Melia Hotel, Lima, Peru, 22-11-2008

Joint Press Statement With PM of Australia on Australia-Indonesia Facility on Disaster Reduction

 

PRESS BRIEFING
BY
DR. H. SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO
PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF INDONESIA
AT A JOINT PRESS STATEMENT WITH
H.E. KEVIN RUDD
PRIME MINISTER OF AUSTRALIA
ON
AUSTRALIA-INDONESIA FACILITY ON DISASTER REDUCTION
LIMA-PERU, 22 NOVEMBER 2008



<b>President of The Republic of Indonesia</b>
<i>Bismillahirahmanhirahim,</i>
Member of the press
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Thank you for coming to this very important joint press briefing on the Australia-Indonesia Facility on Disaster Reduction. We all know that natural disasters can happen without notice at anytime, and that they affect us in the most overwhelming way. Not only do disasters take lives but they also take away livelihoods of the survivors.

Just this week both Indonesia and Australia experienced devastating calamities. Indonesia was just hit by a big earthquake, which measured a 7.7 on the richter scale, on the island of Sulawesi. Also during this week, cyclone-force storms struck several parts of Queensland, Australia. In both areas a large number of people were displaced in addition to the significant loss of material goods.

In this regard, this announcement of the Australia-Indonesia Facility for Disaster Reduction comes at a timely manner. As a follow-up to our bilateral meeting last June, our experts undertook the task of collaborating to produce a Joint Feasibility Study on Disaster Relief and Coordination. The study was conducted in the month of June with experts from both sides who visited several regional disaster centers. The conclusion was that while all existing disaster mechanisms play important roles in their respective scope of work, there was still a gap in the area of strengthening national capacity to reduce disaster risks.

Tomorrow at the leaders’ retreat, we will discuss the issue of disaster preparedness, specifically how to better coordinate the Asia-Pacific region in managing disaster situations. It seems clear that there is still much work to be done. And therefore both Indonesia and Australia have agreed to develop a Jakarta based Australia-Indonesia Facility on Disaster Reduction. Indonesia and Australia are looking forward to develop this facility during the first quarter of next year.

The facility also hopes to eventually develop linkages between ASEAN and APEC as well as other disaster management mechanisms. This will ensure that there is no overlap of work thus making disaster management in the region more efficient. The work that still needs to be done is to ensure that Indonesia and Australia have the necessary capacity-building needs to mitigate the impact of any disasters.

I would now like to invite Prime Minister Rudd to give his remarks.


<b>Prime Minister of Australia</b>
<i>Terima kasih Bapak Presiden.</i>

Ladies and gentlemen,
This is an important day in the practical relationship between Australia and Indonesia. The people of Indonesia, the people of Australia, the people of the wider Asia-Pacific Regions, are subjects to natural disasters on an increasing scale. For many countries within our region, are affected by earthquakes. And we see the impact to that, in China, in Indonesia, the Philippines and other countries. Also our regions are subjects to intense volcanic activity.

And now we see the consequence of climate change increase storm activity and with greater intensity. With natural disasters, none of us can predict who will be next affected, who will be hit next. And the problem is, there was so little modus when they come.

Therefore the challenge, which the President and I have discussed to back in Jakarta in June with how we can do better on this, as two major countries within our wider region. And then, therefore we had our official study this questioned intensively in recent months. This is laid to this practical proposal for an Australia and Indonesia disaster reduction facility. Specifically, we, in Australia will be investing some sixty seven million dollars over five years in this recent year.

And the purpose of this facility is as follows: one to organize, do an exercise which enhance inter operability increases after periods; two, to develop the use of realistic scenarios concerning natural disaster management; three, facilitate better integration of military actions and civilian elements in both exercising and planning; four, also working through this facility to integrate in safe with other can resource management organization which is existed across the region.

We believe that this precise a great opportunity for Australia and Indonesia to develop together a world-class facility, which becomes a very important in the future in both preparing tool, training, as well as long term deployment of counter natural disaster elements in dealing with disasters when they hit.

We can’t either stand back and do nothing on the basis of what we have seen in recent years or our Government, we can act together. And what we, the Government of Indonesia and the Government of Australia decided to do is to take the lead within our region to bring this important facility intervene.

This will take some time to develop, it will take some time to properly integrate with other efforts across the Asia–Pacific Regions. But we believe that the right course of actions are raw, simply to wait until the next major natural disaster hits.

The reasons why our two Governments are done this, apart from the friendship which exist between Australia and Indonesia of this, we also, Australia and Indonesia, are coached here to the APEC Taskforce on Emergency Preparedness. None of us never forget, the reason we are coached here, is because, we together confronted the terrible tragedy, which was the tsunami in Indonesia. The impact which we had on Aceh, the impact which we had on hundred of thousand of lives at that time, at that tragic time.

That is why became a matter of concern for our two countries, that is why became a matter of concerns for our wider regions, to our friends in APEC. And that is why we resolve together, to undertake this practical actions and establishing this Australia – Indonesia disaster reduction facility.

The work is begun. And I would to thank our friends in Indonesia for the strong cooperative approach by taken and bringing the side of the wisdom. We look forward to it implementation from next year on. And if there is one thing which we have done together in the future, which we can hopefully look back on in years to come, as making a practical tangible difference, the light as many in our region and across Indonesian archipelago. We will hopefully be up to say the creation of this facility on this day with this announcement is the beginning of that good work.

I thank you very much, Mr. President.

<b>President of The Republic of Indonesia</b>
Thank you Prime Minister.



*****



Bureau for Press and Media Affairs
Presidential Household