TRANSCRIPT
SENATOR THE HON ROBERT HILL
Minister for Defence
Leader of the Government in the Senate
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MEDIA CONFERENCE
Commonwealth Parliamentary Offices, Adelaide
2.00pm, Friday, 9 January 2004
E&oe________________________________________________Operation Niue Assist, Iraq
Senator Robert Hill
Good afternoon. There has been some interest I understand in Australia’s response
to the cyclone damage in Niue. As you would be aware, we almost immediately
provided some financial assistance, $150,000; expressed our condolences. Since
then we have been assessing the damage in conjunction with the Government of
Niue and they have requested that we provide health facilities to cover the fact that
their hospital has been destroyed.
We have now made a decision to meet that request and we will be deploying a C130
Hercules later today to arrive in Niue at first light tomorrow morning, which is
Friday Niue time, which will contain a primary health care unit, a 10-bed medium
dependency unit and an environmental health care section. The medical staff doctors, nurses and other professionals - amount to some 12 people and there will
be a support team of a further five. They will be taking with them their own
communications because communications is still a difficulty and self-dependency
will be necessary for the hospital facility. That will mean that not only injuries
arising from the cyclone but also the normal health needs of Niue can be met until
the existing hospital is rebuilt. The Government of Niue has estimated that the
need for the Australian team will be for three weeks. It wouldn’t surprise me if that
turns out to be a bit longer than that, but we will meet the need as required.
We believe we can transport the full hospital and support teams in one C130 but
there is still some debate about that and there may need to be a second aircraft
deployed and if necessary, that will also occur. An Australian AusAid official based
in New Zealand went into Niue with the first NZ flight and has been reporting back
to our officials in Canberra. That official will be assisted by another official from
Emergency Management Australia which has the primary task of coordinating
Australia’s support and disaster relief. That official will travel in our Hercules
overnight so we will be better equipped.
The communications are improving,
Australia is supporting the provision of a substitute satellite dish.
In relation to the damage, we are getting a better picture on what has occurred. I’m
told as of today, we estimate that about 20 per cent of housing has been destroyed,
that has left about 200 displaced people in local accommodation. Infrastructure,
including water, power and communications have not surprisingly been damaged.
Food and fuel supplies, while damaged are now being restored. There was, as you
know one fatality and a number of injuries have been reported and two people,
including a 19-month-old baby have been medi-vaced to NZ for treatment. We are
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continuing in close coordination with not only the Government of Niue, but also
that of NZ and France to determine what further assistance might be necessary and
as further requests flow in, we will deal with them promptly.
Journalist
Is this stretching our resources a bit Minister as we have troops sort of all over the
globe pretty much at the moment, is that something we can cope with quite easily?
Senator Hill
We can cope with these disasters in the Pacific. We have accepted in the past, the
responsibility we have towards our small Pacific Island neighbours that
unfortunately suffer the cyclones often. We have the equipment in place and the
procedures for dealing with it promptly which requires a combination of Emergency
Management Australia that called a meeting as soon as the request came in from
Niue with AusAid officials that had the primary responsibility for delivering the
assistance where necessary the ADF responds. This is of course, the second
response by the ADF in a very short period of time. We also sent a Hercules to Iran,
that aircraft is back in Australia now. So it is something that on the basis of past
experience we plan for and we can meet that task.
Journalist
(Inaudible) on the ground … disease outbreaks over there?
Senator Hill
The environmental health team we are sending is for specifically that purpose,
sanitation issues, water, water quality. I have no advice of a problem at the
moment, but it is always a risk after that sort of event and we are sending
professionals to ensure that the risk doesn’t become a reality.
Journalist
Can you describe how grave the need is in this country; what …(inaudible)
Senator Hill
Well the one hospital facility has been destroyed and we are sending midwifery
assistance within that medical team, for example there are pregnant women and
young children needing basic medical care, with or without the cyclone and there
are also elderly that need that hospital support, so basically we are covering the
need of the total Niue community as it existed pre-cyclone, but also meeting any
further requirements that have come out of the cyclone.
Journalist
Can you put a dollar estimate on how much this aid package is?
Senator Hill
No, I haven’t got a figure on it; it always costs quite a lot to deploy Hercules, loads
of equipment and professional staff but as I said, that is a responsibility we accept.
Journalist
In terms of the …(inaudible) how much are we contributing say compared with NZ
or France?
Senator Hill
France is still considering sending an aircraft. One of the difficulties has been good
communications and therefore, ensuring that what is being sent is what is needed.
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NZ’s first aircraft was largely for the purpose of ascertaining the damage and what
might be appropriate responses. They have now sent a second aircraft so it really is
a team of countries in the Pacific region. We work together on these disasters and
we respond according to the need and according to the availability and capacity of
transport and the like.
Journalist
Just on another matter, there was a report released overnight saying the US
Government actually exaggerated the evidence of weapons of mass destruction, it
doesn’t look too good for the Australian government does it?
Senator Hill
This was the Carnegie Endowment – they have done an assessment which they say
as I understand it, they have reviewed the various reports of the United Nations and
the IAEA data and have come to these conclusions with the benefit of hindsight.
But the action Australia took was in response to our intelligence advice at the time.
It wasn’t only the assessment of Australian intelligence professionals, but also those
of the US, Britain and others. It was supported by statements coming out of the
United Nations, that whilst Saddam Hussein might have been cooperating in full,
he wasn’t in substance and on the basis of that information and twelve years of
failing to satisfy ourselves that the weapons had been destroyed and the threat had
been removed, so Australians and others acted.
Journalist
Are you confident that our own inquiry will clear the government of any
wrongdoing?
Senator Hill
There is a Parliamentary inquiry taking place in Australia and we have put all of
our intelligence information before them and they have interviewed our intelligence
officials. I am confident that they will find that there is a sound basis for the
decisions that were taken by government at the time.
Journalist
Talking about Nauru, doctors have talked about needing transport by the RAAF to
get there, what is your attitude to that?
Senator Hill
I understand that we have offered, are going to send a team of officials to discuss
with the government in Nauru the health situation as they see it. We have been
pleased with the health support cooperation we have received from the government
in Nauru and the International Organisation on Migration and basically our officials
will be able to advise the Australian government whether any further assistance is
necessary.
Journalist
This independent group of doctors has said they were to go, would it possible the
RAAF would help them get to the country as an independent medical team?
Senator Hill
I don’t think transport is the particular issue, the issue is whether their services are
necessary and as I said, it has been our view that the health services that have
been provided in Nauru have been adequate and we have been particularly
appreciative of the support we have received from the health officials in Nauru and
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as I said, from the International Organisation on Migration. But as a result of some
concern that has been expressed in recent times, the government has decided to
urgently send a team of officials which will include further medical expertise to
determine as to whether any further assistance is necessary. From a government
perspective, that has been our view on the right way to go.
Journalist
If the request was made the AMA has apparently …(inaudible)
Senator Hill
We provide humanitarian support in emergency circumstances through ADF assets,
there hasn’t been evidence put to us that that is necessary in this instance. There
has been some issues raised as to the adequacy of the health support some of those
have been made from within Nauru and that is why we are sending officials to
clarify the situation. But in doing so we express, and I do again, our appreciation of
the health support that they have been given both from the government’s side and
from the International Organisation of Migration.
Journalist
So would you be willing to ask them?
Senator Hill
It just doesn’t seem to me to be appropriate or necessary at this time.
Journalist
Minister just getting back to Iraq for a moment, I understand Australia had about
15 members of the Iraq survey … searching for weapons overall including WMD,
about 6 or 7 of those where I understand searching for conventional weapons, I
understand they have been recalled but there are still about 15 members of the
Australian team over there, can you say what the replacement members are looking
for and has the role of the Australian team over there changed and do you expect
them to find WMD?
Senator Hill
We have contributed to the Iraqi survey group about 15 people, the number has
varied a little bit with rotations. They are a small part of what has been a very large
team of some thousands . And basically the Iraqi survey group has had a number
of different roles, the exploitation of conventional weaponry that has been captured
is one of them and another one has been to search for WMD and evidence of
programs for WMD. There wasn’t any real science in the mix that we provided in
our 15. It was largely based on the expertise of officials that were available and
where they would fit into the larger team. Having said that, the emphasis on
exploitation of conventional weaponry which was Brigidier Meakin’s expertise, has I
think largely been concluded but certainly now been downgraded. In other words,
the group believes they have obtained samples of the conventional weapons for
exploitation elsewhere and the like and they don’t need the same emphasis.
Emphasis on the WMD program however continues, and I think most of our 15 are
now working in that area. What they will find, well there has been one report
published and that was reported on publicly and I have had subsequent
discussions with Dr Kay who heads up the survey group in Iraq. His view was that
whilst there was evidence of ongoing weapons programs, well firstly they haven’t
found weapons of mass destruction, they have found evidence of ongoing weapons
programs and his view in recent years, it may well have been that Saddam Hussein
was concentrating more on the delivery vehicles, the missile technology, building up
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the range of missiles and the like, knowing that the weapons could be readily
reconstituted but that is to be further clarified and confirmed in the second report
of the Iraqi survey group which will be released in due course.
Journalist
(Inaudible) … replacing those conventional people have been recalled, you said it
has been beefed up to around 15 again, are you still confident they will find WMD,
if not, why would you replace the team back to its former numbers?
Senator Hill
Because one task has in effect been completed and the other task is still ongoing.
We haven’t found WMD and the longer the search goes on without finding them, the
more it is reasonable to doubt that they will be found, but there is an enormous
amount of exploitation that still needs to take place, but no one in the official
position on the Iraqi survey group will say that they won’t be found for fear that
tomorrow might be the revelation. There is a huge amount of written material that
has to be worked on and there is also an emphasis at the moment on interrogation
of individuals who have been captured and who have believed to have been
associated with the weapons program and there is still also examination of sites
taken place on the ground as further intelligence comes in, so we have no definitive
position now because the Iraqi survey group has not responded definitively and we
will await the results of the further work.
Journalist
If no WMD are found, say another six months and they still haven’t been found,
because the team has basically been recalled, what does that do to the credibility of
the government’s stance in going there in the first place, given that the US and
Britain are already changing it slightly to say that they suggest it is more a human
rights thing and the WMD issue has been downplayed dramatically, what is the
situation for the yourself for example, it was obviously put up as WMD, if you don’t
find any, where do you stand?
Senator Hill
Well I think you have got to, it is so easy to be wise with hindsight, you have got to
put yourself or myself in the position of the decisions that were taken at the time.
And our view was that, not only did he have WMD, that wasn’t really in doubt, the
issue was whether he was going to use them and in what circumstances he was
going to use them. As you know, we sent all of our service personnel inoculated
against anthrax with equipment to combat chemical weapons being used against
them. This was our fear and it was on the basis of the best intelligence that was
available. Now ultimately there must come a point where the experts will say well
we now believe that in some way or other the weapons were destroyed before the
invasion and they haven’t got to that point at the moment, but if they get to that
point, then I guess we will all be the wiser but it doesn’t affect the decisions that
were taken at the time on the basis of the evidence that was available at the time.
Journalist
…there should also be WMD intelligence…(inaudible)
Senator Hill
You can debate this; that debate’s taken place and will probably be debated for
years. Thanks very much.
ENDS