E&OE................................................................................................
JOURNALIST:
Are you happy to be in New Zealand, Mr Howard?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Always happy to be in New Zealand.
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
And we're thrilled to have him here too by the way.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Yes. It's a beautiful spot this.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, what's New Zealand got to teach Australia at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Oh, I think we have a lot to teach each other. We have a lot of shared
history but most importantly we have a shared future as two societies
quite distinctive but having an enormous amount in common. We always
work together very closely. We have a common future in APEC. CER has
been a great success and I think a boom for both countries and I just
find it a naturally close association.
JOURNALIST:
How critical is it for you to see APEC be successful this year?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, I think long-term APEC offers a great future for all of the
societies that are part of it. And although there were some disappointments
at the Kuala Lumpur meeting, there were a lot of successes, particularly
in relation to remaking the world's financial architecture. And
New Zealand, of course, will be in the chair this year. I'm very
keen to work with Mrs Shipley and I know that Australia will want
to do all it can to make it a very successful meeting and I'm
sure it will be.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, what do you think you'll learn about the GST now that
you'll see it up close over the next few days?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, the message I get about the GST out of New Zealand is that it
stopped being an issue years ago and that it's been an absolutely
outstanding success, as it will be in Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, will you be raising the question of East Timor with
Mrs Shipley and would there be any suggestion that you would like
to see New Zealand involved in any joint aid operations or otherwise?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, I'm sure it will come up because it's a very important
regional issue and New Zealand and Australia always work together
in relation to important regional issues. Naturally Australia has,
by dint of history and geography, has an even greater connection with
the area than New Zealand but it's a regional issue. And just
as we work together in relation to Bougainville then the same thing
applies. But I also see particular responsibilities for Australia
given our history and our proximity to the area involved.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, do you believe that New Zealand should be involved in
any joint peacekeeping in East Timor?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
I think it's early days. I'm very much looking forward to
hearing the briefing from the Prime Minister. Obviously Australia
is very close to Timor and have insights that we will listen to and
take into account. I think it's premature to say what involvement
is required but certainly if peacekeeping is required then that's
something New Zealanders always wanted to contribute. But I think
it's premature to get to that point first.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Absolutely.
JOURNALIST:
Do you feel you're under any pressure from Australia to have
the Auckland APEC be successful?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Not pressure, we have mutual interest in these things. I think the
great success of CER is that it's really an open market of two
countries as free traders by nature. APEC presents huge opportunities
and I've been very grateful to Prime Minister Howard and his
willingness to share both technical and logistical assistance with
New Zealand as we plan for our year. And we have a mutual interest
in being successful and I'm sure we will be.
JOURNALIST:
What's the main topic on your agenda for these talks?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
I think the APEC issue and seeing that the events of this year are
hugely successful is in our mutual interest. I'm looking forward
to seeing that we take the chance to plan to see that our events and
the events that are going to happen in Australia over the next 18
months or two years, that if there any ways we can boost tourism into
the Australasian region that we take the opportunities to do that
because so many visitors now come to both countries and there may
well be ways we can work together. From own point of view, other than
the bilateral and the CER issues, I'm very interested in hearing
Prime Minister Howard's views on the drug issue. Australia has
been dealing with a very significant increase in heroin recently.
It's something my own government is looking at and I'm looking
forward personally to having a chance to talk to him and get his insights
into how that worked on that issue. So it's a good chance to
deal with domestic issues that we can learn and share with each other
as well as the bilateral issues.
JOURNALIST:
On the drug issue, Prime Minister, last night in Melbourne two heroin
addicts died of overdoses and 16 addicts had overdoses, do you believe
that now there's time to look more seriously at alternatives
because it's fairly clear that current matters aren't working?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, if you mean by that has my attitude on a heroin trial changed,
well, the answer is no, it hasn't. And I will, over the weeks
ahead, be saying more about this issue and explaining in more detail
why I don't believe a heroin trial is the answer to an admittedly
very difficult problem. Heroin trials in other countries have not
been successful. I invite those who are so enthusiastically advocating
heroin trials in Australia to have a look at the Swedish experience,
to have a look at the Merseyside experience in the United Kingdom,
to have a look at the limited Swiss experience, to have a look at
what is occurring in the United States where that approach has not
been taken. It is a difficult problem and no approach carries all
the answers. And to rather simplistically say every day, well, there
were such and such a number of overdoses therefore you have to embrace,
without much thought, some other approach is not necessarily an answer.
I mean, I am always ready to listen to alternatives but the alternative
of a heroin trial, which has been tried in other countries, is not
one that appeals to me and I can say that the Federal Government is
not disposed to alter its stance on that. We have put an unprecedented
level of resources into fighting drugs on three fronts law
enforcement, treatment and education. Now, the benefits of that Tough
on Drugs strategy are now beginning to flow through but it's
altogether too early to make a judgement because it's only in
the last 12 months or less that the benefits of those additional resources
have begun to flow through. But it is a menace and the idea that in
any way we should suggest that it's acceptable in our society
is not something that I would ever embrace and I think I speak for
millions of Australian parents who do not see the right signal being
sent through the introduction of a heroin trial. So my view has not
changed on that and I will, over the weeks ahead, be saying quite
a bit more about the reasons why my view hasn't changed.
JOURNALIST:
Will you be looking to Mr Howard for some advice on how to deal with
difficult MPs that cause you a few problems...?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
I'm sure we could learn a lot from each other but I'm sure
we're both capable of managing our own caucuses perfectly satisfactorily
as well.
JOURNALIST:
You've got some advice, you've had to deal with some...
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Oh, no, look, I'm absolutely certain that Mrs Shipley can handle
the domestic political situation and I'm looking forward, of
course, as well as talking to her about matters of mutual political
interest between the two countries, one always on gatherings such
as this, one always exchanges notes about domestic politics but I
don't presume to give any advice about the management of New
Zealand political parties. I think anybody who becomes Prime Minister
of a nation has demonstrated very clearly his or her capacity to handle
the domestic politics of that nation without outside advice.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, do you have any advice to the Prime Minister on a GST
on food? You'd be aware of the debate in Australia. Would you
be advising him to hold the line and apply it as broadly as possible?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Well, I don't advise the Prime Minister of Australia but clearly
this is an opportunity for us to share information. I've had
a chance to talk to a number of Australian ministers who have come
here to talk about how it works in New Zealand. We've been very
frank with them. I mean, it's a great success in New Zealand.
There's not a single political party of any significance that
is proposing the removal of GST and I think that speaks for itself.
JOURNALIST:
And how was the landing coming in here to Queenstown?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Fantastic.
JOURNALIST:
It was a fairly hairy way...
PM:
Oh but, you know, the RAAF pilots are terrific - never miss a beat
when you're with the RAAF.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, Jeff Kennett says that immigration numbers in Australia
should be doubled. Given most of our migrants come from New Zealand,
is that something you would consider?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, we're always happy to have people from New Zealand in Australia.
They're always very, very welcome. I think the balance of the
Australian migration programme at the moment is right. We have changed
it since we came to power. We've put a greater emphasis on business
migration. I don't see a case for a dramatic increase at the
moment but it's always been part and parcel of our policy that
we would adjust it over time according to economic and other circumstances.
We have an annual review of migration, that's been the pattern
for years under both Labor and Liberal governments in Australia. There'll
be another submission put by the Minister to the Cabinet fairly soon
and we'll make a decision about next year's intake. But
I don't see a case at the moment for any dramatic change. I think
we have got the mix right. But I'm very happy to have a debate
about this issue in Australia. I always have been. And if people want
to contribute ideas on it, Mr Kennett included, I'm happy for
that. But right at the moment the Australian Government, which of
course makes the final decision on these matters, we think it's
quite a good and a well-balanced programme and a dramatic change next
year is simply not going to happen.
[Ends]