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Burke says algal bloom not a formal national disaster' but is an environmental disaster

Burke is speaking outside a church in Canberra ahead of an ecumenical service that will be attended by many politicians to mark the start of the new parliament.

There's a legislated, formalised list of events that this is not in. That doesn't change the fact that it's an environmental disaster. It doesn't change the fact that all eyes of the nation are on it ...

Murray Watt, the environment minister, was there on the ground yesterday. The premier made statements as well yesterday. We're working cooperatively.

There's been a series of very strong statements that we've made... When you can make a statement together with so many other significant powers, then, you know, we're all hoping that there'll be something that will break this.

We've seen too many images of children being killed, of horrific slaughter, of churches being bombed, the images that we've seen have been pretty clear that so much of this is indefensible and as that statement referred to, you know, aid being drip-fed in. None of this changes the fact that the hostages need to be released, of course that needs to happen.