Operation Flood Assist daily briefing

DAVID THOMAE:

Thank you, Prime Minister. I just like to start by acknowledging the efforts of all of the emergency response forces, the Australian Defense Force, the SES, and the local community here in Lismore who responded to that catastrophic event.

From an Australian Defence Force perspective, we were here, actually, before the event occurred, and our local reservists from the 41st Batallion of the Royal New South Wales Regiment have been on the task from that first day in.

Additionally, we had aviation assets conducting search and rescue operations in those days, saving 130 people off the roofs in Southeast Queensland and Northern New South Wales.

Those reservists often did it at considerable personal cost.

The commanding officer of the 41st Battalion is a helicopter rescue pilot, and she has to decide from that responsibility to support her community and come from that community to support the Australian Defence Force has ramped up its presence in the Northern Rivers.

As of today, we will be 1800 people building up to 4000 in the coming days.

That would be a combination of engineers, general duties people to support each of the communities. And I have nine aircraft, Aviate helicopters to get around and push people into those most needy communities as we move forward.

Our engineers have been on the streets of Lismore and conducting assessments across into those remote communities to find out where the need is.

We've been conducting airdrops of food and water and supporting the Indigenous communities south of Lismore, and we will continue to do so.

Thank you, Prime Minister.

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