E&OE....................................................................................................
PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, I would like to mention briefly two issues.
I would like, on behalf of the Australian Government, convey our very
deep sympathy to the people of Jordan on the loss of their King. He
was the monarch of Jordan and the undisputed leader of Jordan for
43 years. He became King at the age of 17. And there was not much
doubt during most of his reign that he enjoyed not only the support
but also a great deal of affection from his people.
There are many things that could be said about King Hussein. Probably
the finest tribute that can be paid to him is to recall his very courageous
involvement when the Wye River Accord was being negotiated. When clearly
suffering the devastation of cancer he came from his sick bed and
worked very hard to bring about the agreement between the Palestinians
and the Israelis. And as a result he is entitled to join the ranks
of others who've tried so very hard to bring about a peace settlement
in the Middle East.
I have conveyed a message of sympathy to the Prime Minister of Jordan.
I have expressed the willingness and the desire of Australia and the
Australian people to continue the close relations between our two
countries under the new monarch.
His son, King Abdullah, does inherit a very proud legacy. The late
King waged a very courageous battle for a long time against cancer
and I send my respects and our expressions of condolence to his family
and to the people of Jordan.
Can I also take this opportunity to thank Shane Stone for his contribution
as Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. Shane Stone was not only
a political colleague of mine but I regarded him as a good political
friend. I thought he gave very good leadership to the Northern Territory.
He continued a long tradition of highly successful CLP leaders in
that Territory. And although he suffered a natural disappointment
when the Statehood referendum was defeated last year, nothing can
take away from the very distinguished contribution that he made to
the politics and to the development and the economic growth of the
Northern Territory.
I wish him well in whatever he may choose to do in the future. I believe
that he served the Northern Territory very well. Naturally my Government
will be very happy to work closely with the new Chief Minister of
the Northern Territory when that person is formally installed.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, you've spoken of Mr Stone's contribution
to the Northern Territory and to your side of politics, do you think
you might be able to find a way of using those talents in the future?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I would like to. I'm not aware of any desire on Mr Stone's
part to pursue a parliamentary career elsewhere but he's a person
of very great ability. He was a person, incidentally, well respected
in Asia and he had a lot of contacts in the Asian region as many northern
territorian politicians had done. But I don't have anything particularly
in mind in relation to the Asian sphere if that is what you're
next leading to.
JOURNALIST:
Well no, on the other hand, would you think that he could make a contribution
in the Federal Parliament now?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think he would make a contribution wherever he might turn
his attention but I can honestly say to you that I am not aware of
any intention on his part to enter Parliament in some other way. I
mean, you normally enter it by being elected, I mean, enter some other
parliament.
JOURNALIST:
Who will represent Australia at the funeral of King Hussein?
PRIME MINISTER:
Our Ambassador. Time constraints have meant that the funeral is taking
place, so I'm advised, at 6.30pm tonight, Eastern Australian
Summer Time. And that's 6.30pm Canberra, Sydney, Melbourne time.
It's just not proved possible to send a senior member of the
Government to be there in time. It is a reminder of, given the conjunction
of the religious practices involved for early burials and the distance
of Australia from the Middle East, it's just not proved possible.
And we'll, therefore, be represented by our Ambassador.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, on another subject - are you pleased that the Malcolm
Turnbull of the Australian Republican Movement is now having second
thoughts about the question of whether, in the referendum on the republic
issue, there only be one question and that he would be prepared to
support, or his organisation would be prepared to support a question
on a new preamble as well, does that please you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't sort of, you know, get up breathlessly waiting
for Mr Turnbull's latest pronouncements each morning on that
or any other subject. Look, that's something that the Party Room
will take into account when it discusses this issue. People should
understand that we are allowing an open vote and a free vote on the
whole issue of matters relating to the republic. But there are arguments
for and against the preamble issue. I think there are a lot of Australians
who would like the opportunity to express their belief that it would
be nice to honour, in the foundation document of this country, the
prior occupation of the land mass of Australia by the indigenous people
because it's an historical truth which nobody can dispute. Just
how you get there, and can I assure you that I won't be motivated
by any views that I have in relation to the principles question and
that is the republic. Everybody knows my view on that. I've never
disguised it. I've never pretended to the Australian people I'm
anything other than what I am on that subjected, and I've been
elected Prime Minister twice despite them knowing that. So I don't
think people can sort of get into the business of accusing me of having
any machiavellian desires on this count. But there are some logistic
difficulties. What a lot of people overlook is that the preamble is
not part of the Constitution. It is part of the British Enabling Act
which enacted the Constitution Act of Australia. So you do sort of
have some significant logistic [inaudible]. On the other hand I think
there are a lot of people across the republican divide who would like
to join in an expression acknowledging in our basic document the prior
occupation of the land mass of Australia by the indigenous people.
And I use those words carefully because I think once you start introducing
other elements to it you start to lose a lot of Australians.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon.
JOURNALIST:
Are you motivated then to provide leadership to see some form of preamble?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well very interesting, this word leadership is always used now to
sort of bring forth a change of position on somebody's part.
It's the modern political paradigm. You call on somebody to show
leadership when you want them to change their position. It's
very very interesting. Look, the question of whether we have a preamble
or not is something that our Party Room's going to discuss and
that is in the spirit of involving my colleagues in this issue as
carefully as possible. I don't want any of the republicans to
think that this is being introduced in order to harm the chances of
the republic in question getting up. That is certainly not the desire
as I understand it of any of my colleagues.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] prospect of Camilla Parker Bowles being the next Queen
of Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon.
JOURNALIST:
What do you make of the prospect of.....
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven't given that any thought. I thought the current position
was that that was not in prospect.
JOURNALIST:
There were a question on a new preamble in the Constitution. Will
we take it that you would, if that were the case, would you campaign
strongly?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well let's take one thing at a time Jim.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible]
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no, no. What I'm proposing to do, as I said a long time ago,
and that is to consult my colleagues about this issue.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] idea of your view? You seem to imply really that you're
much more passionate about that kind of an issue than you are about
the republican issue.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't think I've ever pretended to be passionate
about a republic.
JOURNALIST:
You're opposed to one aren't you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm opposed to it because....well look I don't want
to get into the debate about it. You all know I'm against it.
There's no news in that.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] are you in charge of the preamble? Is that...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I would like to explore it further and the reason I would like
to explore it further is that I detect within the Australian community
that I would like to see as part of the observance of the centenary
of federation a recognition in our foundation document of an historical
truth. I think a lot of Australians feel that way whether they vote
Liberal or Labor, or whether they are for or against a republic. Now
that is an honest statement of my position. I recognise that there
are some logistical difficulties involved, the principle one being
what I've just described and that is the existing preamble is
not part of the Constitution. So you've got to think all of that
through and that might turn out to be all together too difficult.
And if it does turn out to be all together too difficult then you
won't be able to deal with it. I'm simply saying to you
is that I detect within the Australian community, whether they are
republican or not, or whether they're Liberal or Labor, a desire
for that formal acknowledgment, because they see it as an historical
truth that can hardly be disputed.
JOURNALIST:
Your Minister for Reconciliation also [inaudible] also wants the preamble
considered in the referendum and he wanted to acknowledge the disadvantage
Aboriginal people....
PRIME MINISTER:
We're not going to get into the detail of it except to say that
I think once you go too far you'll start losing people.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible] free vote if you ran a preamble question.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Michelle, I've already been tried on that and I've
said I'm going to consult my colleagues, and I don't have
anything further to say. Thank you very much.