PETER STEFANOVIC, HOST: Prime Minister, good to see you. Thanks for your time on a busy morning, I know you've got a bit on.
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning, Pete.
STEFANOVIC: So far, what's your assessment of the damage that you've seen?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, there's been devastating impact of these floods here in Far North Queensland and we'll be meeting with the Premier this morning having firstly a barbeque. It's an hour earlier here, of course, than Canberra and we'll be having a thank you barbeque to all the emergency service workers and vollies who've done such an extraordinary job this week. We'll be meeting with primary producers, with local government and then seeing firsthand at places like Holloways, visiting to see firsthand what's occurred in those communities to the north here of Cairns. We'll be offering further support today on top of the support that's going to individuals, so disaster relief payments. We'll be providing a package, or four packages of support. One for primary producers, one for small business and non-government organisations, support for the nine local government areas who've been impacted by this and in addition to that, a tourism recovery package as well. I'd say to your viewers that if you've got a booking here in Far North Queensland, please don't cancel. The community want to make sure that they can get back on their feet and the impact of the floods will be added to if we have a cancellation of people coming to this beautiful region.
STEFANOVIC: Yeah, and $125 million, that's the expectation so far in terms of financial losses because of cancellations. I just want to ask you about that point that you made on small businesses, Prime Minister. Are you considering grants, special grants for them who've only just bounced back from COVID we've got to remember.
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah, we'll have a package announced this morning with the Premier. A joint package between the Federal Government and Queensland to provide that support for small businesses in the region.
STEFANOVIC: Okay, but are they grants or are they cheap loans? Because they're going to need business to be able to service cheap loans, you know what I mean?
PRIME MINISTER: Yeah no, we'll be announcing the details of the package this morning. We've been working that through with local businesses. I've had my Emergency Services Minister, Murray Watt, has been here on the ground all week. I met with the coordination body in Brisbane on Tuesday along with the Premier. And this is the Premier's second visit to the region. He was here the day before yesterday as well and he came up with me yesterday afternoon here. And we already have spoken to some people on the ground last night and very early this morning.
STEFANOVIC: All right, so those details to come later. Elsewhere PM, Hamas has praised Australia for supporting a UN resolution for a Gaza ceasefire. Not entirely unexpected, but also not the sort of praise you want.
PRIME MINISTER: And I wouldn't have thought Sky should give any credence to a terrorist organisation like Hamas engaging in propaganda. I don't intend to give them anything other than the contempt they deserve for what occurred on October 7.
STEFANOVIC: Well, I mean, they supported your decision. That's why we brought it up this morning.
PRIME MINISTER: Well, you can replay the propaganda that Hamas will engage with. I don't intend to give them anything other than the contempt that they deserve. They engaged in an unprovoked attack on innocent civilians aimed at slaughtering people in Israel. They have my contempt. They're a designated terrorist organisation. My statement very clearly, along with the Canadian Prime Minister and the New Zealand Prime Minister, makes it very clear that Hamas should have no role in the future governance in Gaza. Gaza cannot be used as a venue to launch terrorist attacks in the future. That's a very important part of the Australian Government's position that we've made very clear.
STEFANOVIC: Peter Dutton reckons you rejecting a US request for a warship to help in the Red Sea will also be praised further by Hamas. Will you reverse that decision at all.
PRIME MINISTER: Peter Dutton, I'll listen to actual experts on defence, rather than a guy who presided over a diabolical failure to secure Australian defence assets for use, had massive blowouts in programs, lots of announcements. You can't defend Australia with a media release, if you could Peter Dutton would have been a good Defence Minister but he didn't provide assets on the ground. He left a debacle when it comes to Home Affairs and we've seen the aftermath of that. And he always engages in politics, never in providing real solutions. We've actually consulted with our Australian Defence Force heads about these matters and with our American friends. That's why you've seen no criticism from the US administration, only politics as usual from a guy who has nothing positive to offer Australia.
STEFANOVIC: Yes, certainly no public criticism from the US anyway. But isn't it a sad indictment of our defence asset?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
STEFANOVIC: But just let me finish here because I'm almost out of time. We can't even spare one of our eight ANZAC frigates to help an ally, particularly as we benefit from shipping through that area?
PRIME MINISTER: Where has the request been from the US administration, Pete? The US administration is very satisfied that our priority and the role that we play in our region in the Indo-Pacific, a fairly large region that we look after, is absolutely the priority and we work very closely with our American friends. And if Peter Dutton wants to continue to just snipe at the sideline at decisions that have been made by the Australian Government with the support of the Australian Defence Force, that's a matter for him.
STEFANOVIC: But how, just finally here, we've got to wrap up. But I mean, back to that question that we can't even provide one ANZAC frigate to help our ally in a time of their need. I mean, isn't that a sad indictment of how under equipped we are?
PRIME MINISTER: No, it's a statement that our priority, which has been made very clear and which has the support of our allies, is here in the Indo-Pacific. In addition to that, we're one of thirty-nine countries that are involved in the operation there to support maritime activity there at the base in Bahrain. We're providing additional support there which is appropriate. This is not an issue beyond Peter Dutton and some people trying to say somehow that anytime something happens anywhere in the world, you need a direct Australian engagement. Well, that's not the position of the Australian Government, nor has it been a request from the US administration. I say again, a general statement was made by the US Navy about the thirty-nine countries who are participating in this activity. No engagement from the US administration with my Government. We engage very closely with the US administration, we'll continue to do so.
STEFANOVIC: Anthony Albanese, thanks for your time.