Press conference - National Situation Room

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks so much for joining us in the National Situation Room here at NEMA, a proud creation of our government that is making an enormous difference. I'm joined by Kristy McBain, the Minister for Emergency Management, Pat Hetherington, the NEMA Interim Coordinator-General, and Simon Louis from the Bureau of Meteorology.

Now, for a long time, science has told us that there would be more extreme weather events and there would be more intensity in those events. We're now well and truly into the high-risk weather season, and this year is no different. So, what we want to do is to make sure that Australians prepare for the worst, while of course hoping for the best. These events can have a massive impact, obviously, on human life in the worst circumstances, but also on our economy and on our capacity to engage across the country. And of course, in a country like Australia, as big as this island continent is, quite often we have to deal with multiple extreme events at the same time, flooding in one area, bushfires in another, and with the super El Niño on our continent as well. It will have a particular impact during this summer season, so we want to make sure that we are prepared.

Because, I want to be clear, the advice is this could be a very tough summer indeed. Particularly, we've already had fires in the Northern Territory and floods in Queensland already. We're already seeing warm and dry conditions expected for much of the summer, supercharged by the El Niño impact. Now, whilst we can't predict exactly when extreme events will occur, what we can do is to make sure that we're prepared and that the Government stands ready to respond. Our National Aerial Firefighting Fleet has been backed by additional funding. The National Emergency Management Stockpile is at record levels, and we're working with the telcos to ensure that Australians have the communications that they need. Since we came to government, we've established a Disaster Ready Fund as well as NEMA and established AusAlert, which is very important. Today, we announce an additional package of support to strengthen bushfire risk management and to support the mental health and wellbeing of emergency first responders. That investment will see additional funding for the Australian Fire Danger Rating System, the National Bushfire Intelligence Capabilities, and support to health services delivered by Fortem.

While the Government stands ready, households and communities can play their part as well. And as we enter the high-risk weather season, simple steps can help you to be best prepared. Pack an emergency kit with essential supplies, create an evacuation plan with your household, turn on alerts and make sure that you have relevant emergency apps downloaded and listen to and follow the advice of local authorities should that advice be needed.

So, whilst we're prepared for this upcoming season, it is critical as well that we work not just here domestically, but internationally as well. We know that the science of climate change is real. Climate change is having an impact. We have always had extreme weather events in Australia. And whilst you can't say that any individual event is just because of climate change, what you can do is point towards the very clear patterns that aren't just happening here, of course, but happening internationally as well. And recently our firefighters were there in Canada providing assistance once again. And we thank our international support that we receive each and every time as well.

Before I turn to the Minister, just a little fun fact for people here. The fastest growing area of government investment and expenditure in the last year was indeed disaster management and response. It rose by 280 per cent annually from 2024-25 to 2025-26. This is one of the pressures that are on the Budget, but it is of course necessary. And my government will always provide support to people who are in need, including those dealing with not just a response to disasters, but also how we mitigate the impact of natural disasters by investing in disaster readiness as well. I'll turn to the Minister and then we'll take some questions.

KRISTY MCBAIN, MINISTER FOR EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT: Thank you, Prime Minister. It's great to have you back here at the National Situation Room. There is no doubt that Australians are feeling the pressure as we head towards the next high-risk weather season. There is obviously a heightened risk of fire across several parts of the country, as conditions are drier than they may normally be. We've seen above average rainfall in much of Southeast Queensland and Eastern New South Wales. Communities are encouraged to stay informed, to monitor local conditions and to follow advice from emergency services locally as the season unfolds. We've already activated our Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements this season following severe storms and flooding in areas like Caboolture, Brooweena and Warwick. And I'm sure it won't be the last time this season. NEMA has been working really closely with states and territories as we prepare for this season, and we continue to invest in the things that matter most to Australians, including the National Emergency Management Stockpile to make more assets available and to supplement state and territory resources should they get stretched.

Our new national warning system, AusAlert, is ready for use by emergency agencies Australia-wide. We've worked with telcos to roll out temporary disaster roaming this high-risk weather season, and we're investing more than $150 million in our national aerial firefighting capability, with aircraft now pre-positioned across the country. Today, we are announcing an additional $12 million in enhanced capabilities and services to help Australians through this season. This includes nearly $5.8 million for upgrades to the Australian Fire Danger Rating System. This is a national system, and we want to make sure that wherever you are in this country, your fire danger rating is the same in each state and territory. It's an incredible uplift and one that emergency service agencies have long called for.

We're also continuing our support of two important capabilities, nearly $2.6 million in the National Bushfire Intelligence Capability, which is managed by CSIRO. This helps identify areas at greatest risk and support evidence-based decisions on preparedness, mitigation and investment to better protect communities. We're investing $850,000 in our North Australia and Rangelands Fire Service, what we affectionately call NAFI. It's a really important capability that helps Indigenous ranger groups manage land more effectively. And finally, we are continuing to invest in our people who protect our communities. $3 million will go towards the support of first responders and their families for their wellbeing. This will go to a not-for-profit organisation called Fortem who deliver mental health and wellbeing services to first responders across the country. It builds on our investment already in the Black Dog Institute's National Emergency Worker Support Service. And I want to say thanks in advance to the paid staff, but also the volunteer staff in emergency services Australia wide who do such a fantastic job in protecting our communities when we need it most. I'm going to hand over now to Pat Hetherington, Interim Coordinator-General of NEMA, to provide an update.

PAT HETHERINGTON, NATIONAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT AGENCY: Thank you Minister, and welcome everybody to the National Situation Room. This is the Government's capability for 24/7 situational awareness of hazards right across the country and also provides the capability for national coordination of emergencies. We are ready for this season. Over the last few months, NEMA has been working very closely with our colleagues across emergency services across every state and territory in the country. In early September, we brought together almost 300 people here in Canberra for our fourth National Preparedness Summit that saw emergency sector workers, community sector workers, state and local government come together to plan for the season ahead. We did this through a range of scenario-based exercises that put to the test our plans and our capabilities for the upcoming season and the hazards that we think are most likely to occur. We've subsequently met with all of our colleagues across every state and territory to understand their readiness and to determine the ways in which the Federal Government can provide support in the event that it is needed.

With the Government's investment in things like the National Emergency Management Stockpile of over $41 million, which includes both a physical holding of generators, soft shelters, water purification systems, and a procurement arrangement that enables the rapid procurement of the goods and services that we think we'll need during emergencies, again, we think we are well prepared. You've heard from the minister and from the Prime Minister an investment of $150 million in the aerial firefighting fleet. We know that that brings us the capability we need for what is expected to be a tough bushfire season, both this season and the seasons ahead. We have tested thoroughly AusAlert. It brings the most up-to-date emergency messaging technology to this country. It went live on 1 October following a successful national test and community-based trials. And then today you've heard the announcement of a range of bushfire intelligence capabilities that put us in a really, really good place for the season.

And finally, I'd say preparedness is a team effort. So if you haven't already done so, please make sure you understand the risks in your local area. Please talk with your family and your friends, develop a plan and be ready for what the season brings us. Thank you.

SIMON LOUIS, BUREAU OF METEOROLOGY: Good morning. Simon Louis, Manager, National Hazard Preparedness and Response with the Bureau of Meteorology. I'm here just to give an update on what we're expecting for this coming season. As the Prime Minister said, we have seen a very strong El Niño develop in the Pacific Ocean and we expect that to continue through to Autumn next year. Along with that, we've also seen an Indian Ocean Dipole develop, which is a similar weather pattern that develops in the Indian Ocean and has somewhat similar effects on our weather and climate. However, these two things are not the only effects that affect Australia's weather over summer, and the Bureau does analyse those as well as other impacts such as increasing ocean temperatures around the continent to produce a long range forecast that gives us an overall expectation of what we could see over the coming summer. In the long range forecast at the moment, we're expecting very much above average temperatures, both maximum temperatures and minimum temperatures across the entire continent. And of course that brings with it the risk of heatwaves. When we see areas with little rain, we get an increasing risk of bushfires.

The long-range forecast for December to February for rainfall is a lot more mixed. So, there we're looking at a shift towards weather conditions in New South Wales and Southeast Queensland, and more likely to see drier conditions across the tropical north of Australia. Also a risk of dry conditions in Tasmania and other parts of the country. It's very much a 50/50 situation for rainfall. Of course, October through to April is the high-risk weather season for Australia, and we have seen severe weather events. We do expect it to continue. We expect to see something like three to five is the average number of tropical cyclones that landfall in Australia over a summer. It can go up as high as nine. It's also the time of the year with the biggest risk for thunderstorms, bushfires, and floods. So, I would encourage everybody to download the BOM app, and you can set that to display warnings and notifications for your location.

PRIME MINISTER: Thanks very much and thank you to Pat and Simon for what you do for the nation. Happy to take questions.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, there have been several longstanding inconsistencies in the way that you have allocated advisor-level staffing across Parliament. Your own Senator Tammy Tyrrell has called it a potential corruption risk for the Prime Minister to have this power. Why should Australians trust you to administer this power given your track record of withholding and granting staff without explanation?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, this wasn't a system that was put in place by me. It was put in place by the former government.

JOURNALIST: And you believe that you were administering in an appropriate way?

PRIME MINISTER: It was put in place by the former government. That's a system that's been in place for some time.

JOURNALIST: Sorry, the question's not about whether or not it was applied by you or someone else. It's about your administration of the system. Have you administered it in an appropriate way when some senators have no staff, others have three, some members –

PRIME MINISTER: And I've responded. Every member of Parliament, to be clear, has – one of the things that we did was to increase, through the minister, an additional staffer for every member of the House of Representatives and every Senator.

JOURNALIST: But when concerns were made about the parliamentary expenses earlier this year, reforms were made. Don't you see that there have been concerns raised about this system? Why not make reforms to this now if there are concerns?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, that's a matter for the minister. This was a system that I inherited.

JOURNALIST: The emissions from coal and gas exported by Australia have nearly doubled since 2005. Does that put Australia in an awkward position when they're going into negotiations at the upcoming COP summit?

PRIME MINISTER: No. One of the things that – the way that emissions are measured is at the point of emission, otherwise you end up having double counting. Australia is playing an important role in reducing our emissions. In the December quarter of last year was the first time that renewables reached above 50 per cent of emissions.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, under your government, inflation has been out of the target band for 14 of these past 18 quarters. That's the most out of band quarters of any prime minister of this century. Isn't it a fact that inflation under your government has lasted longer and you haven't been able to control it?

PRIME MINISTER: It's a fact that inflation is lower now than what we inherited. It's also a fact that measures such as this one that we're talking about today is – the fastest-growing area of expenditure on any annual basis was disaster funding. Last year, 280 per cent in a single year. It's also a fact that unlike the budgets that we inherited, we have produced savings in every single budget and every single economic statement that we have made.

JOURNALIST: But it's also a fact in November 2024 that you said the worst was behind us. Can you accept to the Australian people that that's not the case?

PRIME MINISTER: On February 28, a war started in Iran that has had an impact on global inflation. We have seen inflation rise around the world. We saw last week interest rates increase, not just in Australia, but the Bank of England for the first time in a long while, increased interest rates and the governor of the central bank there made it very clear what the reason for that was and suggested that if the war in Iran and that conflict was not ended, then there would be further pressure on. I accept and my government accepts completely that there are pressures on Australian families. We accept that as well, that we need to find savings in the Budget. That's why we have done things like made changes to the NDIS, made sensible savings where they've been available to us in each and every economic statement. And why, in addition, we have made sure that we've put forward savings that we haven't been able to achieve because they've been blocked in the Senate by the Coalition and the Greens.

So, for example, the private health insurance changes that we've reintroduced into the House of Representatives will make a difference. All it does is mean that someone who's 64 gets the same rebate as someone who is 65. This is a sensible change that's before the Senate and the Senate should back it. In addition to that, we have a range of other measures. Firstly, measures that we've made to provide cost-of-living support have been ones that will help to build the economy and to build strength. So, whether that's improvements in Medicare and in healthcare, for example, cheaper medicines, what they do is they obviously reduce the cost to people, but they also improve healthcare and health outcomes. When it comes to other things that we are advancing, measures such as the European Free Trade Agreement will strengthen our economy, will also make goods to Australia cheaper. That's a good thing that puts downward pressure on inflation.

We accept totally that the Government has a role to play, as does the private sector. A lot of things make up domestic demand that is part of what needs to happen, but we also want to see a de-escalation because there is no question that higher petrol prices feed right through the supply chains. They make a difference to the cost of goods getting to supermarket shelves. They make a difference to the cost of farmers producing agricultural products. They make a difference to people in the resources sector. They make a difference for people travelling around because the higher costs of jet fuel. All of these things have an impact.

JOURNALIST: Will you use the Quad Summit to raise the war in Iran with President Trump? And if so, are you prepared to go further than just calling for a de-escalation and demand that he end the war in Iran?

PRIME MINISTER: What I'll do is engage with President Trump respectfully and diplomatically. That's what I do. I engage with leaders in a respectful way. Obviously, that is an issue that will be a topic, but I'll engage constructively as I've developed a constructive relationship with President Trump. Australia has for some time now repeatedly said that there is a real impact of the conflict in the Middle East. Everyone knows that's the case. That was a common position of the 56 nations that attended the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting just last week.

JOURNALIST: Prime Minister, polling in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age today shows that only one in five Australians trust you. Why do you think that is the case and do you think the administration of things like the community infrastructure grants were appropriate?

PRIME MINISTER: Well, during elections commitments are made by both political parties, I note that the Liberal and National parties made over a thousand commitments, 23 separate commitments in the electorate of one and for example, seven commitments in the electorate of Hume held by Angus Taylor. They were worth $1.644 billion. So more than triple the commitments that were made by the Labor Party. One of the things that happens in elections is that people book commitments in order to advance their position. That has happened in every election that I've been involved in.

JOURNALIST: But to the core of the question, why does only one in five Australians trust you?

PRIME MINISTER: That has been there for 30 years and what we'll continue to do is to focus on the needs of the Australian people and we'll continue to focus on putting downward pressure on cost-of-living, making sure that we continue to strengthen the economy. My government is halfway through this term. When we go to the next election in 2028, we'll be able to go speaking about the strengthening that we've done in Medicare, the fact that we have the lowest unemployment rate of any government on average over the last 50 years. The fact that unlike most of the advanced economies, we haven't had a single quarter of negative growth. The fact that we have strengthened the education system by properly funding every single school and the fact that where you are right now did not exist prior to my election, NEMA. The work that we've done, making a real difference for people, making a real difference as well in the way that we function as a government, a united government with a sense of purpose, governing in what are difficult global times.

And we've seen that right around the world, that is the case. And it stands in stark contrast to the alternative, which is a rabble, essentially, of dysfunction. Of One Nation, the Liberals, the Nationals and others on the right and the Greens being a protest party on the left. The look that will be there between One Nation and the Coalition, I think they can't advance without each other and it's time that they were constructive and supported the savings that we have before the Parliament. Over the next couple of weeks, there's two weeks of sittings. The Senate has an opportunity to actually advance the national interest next week by supporting savings, by supporting the National Domestic Gas Reservation Scheme, which is a positive measure that will support industry and jobs here. Thanks very much.

PM&C acknowledges the traditional owners and custodians of country throughout Australia and acknowledges their continuing connection to land, water and community. We pay our respects to the people, the cultures and the elders past, present and emerging.