Radio Interview, ABC RN Breakfast

SUBJECT/S: Vanuatu earthquake; AUKMIN; Ukraine; Superannuation payments to Open Arms

HOST, SALLY SARA: Australia is sending urgent assistance to Vanuatu with at least 14 people reported dead after a powerful magnitude 7.3 earthquake struck near the capital. Search and rescue teams are working to reach people trapped in buildings around Port Vila with damage reported across the island. Richard Marles is the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence. I spoke to him a short time ago.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER, RICHARD MARLES: Thank you, Sally. Nice to be here.

SARA: What do we know about how extensive the damage is in Port Vila and whether there are concerns that the death toll may rise?

MARLES: Well, there's obvious concern about what is going to unfold in Port Vila after what has been a very significant earthquake indeed. We don't have confirmed numbers, obviously, in terms of where that's at, but we are anxious about how events are going to unfold or what information unfolds from here. As you reported, we've clearly been in contact with the Vanuatu Government. Both the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister have spoken to their counterparts and we'll have a medical assistance team and a search and rescue team heading to Vanuatu later this morning on an Air Force C-17 and an Air Force C-130. So, we obviously stand ready to provide whatever other assistance is required from the Vanuatu Government.

SARA: How many Australian personnel would we be talking about approximately?

MARLES: Look, it's- I don't have that number at this moment, but it is both a search and rescue team and a medical assistance team. We will continue to liaise with the Vanuatu government about what further assistance we can provide as this unfolds. Clearly, you know, this is a very significant incident and we are- we hold anxiety about how it will unfold.

SARA: A number of foreign embassies were damaged in the earthquake and their staff evacuated. What's the situation for the Australian Embassy and the Australian Embassy staff, Minister?

MARLES: Look, at this stage, we can confirm that there have been no Australians who have been a casualty in this. I think there are, you know, small scrapes and the like which are being handled. We are still in the process of contacting some of the locally engaged staff and so that remains the case, that we are working to be in touch with them, and obviously we'll continue to be pursuing that, but we can report that there aren't any Australian casualties.

SARA: What sort of challenges are there at the moment in trying to coordinate assistance when there is damage to telecommunications in Vanuatu?

MARLES: Yeah, I mean, I think we're talking about countries which have fragile infrastructure to begin with and so there are really significant challenges in these moments. That said, you know, our contacts with Vanuatu are strong. You know, our connections are very strong. We've been able to be in contact at the highest level with them and we're well practised in terms of doing humanitarian and disaster relief contingencies and measures in countries around the Pacific, including Vanuatu. So, we're in a good position to be able to provide the assistance needed and also to kind of assess in short order exactly what is required and step up as required.

SARA: On Radio National Breakfast, I'm speaking with the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Richard Marles, who's been attending talks in London. Minister, you've attended the latest AUKMIN meeting in London where Australia has committed to continue its training program for Ukrainian soldiers. Is there a possibility that Australia would deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine if such a mission were put together?

MARLES: Well, look, I think at this stage the focus is really on the here and now. I mean, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves in terms of thinking about those kind of contingencies when the war is still being fought in earnest. And our focus is on supporting Ukraine so that it is able to resolve this conflict on its terms. And that's why we were pleased to announce, as part of the AUKMIN meeting with the UK, that we will extend our contribution to Operation Interflex, which is the operation which trains soldiers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces through until the end of next year. We've been involved in this training since 2022 and it forms part of a much larger commitment that we've been making to Ukraine. I mean, in this year alone, we've provided $650 million worth of support to Ukraine, and that's $650 million of $1.3 billion that we've provided since the war began. Our focus is on supporting Ukraine in the here and now, and that's where our attention is.

SARA: European leaders have been discussing the potential need for a peacekeeping force. With the Trump Administration about to come in in the US, does that talk indicate that some kind of cease fire or peace deal or ceding some territory temporarily is anticipated, do you think?

MARLES: Well, again, I'm not going to speculate on that. Our focus, and very much the focus in our dialogue with the United Kingdom, who have been a leader really in providing support for Ukraine, our focus is on supporting Ukraine in this moment and its continuing prosecution of the war and making sure that Ukraine is in a position to resolve this on their terms. That was very much the tenor of the conversations we had with the UK, and that remains Australia's posture and how we will be supporting Ukraine 

SARA: There are Australians who've already chosen to fight alongside Ukrainian forces. What's your message to them, particularly as winter well and truly is setting in?

MARLES: Well, I mean obviously we discourage Australians from participating in conflicts abroad- let me say that at the outset. Our focus though, is in supporting the Ukrainian Armed Forces and we do that through the Australian Defence Force and the training that is being provided, that it is providing to soldiers in the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Great Britain.

SARA: What's your reaction to Kyiv's assassination of senior Russian General Igor Kirillov in Moscow?

MARLES: Oh, look, again, I mean, I've seen reports of that in the media, but I'm not about to speculate on specifics in relation to that. Again, our focus is very much in supporting Ukraine and its efforts on the battlefield.

SARA: Just finally, The Australian newspaper is reporting today that Open Arms, a government funded crisis support service which assists serving and veterans as well, failed to pay superannuation between 2012 and this year for the mental health professionals who are providing vital services to members of the ADF and former members of the ADF and their families. How is the government going to respond to this?

MARLES: Well, let me say at the outset, obviously people are entitled to their superannuation and superannuation payments are compulsory and they need to be paid. Minister Keogh has expressed his concern about this situation and through the Department of Veterans Affairs, we will work to make sure that this historic wrong is rectified.

SARA: How did it happen?

MARLES: Well, again, that is a matter which is being worked through. But let me say, you know, people are entitled to their superannuation and that is a matter of law. And this is a historic wrong. And the Department of Veterans affairs will be working to see that's rectified.

SARA: Is an apology owed to those mental health professionals who've missed out on their super.

MARLES: Well, I think it's more than that. As I say, this is a wrong which needs to be rectified. I mean, superannuation is not a discretionary payment, it's a compulsory payment under the law. And this is a matter which needs to be rectified and the Department of Veterans Affairs will be working on that.

SARA: Is it good enough?

MARLES: It's not acceptable. It's absolutely not acceptable. And as I say, I make that clear and Minister Keogh has made that clear. And that's why the focus of the Department right now is making sure that this historic wrong is rectified. People are entitled to their superannuation. This is not a matter of discretion. It forms part of people's working conditions, and it's a payment that's made in accordance with the law.

SARA: Richard Marles, thank you very much.

MARLES: Thanks, Sally.

ENDS