FED: Howard to meet Beattie for talks on flood relief

AAP General News (Australia)
02-12-1999
FED: Howard to meet Beattie for talks on flood relief

CANBERRA, Feb 12 AAP - Prime Minister John Howard today promised flood relief assistance to
Queensland, with the details to be finalised in talks in Ipswich this afternoon with Premier
Peter Beattie.

Mr Beattie said his state would be struggling to cope with the combined impact of the
devastating floods in the south-east earlier this week and now Cyclone Rona which hit Cairns
and Port Douglas.

Mr Howard said he had already discussed the earlier floods with Mr Beattie and would hold
further talks when the two meet in Ipswich at the funeral of former Liberal Senator Neville
Bonner.

"I'll have a further discussion with him about the situation generally, not only in Cairns
but in other parts of Queensland," Mr Howard told Cairns radio 4CA.

"I should point out that in these situations there are standing financial arrangements
between the federal government and the state governments of Australia under which there is
assistance, emergency assistance, under certain criteria automatically made available.

"And when it comes to a certain level the federal government comes in and those
arrangements of course apply here."

Mr Howard said he was relieved there had been no loss of life from Cyclone Rona and was
certain that once the floodwaters receded the people affected would bounce back immediately.

AAP ss/mfh/mk/de

KEYWORD: RONA HOWARD

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