Zoe Daniel (Goldstein, Independent) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. As you know, the community in Goldstein and across Australia has been shattered by the tragic deaths of Holly Bowles and Bianca Jones due to methanol poisoning in Laos. The community's priorities are to provide Holly and Bianca's families with every support we can to make sure the girls are returned to Australia as soon as possible and to make sure that a proper process occurs to prevent this from happening to other young travellers. Prime Minister, can you update this grieving community on what the government is doing to bring Holly and Bianca home?

Anthony Albanese (Grayndler, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Goldstein for her question and for her leadership of her local community, which are devastated—as are other Australians—by the tragic loss of these two young women, Bianca Jones and Holly Bowles, two young Australians who had such bright futures ahead of them travelling, as young Australians do, and who, unfortunately, are not coming home in a way in which their parents, their community and their loved ones would have wanted to see.

There has been a flood of grief in your local community, where both young women were so widely admired and well liked. They were best friends, and the best days of their lives should have been ahead of them. I know all Australians are at this moment thinking of their families, who are facing a grief which is every parent's worst nightmare. There's no crueller arithmetic than adding up all the years not lived, the potential not fulfilled, the dreams not lived—all that might have been.

My government continues to support Holly's and Bianca's families, just as we continue our efforts with local authorities on investigations into this tragedy. Our officials are working closely with Bianca's and Holly's families to bring them home. The Minister for Foreign Affairs has been in direct contact with her Thai and Laos counterparts. Minister Wong has underscored our expectation that the investigations are thorough and transparent. Australian officials in Laos and Thailand are working closely with local authorities, including offering assistance in relation to the investigation that's underway. That includes, I can confirm, an offer of assistance from the Australian Federal Police.

Our officials have also brought together representatives from other countries who have citizens impacted—they include, tragically, Denmark, the United Kingdom, the United States and others—to coordinate approaches. We'll also examine how these tragic incidents, which have affected so many, can be averted in the future. We want to work with other governments based upon this experience to see whether any action can be taken.

Obviously, Laos is a sovereign nation, but I know that they are devastated, as are the governments of other countries that have been impacted by this. I undertake to certainly keep the member for Goldstein informed as these investigations progress and also to work across the parliament. This isn't a party-political issue. If it can be averted, we should be a part of any action that could do just that.

I conclude where I began, by expressing my extreme and sincere condolences to the families of these two fine young Australians, who left our shores with the best of intentions—I'm sure, full of joy and hope—and tragically will not be able to return due to this incredibly sad tragedy.