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

I wish to update the House with the latest developments in the search for ill-fated flight MH370. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority has advised that objects have been located by a Royal Australian Air Force P-3 Orion. I can advise the House that HMAS Success is on the scene and is attempting to locate and recover these objects. The objects were spotted in the search area, about 2,500 kilometres south-west of Perth, at about 2:45pm our time. The crew on board the Orion reported seeing two objects, the first a grey or green circular object and the second an orange rectangular object. These are separate to the objects reported earlier today by a Chinese search aircraft.

I can advise the House that a US Navy Poseidon, a second Royal Australian Air Force Orion, and a Japanese Orion, are also en route to, or in, the search area. Planes and ships continue to search the area for any sign of the missing aircraft. I again caution that we do not know whether any of these objects are from MH370. They could be flotsam. Nevertheless, we are hopeful that we can recover these objects soon, and that they will take us a step closer to resolving this tragic mystery. This is an extraordinary mystery, an absolutely baffling mystery. Let me reiterate to the House that we owe it to the families of those on board, we owe it to the loved ones of those on board and we owe it to all the people who are concerned about the fate of this aircraft to do whatever we reasonably can to find anything that is out there, test it, and see what we can learn about what has so far been one of the great mysteries of our time.

Bill Shorten (Maribyrnong, Australian Labor Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek to associate the opposition with the remarks of the Prime Minister. We also wish to put on record our gratitude for the efforts of Australian service people who are assisting in trying to answer this most difficult and tragic of questions. All around the world bad things happen to good people, but there is something about a plane disappearing that links all the citizens of the globe. Anyone who entrusts their life to an aeroplane and the skills of the engineers and the pilots appreciates that this mystery brings this truth home in a way other disasters around the world do not always bring home to the lounge rooms and living rooms of Australia.

The people who have disappeared on this flight could be any of us. For all those who fly, and all those who have loved ones who fly, we sincerely hope we can find answers to this most troubling, disturbing and tragic of incidents.