Interview with Karl Stefanovic and Sarah Abo, Today

Karl Stefanovic: Welcome back. Well, more than 100 Australians have been rescued from New Caledonia, landing in Brisbane overnight.

Sarah Abo: But as we go to air, there are still dozens waiting to be evacuated. The Minister for the Pacific, Pat Conroy, joins us live now in Speers Point in NSW. Minister, thanks so much for your time this morning. Great result to see those 108 Aussies out of New Caledonia. Do you know how many more are still waiting to be rescued over there?

Minister for International Development and the Pacific, Pat Conroy: So, 300 in total have registered for DFAT assistance to leave. The first two planes arrived last night and they had 115 Australians and other nationalities on board, and a total of 300 have indicated a desire to leave. We've prioritised the elderly, the pregnant and the most vulnerable. And obviously, we'll continue to work with the French Government to make sure we get every Australian out of New Caledonia who does want to leave.

Karl Stefanovic: Just a question, out of interest, not layered with anything, but why would people from other countries be taken out to Australia before Australians?

Minister Conroy: We have reciprocal arrangements with countries like Canada because when there's crises in other parts of the world, often Canadians organise flights and they include Australians as well. So, of the 115 people on the flights, 84 were Australian and obviously 31 were other nationalities. This is the way we work with like-minded countries like Canada, Japan, because we all need a hand and sometimes it's a long way from Australia and those countries come to our assistance.

Karl Stefanovic: Can you understand why that might be a little frustrating for the Aussies who are very nervous over there?

Minister Conroy: I completely understand. And obviously, we prioritise the most vulnerable. 84 of the 115 on the two flights were Australians. 300 total have registered, so there's another 216 to go. And we're working very hard with the French Government on that. But it's very important we work with other countries like Canada, because in the end, if there's a crisis somewhere else around the world, we'd be fighting very hard to get Australians onto the Canadian flight, for example. But I understand people are really keen to come home after what they've seen in New Caledonia.

Sarah Abo: All right, well, what is the timeline for those who remain over there, the Aussies who are still stranded there? Because, as you know, it is, obviously, a very volatile situation. We've spoken to a few of them over the past week. I mean, they're all terrified.

Minister Conroy: Yes. So, I'm advised that the French Government is currently planning flights to Brisbane today, using their resources. We obviously have plans developed and planes available, should that not eventuate. But, as I said, the French Government are planning on organising and sending flights today and we're working very hard to make sure as many Australians as possible are on those flights.

Karl Stefanovic: Can you give us an indication? Can you level with us? I know it's very difficult in world diplomacy, but how frustrating it's been. I mean, we could have just, 3 hours away, we could have sent in a couple of planes and got them all out in a day.

Minister Conroy: Well, we've been, made it very clear to the French Government and you've seen meetings between Penny Wong, our Foreign Minister, the New Zealand Foreign Minister, with the French Foreign Minister to work very hard on this situation. Obviously, until airports are opened, we can't land planes on sovereign French territory. But we are working very hard, and as I said, the first 84 Australians are home.

Sarah Abo: All right, Pat, we'll wait for the others to arrive too. Thanks so much for joining us and updating us.