E&OE TRANSCRIPT
RADIO INTERVIEW
2CC CANBERRA LIVE WITH ROD HENSHAW
FRIDAY,7 OCTOBER 2022
SUBJECTS: 20th Anniversary of the 2002 Bali Bombings
ROD HENSHAW, HOST: On Wednesday next week, Canberra's Parliament House will be the venue for a special commemoration to mark the 20th anniversary of the horrendous Bali Bombings which claimed 202 lives, including 88 Australians. Foreign Affairs Minister Penny Wong will host the service to be attended by victims, families, survivors and first responders. I'll get some more details about that from our federal Member for Canberra, Alicia Payne in just a moment. But first, I'd like to replay a short part of the interview I did last week on breakfast with a friend of mine, Andrew Csabi. Andrew is a survivor of the bombings back in 2002. But he still carries the physical and mental scars from the atrocity. Here's Andrew.
ANDREW CSABI: Since 2002. Since 2002, since 2002.
HENSHAW: We're having a little trouble with that, we'll look to tidy that up and in the meantime, let's go to Alicia Payne, the Federal Member for Canberra, and she's on the line with me now. Alicia, good afternoon.
ALICIA PAYNE MP, MEMBER FOR CANBERRA: Good afternoon, Rod.
HENSHAW: Tell us about Wednesday's ceremony at Parliament House. Is it also open to the public?
PAYNE: It is. So people need to register for the service. All the details are on the DFAT website. So if people are keen to come along, they should absolutely check that out. Obviously, Canberra has in some ways a special connection with that terrible event in that the public service included a lot of the first response to that, particularly people at the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade and also in the Australian Federal Police. So I understand many in Canberra at the moment are really feeling for them at the moment as we come up to the 20th anniversary of the bombings.
HENSHAW: Yeah, okay. Well, actually, there are two ceremonies. There's one here in Canberra, and a smaller one in Bali. But the big one here, of course, that's going to be well attended, I should imagine.
PAYNE: Yes, that's right. As you said, it's hosted by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Senator Penny Wong. And it will also be attended by the Governor General and also former Prime Minister John Howard, who was of course the prime minister at the time. And as I say, all the details are on the DFAT website, so I encourage people to have a look at that. Also for victims, families, survivors and first responders who want to attend the memorial service, if they need travel assistance that can be provided and the detail of that is on the DFAT website as well.
HENSHAW: So how does it how's it going to work? I mean, there's, they're coming. We don't know where they're coming from, I guess they're coming from all over Australia aren't they?
PAYNE: Yes, that would be the case. And also, because travel assistance has been and continues to be available for those who wish to attend the service in Bali, as well for those people who are the families of victims and survivors and first responders.
HENSHAW: I'm trying to turn around the piece that I did with Andrew Csabi last week, and it was a fairly graphic sort of a thing. We're trying to work on that at the present time. But I suppose, you know, the feeling is still there 20 years later, isn't it? The emotion is still there. Have you spoken to any of the families or any of the victims families?
PAYNE: I haven't actually, to be honest, I know there would be people in the electorate, but I'm not aware of them individually. But I know what a terrible anniversary this is to come up to and consider that time that has passed and just this awful, shocking event that came out of the blue. As you said 88 Australians lost their lives and many, many more injured. And for the people who. Sorry, I've just got a bit of an echo. Sorry. It's very disconcerting. So there are many people working here in Canberra were involved in that first response, obviously, DFAT came together within hours of that to begin the response and the call centre that operated to assist people, that had over 700 staff from DFAT volunteer in that. And of course, the Australian Federal Police were a key part of that immediate response in identifying the bodies, returning victims to their families, and also interviewing more than 7000 Australians about their experiences as they returned to Australia after the attacks.
HENSHAW: There has been a book written about it, which I think we're going to do something on next week. And it tells the story of that burns doctor who did an incredible job. I think she was from Adelaide or Western Australia, I'm not sure which, but that's a story in itself. And I think we're doing something on that next week. Are you aware of that?
PAYNE: Yes.
HENSHAW: "Under Her Skin" I think it's called.
PAYNE: Certainly aware of the doctor who pioneered the spray on skin, I believe.
HENSHAW: That's right.
PAYNE: Which was sort of really incredibly useful technology in that situation with all those those burns victims. And it was also the largest medical evacuation that Australia had undertaken since the Vietnam War, with some 66 injured Australians flown to Darwin for treatment with the help of the Australian Defence Force.
HENSHAW: Okay, well, we'll leave it there for now. But obviously, we'll just repeat that's Wednesday, this coming Wednesday. Times and place? Well, of course, we know it's a Parliament House. And you've got to register obviously if you're going to attend, and you'd like further information, it's on the DFAT website. Have I filled in all the blanks there?
PAYNE: Yeah, that's correct and it is at 10am at Parliament House.
HENSHAW: Okay. I know a lot of people including Andrew, my mate, Andrew, who's going to Bali. I suppose a lot of people would be going back there. And there would be quite a small ceremony but a very emotional one, I would imagine.
PAYNE: Yeah. I can only imagine what those people must be going through at the moment.
HENSHAW: Alicia, thanks so much for your time, and have a good weekend. Try and stay dry.
PAYNE: Thanks for having me.
