E&OE.............................................................................................
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
[Tape begins]... to New Zealand. These are important talks and
we had a most useful series of discussions yesterday. We covered many,
many issues. From my point of view it was very valuable to both cement
in the importance of 25 years of CER and it's really now the
time to see what CER can do in an outward looking sense and we had
a very useful discussion on free-trade opportunities both possibly
with the US, possibly South America, but both I think are very interested
in new opportunities and perhaps that's the next phase for CER.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard did security come up?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Oh yes, security always comes up, particularly in the region. And
we had quite a long discussion about East Timor and a very productive
discussion, I think we have a very similar view on East Timor. We
also of course talked about Bougainville where New Zealand has done
a first class job in a leadership role. There's still more to
be done there, and of course in a general sense it came up.
JOURNALIST:
Did you reach any conclusion on East Timor and sending in perhaps
peace keeping forces?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well it's premature to be talking about peacekeeping forces.
We of course are arguing that the best outcome in the short-term is
a phased movement towards independence, preferably a period of autonomy
within Indonesia, so to be talking about peacekeeping forces at this
time is quite premature. Obviously Australia will play a major role
in the future of East Timor but we want to encourage the Indonesians
and the people of East Timor to reach an understanding and an outcome
that is going to provide the maximum economic and social stability
in that territory.
JOURNALIST:
Did you speak about the possibility, or potential, for joint operations
on aid or is it too early for East Timor?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I think we recognise that Australia will play a significant role,
and New Zealand obviously is willing to play her part as well. I mean
the extent of that is a matter for New Zealanders to talk about, but
once again to be talking about the detail of a situation assuming
a certain outcome that we are arguing should be delayed, at the very
least, and perhaps not occur at all is inappropriate.
JOURNALIST:
So that's the united position of Australia and New Zealand if
that is the outcome .....?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
We would look to Australia. Obviously Australia is very close to Timor.
New Zealanders feel very strongly about this and would want to assist
in an appropriate way. I certainly have made it clear to the Prime
Minister that if there are obvious issues that emerge through the
Australian leadership role in Timor in association with Indonesia,
they would only have to approach us. But we would be looking to Australia
to give us advice on where they think we could most usefully assist.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, given your concerns, Australia's concerns about the
state of readiness and technology of the New Zealand defence force,
do you think New Zealand's peace-keeping role in East Timor will
be one that you can rely on?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I don't talk about decisions made by New Zealand about her defence
capability. That's a matter for New Zealand. I don't assert
the premise of your question.
JOURNALIST:
Have you applied, nevertheless, Prime Minister, any gentle pressure
regarding the third frigate?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
We talked in a very constructive way about these things, but decisions
on New Zealand defence are a matter for New Zealand.
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
New Zealand's taken some very significant decisions in relation
to defence in the last two years. Our government's very proud
of the fact that we have found our way clear to recommit to (inaudible).
The Prime Minister's acknowledged that they are significant for
a small economy that does want to play its role in the region. And
we had a useful discussion but there was no pressure from Australia.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, did the question of frigates come up at all, and are
you firmly resolved that there'll be no more frigates purchased?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
The government's position was that we have frigates that have
got a useful life until 2006. There is no necessity for us to make
final decisions until 2002. Our government when we considered this
last year decided we would invest in F16s not in frigates at this
stage, and the minister concerned was instructed to look internationally,
as well as to Australia, over the next two or three years as to what
our options are. And that's where the position stands and obviously
it is something that will be considered at the appropriate time.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley did you talk about the referendum in November in Australia,
and do you think that the referendum on independence, that result,
will have an impact in New Zealand?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
We only talked about it passing, it was a significant discussion.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
It's not a referendum about independence. I thought Australia
became independent a long time ago.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, you mentioned or alluded to some sort of extension of
CER or relationship with CER with the United States and South America.
Would you flesh that out for us?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Well the thing with both countries, well certainly from our own point
of view, I think the opportunities that CER have offered both economies
have been very significant and when you have two populations that
have been able to trade effectively together to almost the full extent,
then the next step is to think creatively. We've both had a number
of visitors from South America in the last twelve months and they've
openly talked about CER and the MERCUSOR Group for example, exploring
opportunities, and perhaps that is the next step for CER, to get the
quantum leap that we saw we received in the early stages of this trading
agreement.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard do you have some comment on that, some extension?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Certainly that was discussed and I take the view in all of these areas
that you should always be willing to be outward looking. The goal
has to be for countries like New Zealand and Australia ever freer
trade because we have more to gain from that than we do from standing
still or going backwards. And every opportunity there is to expand
the horizons of freer trade we should grab.
JOURNALIST:
Gerry Adams arrives in Australia this evening. How comfortable are
you with him being in the country?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I don't mind, it's a free country. We have lots of people
coming to Australia.
JOURNALIST:
You won't reconsider your decision not to meet with him?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No.
JOURNALIST:
And you're not concerned that...well, do you think that his
visit will be a peaceful one, you don't think it will cause any
trouble?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I'm sure it will be a peaceful one. He's been allowed into
Australia and we've made a decision to give him a visa and I'm
sure it will be peaceful.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, the Sunday Observer says that the British Government spent
$10 million on investigating dumping nuclear waste in Australia. Has
the Australian Government had any talks with Britain about that?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Who says this?
JOURNALIST:
The Sunday Observer in London.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
In New Zealand?
JOURNALIST:
In London.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Oh in London. Oh, I see. No, I haven't read that. I haven't
seen the clips yet.
JOURNALIST:
Has the Australian Government had any talks with Britain on this issue?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I'm not aware of them. Not in recent times, not that I've
been involved in, no.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you seem to have had very much a tourist day today, so
far, seeing the sights. Why have you done that?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Why? Because it's a beautiful country, that's why. I'd
be crazy to come here and not wander around and have a look at this
beautiful place. I've never been to Queenstown before. But in
case you think we're slacking, within an hour of arriving we
sat down and had a formal talk, on a Saturday afternoon, for an hour-and-a-half,
two hours. We had further discussions over dinner. We've continued
to talk in the back of the car about all manner of political things
and we'll go on talking over dinner. And then up to Wellington
this afternoon and I've got a dinner at the High Commissioner's
home with a large number of members of the New Zealand Cabinet. So
a pretty full-on weekend.
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
We are having a very fortunate and very extensive access to the Prime
Minister. I don't think there's a minister in my Cabinet
that's not getting a chance to speak to him where they feel they
need to and we cannot complain at all about that access.
JOURNALIST:
Was an Open Skies policy discussed between the both of you?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
The Open Skies issue is something that's ongoing and we understand
that there are issues in Australia that need to be sorted out. It's
something that I think over time there's an opportunity for us
and we'll work on that in a progressive way.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, what are those Australian issues please?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
What are those Australian issues on what?
JOURNALIST:
Open Skies policy.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, we've had a brief touch on it and we're going to have
a further discussion tomorrow.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, are there any particular issues you'll raise with
the New Zealand Cabinet members that you're meeting this evening?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, the ones you would normally raise in an intense bilateral exchange.
I mean, the importance of CER, the joint interest we have in maintaining
the momentum of APEC, a number of the things Mrs Shipley mentioned
in relation to the future horizons of CER. There are one or two
I'm pleased to say we're moving towards a good outcome in
relation to the broadcasting issue under CER and there are one or
two things to be progressed on the social security and child support
front. But overall it's a very stable bilateral relationship
but you must keep friendships in good repair and that's why you
have regular discussions and you involve people at a very high level.
JOURNALIST:
Has there been any discussion, Prime Ministers, on the question of
trans-Tasman migration flows?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Not at all I don't think.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No, I don't think we've actually talked about that, no.
JOURNALIST:
Did you bring up Australia's refusal to allow New Zealand apples
into the country?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
That hasn't been discussed.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No, it hasn't come up.
JOURNALIST:
Is there a [inaudible] to formally approach the US on a free trade
agreement, is that the extension on your earlier comments on...?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
We haven't, I mean, we have talked about the issue generally
and the terms that Mrs Shipley outlined a few minutes ago. These sorts
of things have an ongoing life. They don't involve, sort of,
a start and a finish. We have a general goal of expanding the horizons
of freer trade to our mutual benefit and when opportunities arise
you take advantage of those opportunities.
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
I would think this year the main effort will go into establishing
a broad-based world trade round. I think both New Zealand and Australia
will benefit enormously if we can succeed in a WTO round that is extremely
broad and strongly based. APEC does give us a good opportunity, I
think, to establish a strong platform and I was very much appreciative
of Prime Minister Howard's enthusiasm for trying to secure that
across the APEC group. That will be a major project for us this year
to try and be, at the end of the year, as far forward as we can be
with APEC countries solidly committed to a broad-based round.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, can I just ask you - I know you're involved in the
bilaterals but domestically the business with Murray McCully and the
Tourism Board, this isn't going away - are you concerned about
the revelations that there have been from those meetings about Mr
McCully's directions to the board?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Well they are matters before the Audit Officer and I think we should
wait until that report is completed?
JOURNALIST:
But are you concerned that so much has actually come out?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
Well, there is a lot there. I think the Auditor-General is very capable
of weighing that up. I have absolute faith in him as an officer. He's
got a very good record in investigating things fairly. The Minister
has made it very clear that if there is anything adverse in those
reports he will offer his resignation and I don't think we can
ask more than that.
JOURNALIST:
Who was going to do the interpreting of that...
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
I don't intend to speculate further on this. We should wait for
the report.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, given that Australia is going through the process
of reconciliation with the Aboriginal people, have you had any discussion
with Mrs Shipley about treaty negotiations here with the Maori people?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well no, that hasn't come up. I think you're aware that
the push for reconciliation in Australia does not embrace the nation
of a treaty. I think you know the reasons for that. I wouldn't
be surprised if in the course of the next 24 hours that general issue
is discussed but so far, no.
JOURNALIST:
Mrs Shipley, you said yesterday that you and Mr Howard would be discussing
the matter of drugs. Has Mr Howard persuaded you that a get tough
on drugs policy is the way to go in New Zealand as well?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
He doesn't need to persuade me. I am not one who favours decriminalisation
or going soft on this issue. I can't for the life of me see that
by being permissive you actually assist anyone. But I have had a valuable
opportunity to speak to the Prime Minister on both the access issues
that Australia has dealt with and also the treatment issues and the
education issues and we've shared, I guess, strategies and experiences.
It's one that I think we should keep working on together because
both being island countries it is an ongoing challenge for governments
to try and manage this issue. And it does such terrible damage and
is so life limiting in terms of potential but I think it's something
we do need to continue to focus on actively.
JOURNALIST:
Have you spoken about the potential for drugs to cross the Tasman
from New Zealand to Australia and vice versa and have there been any
decisions or recommendations on...?
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
At this stage it's really just been a very open discussion on
approach. But we are certainly, I think, interested in collaborating
to see that if any issues do emerge that we can learn from each other
or assist each other. I'm sure we would be the first to do just
that. It is a big issue.
JOURNALIST:
Approach to treatment or approach to border control.
PRIME MINISTER SHIPLEY:
The three treatment, border control and education.[Ends]