E&OE...........
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome again an old friend of Australia and of course the Prime Minister of a very close and friendly country. Sir Michael, you are always very welcome here in Canberra and in Australia. I had the opportunity just after your returning to the prime ministership of your country, of visiting Port Moresby and going with you to Isurava for the dedication of the War Memorial there. And then we travelled together to the Pacific Island Forum in Fiji. I want to express our strong regard for the efforts of your country, your Government is taking to tackle its economic challenges.
We have agreed today in relation to the disposition of a rescheduled amount of Australian aid of $35 million. The first tranche of that of $8 million has already been made available and we're announcing today the next tranche of $8 million is to be made available and the remaining amount at a later stage. We've also reviewed the situation in Bouganville. Progress continues to be made, but we are determined that the peace monitoring group will remain there while ever there is a need. We expect that that need will probably have gone by the middle of next year, but that is a situation that we will continue to keep under very close surveillance and review. And we have also discussed the continued cooperation between Australia and Papua New Guinea relating to the restructuring and redeployment of the Papua New Guinea defence force. You'll remember there was an eminent persons group that reported to us several years ago and Australia agreed subject to certain restructuring targets being met to make available a significant amount of money and we remain completely committed and engaged to that program which is of considerable importance to Papua New Guinea.
But I just say again that we are always very pleased to see you, Michael. Our relationship with your country is very close, and very strong, and it's a valued friendship, and it's great to have you here in Canberra again.
PRIME MINISTER SOMARE:
I thank you, Prime Minister. I just want to reconfirm the position that we're in. I think my visit today to visit you was to reconfirm some our commitments and understanding that we have between our respective countries.
I visit Australia to present the paper at the petroleum and mining conference in Sydney. I would like to thank you for the opportunity given to us for us to be able to touch bases and have these contacts, so that we understand that the support which you've been giving us, which we are very appreciative of, and we know that we built a better understanding and rapport with your Government and Australian people. And of course Papua New Guinea is a close neighbour.
And as the Prime Minister said we covered a lot of issues - looking at the review of the defence force in Papua New Guinea, looking at our border situation, Bouganville and problems that we have in southern islands. I think I briefed the Prime Minister on our position and I think we are handling those issues and things are looking well for us. And we also have a… I have to go back today because we still have a budget that will be passed on…
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
You're not having any trouble getting it through the Senate, are you?
PRIME MINISTER SOMARE:
No. I'm glad that I don't have two Houses. I've got…
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Give me some tips.
PRIME MINISTER SOMARE:
We abloished the idea. So, I'm just saying that we've got a budget process, we've got a budget process to go and I'll be travelling back to Port Moresby. But I just want to reaffirm our commitment and our understanding of bilateral matters in our region, particularly Asian Pacific and especially from Australia and Papua New Guinea. And I just want to say that we are new in the job but not new in politics, but we're on the job and we're hoping to make things work. Thank you.
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Any questions? Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister Howard, did you [inaudible] the detention centre and its future?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Briefly. I think there are only about 40 people left there now. 90, I'm sorry, 90 people left there now and that arrangement was continued, was agreed to continue for another year and I don't expect that the interest of Australia in it will increase and it's likely to continue to decline. We discussed it briefly, but it is not an issue between us.
JOURNALIST:
Would you expect it to close in the next 12 months?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, we are working to reduce it. I mean, that's the aim. I think I'll just confine myself to what is in the memorandum of understanding and, you know, I naturally respect it. It's a Papua New Guinea territory and I'm very grateful for the willingness of the Government, of two Governments, of Papua New Guinea to support this arrangement but the number is declining. Some have gone to New Zealand, some have gone to Nauru and I would hope that the number will continue to decline and we don't, on present indications expect to have any more.
JOURNALIST:
Has Australia attached an particular conditions to the aid you have announced, in terms of any economic policy?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well, the amount that we've announced will be made available today is a recognition of the measures and initiatives contained in the most recent Budget. And the payment of remaining tranche is of a similar kind, it's condition upon the maintenance of the direction of economic policy and engagement with the international institutions. But this is the rescheduling of an aid amount.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] do you expect Australia to provide additional support likewise, over and beyond this initial $35 million redirection?
PRIME MINISTER SOMARE:
I think what we are doing, we are doing our best of getting our priorities right, put our priorities for development. And knowing World Bank and IMF our position, we're looking at some our resource developments and I think we should be able to sustain the growth as we go along. And I know that there is always a goodwill, an understanding from Australia, particularly in the Australian governments that I've been dealing with before and today and I know that there is a good rapport between me and the Prime Minister. Then if there are issues that we need to raise as we go along, of course we will raise them for Australia's support.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, can I ask if your Government has softened its position on the question of women and children asylum seekers in detention and whether you have been briefed on the Labor Party policy on that subject?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I haven't… I don't know anything about the Labor Party's policy other than what I've read in the newspapers and heard on the radio and seen on the television. So, you know may more, I don't. Any announcements on these things if there were any from outside, and I'm not foreshadowing there will be, I would leave to the capable hands of the minister. Let me say that our, you know, there should be no suggestion that there's been any change in our general policy. I mean, in the past we have tried where possible to have a community situation in relation to women and children, you should be reminded of that. There's nothing sort of new about that notion, but if there's to be any other tweaking of the policy, that would be something that Mr Ruddock would announce, but I'm not foreshadowing one.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] are you totally satsifed with the position that Senator Coonan and her husband had given about their affairs?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, did you discuss your remarks on the terrorism issue today [inaudible] and your remarks at the weekend of [inaudible] strikes…
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
What you mean between Michael and I?
JOURNALIST:
Did you discuss that issue?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
No, not my remarks, no. But as to the… I mean, we touched in the context of other discussions, we touched briefly on the issue of terrorism. But explicitly in relation to the other thing, no.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think Asian countries are overreacting or misinterpreting your remarks?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
That's for you to… you're the commentator, I'm the player, the advocate, the participant, you can do the commentary. I made those remarks very carefully in a very low key fashion. They were quite accurate. They were not directed at any of our friends. Self-evidently they weren';t directed at any of our friends and anybody who read those remarks would come to that conclusion. I don';t resile from them in any way.
JOURNALIST:
Well have they been taken the wrong way by Asian countries?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well I';m not going to get into a commentary on that. I don';t think anything is achieved. The words are clear, simple, direct, people understand what they mean. They don';t mean any bellicosity towards our friends. They are a statement of the obvious in relation to the most elementary and fundamental responsibilities of the government.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, clearly senior political figures have interpreted them as a provocative statement. Are you not concerned that your statements could damage Australia';s relationships with some of its closest….?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
I don';t believe that our relations have been damaged by those statements at all. I think they are known and understood for what they are and that is a statement of the obvious and I don';t resile in any way from them.
JOURNALIST:
Sir Michael, is Papua New Guinea entirely comfortable with the conditions attached by Australia to the provision of aid to Papua New Guinea particularly to those conditions relating to the speed and direction of economic reform, notably in relation to privatisation?
PRIME MINISTER SOMARE:
Well as far as the privatisation goes we came in as a government and we were a new government. I';ve made a halt, instead of speeding up our concept I';m looking at it on the basis of merit, what state asset need to be privatised they';ll be privatised but others that I will feel that should be privatised it goes, like Telecom and like power. The government assets are worth a lot of money. Unless we pay the right price for it of course you can privatise them. But it';s a slow process and it will take a while. We believe that by getting some of the institutions out of government';s hands. Governments are not there to make profits. But we have institutions like telecommunications which is very important for all countries concerned. So we have to have a careful look at it before you can talk about privatising telecommunication or power for example. So it';s a slow process and we carry on the privatisation concept but it';ll be done according to what we believe should be done.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard what signal do you think it would send if Australia's border protection policies were modified significantly?
PRIME MINISTER HOWARD:
Well they';re not going to be modified significantly so it';s an academic question. We';re not going to modify our policy. The other side have no prospect of power for two years so I think it';s an academic question. Thank you.
[Ends]