is to provide an increased streamline for New Zealanders to become Australian citizens and having an enhanced economic relationship. And I have known Prime Minister Luxon for some time, from the time when he was the CEO of Air New Zealand. So, we have a long, constructive relationship. I've spoken to him and congratulated him on his election. We look forward to cooperating. One of the things that occurs, whether it be disasters in New Zealand or here in Australia, is we always help each other out. We're mates in the truest sense. I'll be discussing with Prime Minister Luxon tomorrow, but one of the things that always occurs with our agencies is cooperation and I'm sure that New Zealand, if any assistance is required by the various agencies who are represented here, then I'm very confident that Prime Minister Luxon would provide support, just as Australia always provides support for New Zealand.
JOURNALIST: Should Abdul Nacer Benbrika be allowed back into the community, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, it's a matter of the law. It's not a matter of my view, it's a matter of the law. And we have put in place the strongest possible recommendations to ensure community safety. And it is a good thing that the courts have determined to do that.