Disaster recovery assistance has been made available to flood-affected communities in Western Australia’s Kimberley region after heavy rainfall associated with Ex-Tropical Cyclone Ellie has caused significant impacts to the area.

The shires of Derby West Kimberley, Broome, Wyndham East Kimberley and Halls Creek are eligible for assistance measures through the jointly funded Commonwealth-State Disaster Recovery Funding Arrangements (DRFA).

GARY ADSHEAD, HOST: The Prime Minister is in Broome about to get on a plane. He joins me now. Thanks very much for your time, Prime Minister.

PRIME MINISTER, ANTHONY ALBANESE: Thanks for joining us. Can I say that as a result of today, it has been terrific to be able to talk with people on the ground at Fitzroy Crossing. Communities who have been doing it extremely tough. But communities that are resilient, communities that are determined to fight back and to rebuild their communities. We've seen massive infrastructure damage. We've seen people who have lost just about everything as a result of this one-in-one hundred year flood.

DAVID SPEERS, HOST: Welcome to the program, Prime Minister.
 
ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good evening, David.
 
SPEERS: The scale of this flooding is creating some enormous logistical difficulties. Are you satisfied the emergency needs - food, clothing, medical supplies - are getting through to the communities who need them, particularly some of those remote communities?
 

I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which we meet. I pay my respects to elders past, present and emerging.

I also want to reaffirm – proudly and clearly – my Government's determination to enshrine in the Australian Constitution an Indigenous Voice to our national Parliament.

We will heed the patient and generous call of the Uluru Statement from the Heart.

We will come together as a nation and take the hand that First Nations people have extended to us in an act of profound grace.

CHRISTINE AHERN, HOST: Emma Lovell was a mother of two, a wife and a much-loved member of her North Lakes community. She was tragically killed on Boxing Day, stabbed to death allegedly at the hands of two teens who were out on bail. Queenslanders are now demanding action, outraged that nothing is being done to curb the youth crime wave gripping the state. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, joins us from Woodford in Queensland. Prime Minister, thank you for your time. You have a loving mother, we've got this loving mother killed in her own home.

STEPHANIE FERRIER, HOST: The Government has been under pressure to provide more detail on the Voice but says it wants Australians to agree to the principle before Parliament irons out the finer points. Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, joins me now from Woodford in Queensland. First of all, Anthony Albanese, Merry Christmas and happy new year to you.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Thanks, very much. And to you and all your listeners.

EDWINA BARTHOLOMEW, HOST: The Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, joins us live now from the Woodford Folk Festival where he slept in a shipping container overnight, we look forward to hearing more about that. Thank you so much for joining us this morning, Prime Minister.

ANTHONY ALBANESE, PRIME MINISTER: Good morning.

Residents and businesses in nine South Australian local government areas are now able to apply for a range of assistance to help them clean up, get back to business and back into homes.

The Albanese and Malinauskas Governments today announced $126.25 million in further disaster assistance for communities hit by the devastating flooding that peaked in Renmark on Boxing Day and is subsequently impacting downriver areas.

Australia has lost a shining light in the field of neuroscience and stem cell research with the passing of Professor Emeritus Alan Mackay-Sim AM.

While instantly recognisable in academia and biomedical research, it was Professor Mackay-Sim’s work in the laboratory which set him apart.

Recognised as Australian of the Year in 2017, Professor Mackay-Sim’s expertise and studies led to effective drugs for many neurological diseases, and his work on patient sourced stem cells has improved the lives of many thousands of Australians.