00:00The government says that the aircrafts will form part of the national fleet, much of which
00:05is based here in Richmond.
00:07This means they can be dispatched to natural disasters in all states and territories across
00:11the country.
00:13But many details have not been decided on.
00:16Minister Watt says the aircrafts will serve multiple functions, delivering aid and evacuating
00:20citizens in addition to fighting fires.
00:23But it's yet to be revealed exactly what types of aircrafts will be acquired, how many there
00:27will be, and whether or not they will be bought or leased.
00:31Over the last few years we've all learned the importance of having adequate numbers
00:35and types of aircraft for water bombing from the air, for bushfires, but also during floods
00:42to help with evacuations, food drops, and delivering equipment to disaster areas.
00:48And as climate change is bringing more natural disasters to Australia, we need to invest
00:53more to make sure that we are better prepared.
00:56Now that we've made the funding commitment in the budget, we will do some further consultation
01:00with the states and territories about exactly what type of aircraft they're looking for
01:04and exactly how many we should be delivering.
01:06What has been made clear is that the new aircrafts will be available for the start of bushfire
01:10season this year.
