 Australian will fund a tsunami warning centre aimed at preventing a repeat of the December 26 catastrophe that killed about 217,000 people on Indian Ocean coastlines, Treasurer Peter Costello said Tuesday. Costello said the system, which would upgrade the existing sea level gauge and seismic network, would warn people in coastal areas of incoming tsunami. The government would spend 68.9 million dollars (53.3 million US) in the next four years establishing the system, Foreign Minister Alexander Downer and Attorney-General Philip Ruddock said. "It will be one of the first Indian Ocean regional warning systems and will join the planned network of national systems which collectively will form the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System," they said in a statement. "Australia is surrounded by 8,000 kilometres of active tectonic plate boundary capable of generating tsunamis with the potential to reach our coastline within two to four hours. One-third of the earthquakes worldwide occur along these boundaries." Australian will also provide technical assistance to improve systems in Indian and Pacific Ocean nations, they said. |