NEIL MITCHELL: Now, this clean-up. This recovery. It's tough in the Dandenongs. We've got at least 3000 people without power, another three weeks without power- 3000 properties, in fact. That's more than 3000 people, clearly. And well, there's a lot of pain there. No power, no phone, no water in some areas as well. It's quite extraordinary what's going on. I think weroads are still closed, they're still struggling to get the power back, knocking on doors. Ferny Creek, Kalorama, Mount Dandenong, Olinda, Sassafras, Sherbrooke, The Basin, Tremont, Upwey. And here it is, winter. On the line is David Littleproud. He's the Deputy Nationals Leader, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management. Mr Littleproud, good morning. 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Thanks for having me. 

NEIL MITCHELL: One message: send in the troops, can we have them? We need them. 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Well, we're waiting for the Victorian Government to actually make that request. We got a request last night just for five ADF planners who will go into the Dandenongs, in Traralgon and into Melbourne, into the control centre. They will help in the planning. And we have made numerous attempts to encourage the Victorian Government to take up the offer of ADF support. Emergency Management Australia who report to me have been engaging with Victorian authorities since this event took place. But the first request that I approved last night for ADF support was around 9 o'clock. And those five personnel from the ADF, those five planners, will be in those locations today. 

NEIL MITCHELL: But we need people knocking on doors. We need engineers connecting power. We need trucks picking trees up off the road and moving them. We need boots on the ground and we haven't got enough here. 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Totally agree. Well, we stand ready. And the ADF has been stand-stood ready to actually engage, to move in on the request of the Victorian Government. And as has happened in all natural disasters, and we saw in Black Summer, the reality is the states have to make that request. They are the ones that have operational ownership and management of this. But when they ask that request, we are ready to move. The ADF has been prepared. And I know Defence Minister Peter Dutton has made sure that all efforts have been made to ensure that if that request comes through from Victoria, then ADF personnel will be moved immediately. 

NEIL MITCHELL: So we can have them down here working within hours, could we? ​

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Potentially a day or two, depending on where they're coming from. But they are ready. And the Defence Minister has made sure that that have prepared for this. And that's why these five planners will actually go and solidify that even further. So we are encouraged by the fact that Victoria has finally asked to have these planners sent in so they can get an assessment on the ground. But as we understand from the assessments, there are significant trees across roads that are going to take some significant engineering and which some of those skills the ADF obviously had. But we stand ready, ready and poised to get out there and get moving. And we've done this before. And those men and women in khaki uniform give a great psychological boost. And we saw that in the New South Wales floods a couple of months ago, I saw it firsthand. As soon as they could get in, there's just that sense of relief… 

NEIL MITCHELL: Yeah, that's right. 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD:… and the psychological burdens just lifted because someone's there to help and the burden is just- is shared. And it's just the moral- the morale that's lifted. 

NEIL MITCHELL: Oh, look, I agree entirely. When were the ADF first offered to the Victorian Government, you know, by the Acting Prime Minister? 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: We've been making those offers since- in terms of the assessments, [indistinct] assessments, my EMA team have been working with Victoria and making sure that they understood that any ADF support, as we do in any emergency natural disaster, are made available once the assessments are made. So Victoria, obviously, and in their defence they would have had to make some initial assessments when the waters abated and it was safe to do so. But that was a little while ago and so we continue to encourage them… 

NEIL MITCHELL: But a week ago this hit- a week ago this hit up. A week ago. 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: And that's why we've encouraged them to continue to engage with us and to take up the opportunity to utilise the ADF. But they have- they have the sovereign- they're a sovereign government in Victoria. And obviously under the Constitution, we allow them to do that and support… 

NEIL MITCHELL: [Laughs] 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: As soon as they ask, we... 

NEIL MITCHELL: I tell you what, under the Constitution, couldn't you just come in and take over and get somebody else to run the place? [Laughs] 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Funny you say that, Neil. In fact, part of the royal commission recommendations was for us to take some powers and to create new powers in which the Federal Government could declare a natural disaster a state of emergency, and in fact, as we did in the bushfire, instead of having to take the extraordinary step of having to go to the Governor-General to call a compulsory call in of Army Reserves. So, these are some of the hangovers of the tweaks of the Constitution that is holding us back in terms of speed and efficiency of supporting Australians in their hour of need. But we'll work with the states to try and get cooperation on that. 

NEIL MITCHELL: Would you be sending in Reservists or full time? I heard that the Reserve budget was a bit stretched because of COVID.

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: That's what those five planners will make an assessment- from my understanding, it'll be heavy equipment, I think, is what's primarily required to move trees to get these power units- power people moving around to restore energy. 

NEIL MITCHELL: Alright, well, talking about state governments, you're a Queenslander. Are you going to let us into Queensland? We've got zero local cases today. Are you going to let us into Queensland for the school holidays? 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Mate, I don't like your chances. 

NEIL MITCHELL: [Laughs] 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: Annastacia Palaszczuk will not even- she will not even let in a son of a dying man that has his- whose organs are shutting down today. He flew back from the United States. He had all his shots. He's prepared and he's done his isolation. He's prepared to hire a plane, to get in a hazmat suit and see his father one last time. And the Premier of Queensland will not allow him to do that. This is just disgraceful… 

NEIL MITCHELL: Oh dear, dear, dear… 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD:… We had this incident about 12 months ago, and surely the Queensland Government would have learnt from that. And shown some humanity to this poor bloke that will not see his father one last time, is abhorrent. It is absolutely abhorrent in this day and age. We need to learn to live with this. And for this guy not to be able to see his father, prepared to get in a hazmat suit is an indictment on Annastacia Palaszczuk and the Queensland Government not to show some leadership, some compassion and some common sense. 

NEIL MITCHELL: Yeah. Well, puts our holidays into perspective… 

DAVID LITTLEPROUD: So, I don't like your chances. 

NEIL MITCHELL: That puts the holidays into perspective, though, I agree with you. Look, thanks so much. Thank you. David Littleproud, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management.