The Australian government has worked hard over many months now to prepare for a successful Brisbane Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM). I have personally been very committed to this project. I have kept in contact with fellow Commonwealth leaders over the past year to ensure we made the most of our meeting. Events of recent weeks have underscored the importance of a strong and authoritative collective voice against terrorism as well as on other key issues of global and regional significance.
As recently as Tuesday, some 45 Commonwealth members had advised the Commonwealth Secretary-General and ourselves of their commitment to attend at Head of State/Head of Government level. But since then the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of 11 September on many levels has caused many of those leaders to review their plans and conclude that the world situation requires them to stay at home.
The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Mr Don McKinnon, advised me today that a significant number of Commonwealth leaders including the British Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of India, and the Prime Minister of Canada have decided that they are not in a position to attend CHOGM at this time. The British Prime Minister personally phoned me last night to indicate that he would not be able to attend the Conference. I also discussed the matter by telephone with the Canadian Prime Minister yesterday. The Secretary-General has concluded that postponing CHOGM for a few months would be greatly preferable to pressing ahead with the Conference in these circumstances.
I have with deep regret accepted this advice. The Secretary-General will communicate to all Commonwealth members the decision to postpone CHOGM until a suitable date early in the New Year. I have since advised the Premier of Queensland.
As a result of the decision to postpone CHOGM until early 2002, the advice to Buckingham Palace has been to postpone the visit to Australia of Her Majesty The Queen and this advice has been accepted.
The status of various events associated with the CHOGM - the Commonwealth Youth Forum on the Gold Coast, the Commonwealth Business Forum in Melbourne, and the Commonwealth People's Centre and People's Festival in Brisbane - will be the subject of separate announcements.
The government remains fully committed to holding a successful CHOGM in Brisbane and will be seeking at an early date to establish a mutually convenient revised timing in early 2002.
28 September 2001