'This isn’t a time for sightseeing': PM Albanese calls for safety during Cyclone Alfred

Australian Community Media

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese provides an update on Tropical Cyclone Alfred on Friday morning, March 7, 2025.

Transcript

00:00The cyclone crossing the land is now less than 24 hours away, but already we're seeing

00:08the increased rainfall having an impact there.

00:12An impact we must bear in mind is an impact on people, firstly, an impact on infrastructure,

00:22but importantly as well, an impact on people's psyche going through as well.

00:27Many of these communities have suffered harsh event after harsh event after harsh event.

00:34I think particularly of the people of Lismore, for example, have been knocked down, they

00:41get up, they get knocked down, they get up, and now they have this being confronted with.

00:48There are no politics in any of this, no borders, and we have, on behalf of the Australian Government,

00:55we have your back, and Australians have each other's back at this important time as well.

01:02I'll go through some key facts and then happy to take some questions.

01:09The latest modelling, as you've heard from Joe, is that Tropical Cyclone Alfred will

01:15make impact in the early hours of tomorrow morning, or at some stage tomorrow it would appear.

01:24Rainfall and wind impacts are expected to continue increasing throughout today.

01:30We're starting to see the impact on the coast, the record wave heights recorded at the Gold

01:35Coast of 12.3 metres.

01:40Can I say that everyone has to accept personal responsibility here too.

01:46This isn't a time for sightseeing, or for seeing what it's like to experience these

01:52conditions first hand.

01:55Please stay safe, be sensible, and keep distance from these events and the impact that is happening.

02:04There are a number of areas where people are being asked to evacuate.

02:09It's important that if the SES is advising you to evacuate by a certain time, you do so.

02:16They have knowledge, they have expertise, they have experience.

02:20If you make their life harder, and importantly as well, it means they can be distracted from

02:26assisting others if people aren't following the recommendations in a timely manner.

02:33Please stay up to date with the latest advice via the Disaster Queensland QLD website, the

02:40NSW SES website, the BOM, Bureau of Meteorology website, or through your local ABC radio station.

02:49Thank you to all the local ABC staff keeping their communities informed.

02:55We have generators in the national stockpile and can send them when we receive a request

03:00from either of the state governments and when it is safe to do so.

03:04However, I stress this will not be enough to solve the issue of potentially tens of

03:11thousands of homes without power, and that is why it is so important to be prepared at

03:16your home.

03:18Monitor and follow the messaging provided by your local energy and telecom providers

03:24for updates.

03:25Make sure you have emergency battery packs fully charged to be used only for essential

03:31purposes.

03:33Some of Services Australia's centres in Queensland and northern NSW are closed.

03:38People can complete their business online or by calling their regular payment line.

03:45Be prepared and download and set up the MyGov app on your mobile device.

03:51Virgin and Qantas have paused flights to and from the Brisbane Gold Coast and Ballina Byron

03:56airports.

03:57More than 1,000 schools are closed across Queensland and more than 280 schools are closed

04:03across northern NSW.

04:06I do want to thank the emergency services personnel, local government disaster management

04:10staff and the thousands of volunteers working to keep our community safe.

04:16I can also provide the following updates about the increased federal assistance that is now

04:23flowing.

04:24Overnight, I've approved the request for 120 ADF personnel to depart immediately for

04:30NSW.

04:31They'll start work today supporting the local SES door knocking as well as conducting

04:36welfare checks on vulnerable members of the community.

04:41They will support the SES with road clearance, sandbagging, clearing, access to critical

04:46infrastructure, damage assessments and essential services.

04:50The Chief Medical Officer has activated the Department of Health and Aged Care's National

04:55Incident Centre for Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

04:59The National Incident Centre is activated when there's a significant event or an emerging

05:04threat.

05:05It's a coordination mechanism to ensure that communication is maintained between the Commonwealth

05:11Department of Health, state health authorities and response agencies, including of course

05:17here at NEMA.

05:20We've delivered, as was reported, more than 375,000 sandbags have now been delivered.

05:27After this event, I will visit the Services Australia Operations Centre with the Minister

05:35Katie Gallagher here in Canberra.

05:39Services Australia is the engine room of government support to all Australians.

05:45We'll meet staff who will support the emergency response to Tropical Cyclone Alfred.

05:52Where people should get information, I'll conclude with.

05:55Listen to your local ABC radio or visit www.bom.gov.au.

06:02Queenslanders can stay up to date at www.disaster.qld.gov.au and www.getready.qld.gov.au.

06:18For NSW, visit ses.nsw.gov.au and stay up to date on the Hazards Near Me app run by

06:31the SES.

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