The Prime Minister has addressed why a state of emergency for the flood crisis has been declared in New South Wales but not in Queensland, claiming the Premier didn't deem it necessary.
Scott Morrison spoke at the Hawkesbury Emergency Operations Centre in NSW this morning and was asked why he changed his mind about declaring a state of emergency in Queensland despite the state being devastated by floodwaters.
He claimed Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said it wasn't necessary for the state to be included in the declaration, however journalists argued it was because Ms Palaszczuk believed it was too late.
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https://twitter.com/Fi_Willan/status/1502433294373122052"When the Premier tells me she doesn't think it's necessary, well, of course, I'm gonna listen to that," Mr Morrison said.
"If she thought it was necessary a week ago, she could have written to me, but she didn't.
"The state can request, but no such request was made by the Queensland Government."
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Ms Palaszczuk spoke yesterday about Queensland not being included in the national emergency declaration.
She had previously called for the declaration a week sooner, adding the Queensland floodwaters had now receded.
"I did raise it yesterday, he said it was just for the northern NSW areas," she said yesterday.
"It would be nice if there was equality."
She said while both states had experienced severe levels of devastation, the decision was ultimately up to the Prime Minister.
"Look, that's a matter for him," the Premier said.
"My members on the ground have said to me, 'How can this be different?'"
Mr Morrison said a state of emergency is helpful when the situation remains "drastic" and it means commonwealth agencies don't require a "signature on a bit of paper" to act.
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He added the deployment of the Australian Defence Force and emergency payments were not connected to the state of emergency declaration and, said this support was already working well in Queensland.
"All of that's flowing. And as Premier Palaszczuk noted, that was working incredibly well in Queensland, and the cooperation was outstanding," he said.
It comes as Mr Morrison met with the Governor-General last night to declare a state of emergency in NSW, as flood warnings remain in place for the Hawkesbury and recovery efforts have only just begun in the Northern Rivers.
The emergency declaration will allow a swifter supply of support and relief funds to flood-ravaged areas such as Lismore in northern NSW.
