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@icyfroth wrote:

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop is flying into Vanuatu on a RAAF aircraft, no trouble for Julie to jump on a freight plane could you imagine Rudd taking that trip.

 

She will fly from Brisbane in a military aircraft loaded with fresh supplies and return to Canberra the same day for the final parliamentary sitting week before the May budget.

There are now 78 defence personnel on the ground in Vanuatu, with another 335 expected to arrive early next week on board the transport ship HMAS Tobruk.

 

I haven’t heard of any other countries lending a hand in Vanuatu thus far, Australia always seems to be the first country to lend a hand in times of natural disasters, where is the UN right now.

 

 

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Well. Lets see. When was the last time the current PM flew to another country on a freight plane to help with their natural disaster? I think you are confused about what role a Foreign Minister v's a Prime Minister would play in events such as this.

You also seem to be a litle confused about the role of the UN. They are not an aid organisation. I imagine that when something like this happens, their mandate would be information dissemination. 

And Australia (and New Zealand)  WOULD be the first to lend a hand as we have the strongest relationship with Vanuatu. I can't imagine the US or the UK  focusing on this much given the geographical and political distance. And on a global disaster scale this wasn't  major (only 16 deaths confirmed so far) and agencies such as Amnesty, Red Cros and Caritas have already stepped in to help those in need to food and accommodation.

Did Bolt tell you otherwise this morning did he?