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AUSTRALIAN OPEN

January 31, 2020

Andrew Colvin

Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

ANDREW COLVIN: Good afternoon and thank you for your interest. My name is Andrew Colvin. I'm Australia's head of the National Bushfire Recovery Agency. I'm sure in the context of Australia at the moment, you understand what that agency's focus will be.

I'd like to say a few words and hopefully take a couple of questions from you.

The intention of today is to pass on a message from the Australian community and also to probably address a few of the misconceptions and reporting that is around at the moment.

Clearly we know there are still fires here in Australia. In fact, there's 71 fires still burning today. There's been 33 lives lost, including 9 of our brave firefighters, three of which were from the United States. Over 3,000 homes have been lost, 11 million hectares of land has been burned.

However, the key message I want to bring to you from the communities I've visited, those that have been through the fire event and have come out the other side, is that Australia is still very much a safe place. Australia is still very much open for your business. Australia is still very much open for tourism, which is such an important part of these communities.

I also want to pass on the gratitude of the Australian community for the incredible support we've received both from Australia, the generosity that has been afforded to these communities from across Australia, but also internationally, and of course here at the Australian Open.

It's important to reflect and acknowledge the work that many of our sporting stars, both Australian-based and overseas, have done to raise money for these communities. I want to thank them on behalf of the communities, assure the communities that money will be making its way to them.

I think Australia shows its best at these times of disaster. But amongst all of those messages, I also need to pass on that while the images of Australia and of our communities being on fire and our forests and our bushland being on fire, have spread around the world.

In many ways that's not a true reflection of this country. 11 million hectares have been burned. That represents less than one and a half percent of the size of Australia.

Most of our major tourist attractions that are so well-known internationally - the Great Barrier Reef, the Great Ocean Road, Uluru, Gold Coast, Sydney - are completely untouched by fire. But that's not necessarily the perception that's being created, of course, overseas. I do need to address some of the misreporting and misconceptions.

To look at some of the reporting that we've seen internationally, you would think that Australia was on fire. You would think that all of Australia is on fire when, in fact, it isn't. It's important that we make sure that we address that because these communities are struggling, these communities are hurting.

I know that tourism spots around Australia that are thousands of kilometers from the fire have had their uptake for tourism drop right through the floor.

I know that places like Cairns, who would normally be booming at this time, are struggling. Of course, many of the communities that are affected by these fires are tourist communities. They are very much open and available. It's important to pass that message on and correct that misreporting.

Australia is open. Australia is a great place to come. So much of the wonders of Australia that the international community love are still there and will be there. So many of the communities who have suffered from fires are actually coming through the other side.

Now, you only have to step outside to know it's a warm day. Fire season continues for quite some time here in Australia. But it's important that while I've got the international community's attention and your interest, that we do make an effort to balance the reporting.

The best thing people can do if they want to support Australia, they want to support our communities, is to stick with your travel, stick with your plans to come here, not to cancel your bookings. If you do cancel a booking, don't cancel it, actually delay it, commit to come back.

The message to all Australians, whether they be here in Australia or around the world, is holiday here this year. Come and holiday here this year. If you are international and you are thinking about visiting Australia at some point, please do because that is what's going to help these communities recover and bounce back.

The Australian Open is one time of the year that there is a lot of international attention on Australia. It's too good an opportunity for us not to try to get that message out. Thank you.

Happy to take some questions.

Q. Have you been overwhelmed with the support from the tennis community? Can you confirm an actual figure raised from all the different events that's gone on around tennis?
ANDREW COLVIN: I can't confirm the figure. I saw a lot of aces that Nick Kyrgios put down. That was good.

I know a lot of money has been raised from a lot of our tennis stars. I don't personally have a figure.

I do know that across a whole range of charitable services and people who have raised money, it's in excess of half a billion dollars that has been raised. That money will make its way to the community. That's a lot of effort.

Q. Alexander Zverev has pledged his entire prize money if he wins. Do you want to take the opportunity to invite Novak Djokovic to match that?
ANDREW COLVIN: If Novak Djokovic wants to match that, I would absolutely love that. If there is no Australian in the final, which there isn't, of course, I have no particular dog in either fight. So let's see them both match and put some money towards the community here in Australia that I think quite frankly has supported our international tennis stars so well.

Q. I think there's a lot of people in this room that have donated money, millions more around the country and around the world. Where is this money actually going? Can you explain how it helps the people in need at the moment?
ANDREW COLVIN: Yeah. There's a lot of charitable services in Australia. Frankly, Australia is a country that does have natural disasters. We're not unaccustomed to that. The breadth and scale of this one has been of a magnitude that has tested the limits of our charitable services and industry.

We are working closely with the charitable industry to make sure that money gets to the community. For instance, businesses on the south coast of New South Wales, tradesmen have lost their tools, have been provided new tools so they can get back out and work straightaway and support their families.

We know shops in small marketplaces, whose house has been burned, the shop has been burned and destroyed, those donations are going towards temporary accommodation. There's actually pop-up parks that are becoming shopping centers of shops so people can continue to trade their business.

A lot of these communities are small and they exist on small market economies. Direct injection into their pockets to help them get reestablished is where that money is going.

Q. That money needs to get to them fast. The worst thing that can happen is that people start to suspect the money doesn't go where it should.
ANDREW COLVIN: That's right. We do see that from time to time. It's important that the money does get to where it needs to be. Over a hundred million dollars, close on a hundred million dollars from the government alone has already found its way into the pockets of individuals.

Kids are going back to school this week or next week. People are going back to work. Their place of employment may not be there in the same way it was before Christmas. The money has to reach the individuals. It is reaching the individuals, we know that.

Of course, we're in a relief phase at the moment. My focus and my attention is on the long-term recovery of these communities. They're going to need help over a much longer term than just now.

I'll be working hard to make sure we don't lose focus and the community doesn't lose focus on the recovery.

Q. Another comment on how proud you are of Nick Kyrgios and what he's been able to do for actually getting everyone to donate and make everyone aware of what's going on.
ANDREW COLVIN: It's fantastic. I'm from Canberra. Nick is a Canberra boy. The whole Canberra community is behind him, as is all of Australia. We loved watching every ace, knowing some if it is going to find its way to our communities in need. Good on him. We would all loved to have seen him get through the final of course. He gave it his best and we're proud of the effort that he's made.

Q. You said 1.5 percent of the country was affected by fire. Australia is a big country. Places like Melbourne have had air quality issues related to the smoke, which is why the international media has made a big deal out of it. It affected the qualifying tournament here. When you talk about misconceptions, what sort of misconceptions are you talking about?
ANDREW COLVIN: A simple search on whatever search engine you want about overseas reporting of Australia will show maps that have got two-thirds of the Australian continent on fire, airports closed, capital cities not open for business. It's just simply not the case. So there's misconceptions that we have to report and we have to try and correct the record.

Yes, of course, there are broader impacts of the fire season. Smoke and air quality has been an issue. But we've just gone through a two-week wonderful Australian Open tennis campaign where air quality I don't think has been the issue that it perhaps was getting played out to be.

I just think we need to make sure we're not exaggerating the reporting of Australia. We are open, we are safe, and I think we're still a fantastic place. I know we're a fantastic place for tourists to come.

Q. Your message of Australia is open, not addressed to the international audience, but to the domestic one, is to get on board and support people where they need that trade. That goes for locals as well from the Prime Minister down.
ANDREW COLVIN: Absolutely right. We want to holiday at home. That is the message we're putting out there.

The last weekend on the south coast of New South Wales, which is so heavily reliant on tourism, we saw a lot of people walking back through the streets, the beaches, the clubs and the pubs, spending their money in the coffee shops. That's what we want to see.

If you have delayed a visit to the coast, follow through on it, still go. That's the important message.

Q. How have the fires affected the number of people that have come to the Australian Open this year?
ANDREW COLVIN: I can't answer that question. I think there's probably a good answer to that question.

From what I see, the numbers have been pretty high still. We know in a broader sense the fires and the perception of the fires have affected tourism and numbers here into Australia, and forward bookings into Australia, which is what really troubles us.

Thank you, guys, for your interest.

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