Subjects: heroin trials, OECD report; visit to Jakarta, Optus
E&OE................................
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister are you disappointed by the NCA's crime chief's comments yesterday about the heroin trials?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't agree with him and I've made it very clear that while I'm Prime Minister, while this Government is in power, we will not give any aid or comfort to heroin trials. He's ignored the progress that has been made. He's ignored the fall in heroin related deaths over the last 7 or 8 months. I don't claim that that's a permananet trend but it's a break in the earlier trend and a very significant break. And one of the reasons for that is the supply of heroin has been cut by effective law enforcement. There are other reasons as well. But it's altogether wrong to send a surrender signal and I support very much the remarks made this morning by the head of the Australian Federal Police. We have put a lot more resources and the AFP and the customs people and the state police have done a great job. If you look overseas, the model to look to is Sweden where after experimenting with what might be called the more permissive approach, it went in the other direction and it has achieved very considerable success. The data available from other countries does not suggest that heroin trials make a great contribution to a reduction of deaths. And I just don't accept this view that you give up. I think that's a counsel of dispair and I totally disagree with the approach advocated apparently by the Leader of the Opposition who's saying that he would look at it although I'm not quite sure he's always said that and I'm not quite sure he'll keep saying that in the future. But out position is clear whatever his view may be.
JOURNALIST:
What's your response though to the critics are suggesting maybe that you've been left behind by the drug debate.
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh, I'm used to people saying that. I'm quite unconcerned by it. I think the available evidence is that we are making progress and I'm quite unphased. People have said far ruder things than that about me. And I'm completely unphased by that.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister would you agree with the OECD report that Australia is facing higher interest rates towards the end of this year?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I didn't read that as what the OECD was saying. What I read what the OECD was saying was that this country is going to have the highest level of economic growth of an industrialised nation next year. I read the OECD as saying that the Government's reform agenda has strengthened the economy. I heard the OECD to be saying that the Australian government's tax reform policy will deliver a lot of economic benefits into the future.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what are you hoping to achieve by your visit to Jakarta this weekend?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the most importantly, a very early meeting with the new Indonesian President at the highest level. I think that of itself is very important. What we'll be signalling by that meeting is that relations between our two countries have entered a new phase. A phase of what I might call positive realism. We're realistic about some of our differences but we're positive about the things that we have in common and the importance of us having a close relationship but a relationship based on realism and mutual respect. And I welcome very much the fact that I can have this meeting with President Megawati so early in her term.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister what will you be discussing with her particularly?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh a range of things but the important point is that we are having this meeting so early in her term and that says something of itself.
JOURNALIST:
How can you protect Optus from the infiltration of Singaporean spies?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't accept the premise of the question. Thank you.
[ends]