Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Hansard source

If I may, I will give the House a brief update on ill-fated flight MH370. As members may have noticed, based on the accumulation of evidence, late last night Prime Minister Najib Razak of Malaysia declared that the plane must be presumed lost in the southern Indian Ocean. That means that what up until now has been a search moves into a recovery and investigation phase. I have this morning spoken to Prime Minister Najib Razak. I have offered Malaysia—as the country legally responsible for this—every assistance and cooperation from Australia.

This plane is lost in one of the most inaccessible parts of our globe. It is a long way from anywhere. But the closest land is Australia, and we are the best placed country to assist. It is highly likely that in coming days and weeks many of the relatives of passengers on ill-fated flight 370 will wish to come to Australia. I want them all to know that should they come here they will be in the arms of a decent country. I should also let the House know that the government has decided to waive visa fees for any relatives wishing to come to Australia. I should at this point express my condolences and the House's condolences regarding the Australian passengers on that flight, and I propose that we might have a formal condolence motion for them tomorrow.

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