Subject:
East Asia Summit, New South Wales state election, Sheik al Hilali
E&OE...
JOURNALIST:
So Prime Minister, you're about to head overseas again?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, this is a very useful regional meeting. It's a great opportunity to talk to our Asian partners about regional financial security, about challenges such as possible Avian Flu epidemics, although I think that issue is under as much control as it possibly can be; energy security and, of course, having the opportunity of meeting so many heads of government of countries that are very important to Australia, is a very useful opportunity. It's a quick meeting, very much a working session and a very valuable opportunity for Australia to interact with countries that are so very important to us in the region.
JOURNALIST:
Speaking of security, is your security going to be alright down at the Philippines where they've actually said that there are warnings out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, it's certainly an area of some instability but the meeting should go ahead and I should be there. There's always a dilemma when you come to these travel warnings. We have to warn the travelling public, but the last thing that heads of government should be is be deterred by terrorist threats.
JOURNALIST:
Looking closer to home, Peter Debnam with the upcoming state election, will you play a more pivotal role in that, will you go into lobby for your state colleague?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I will clearly support Mr Debnam. I hope he wins and I'll help him all I can. The election of course will be determined on state issues. State issues dominate state elections and federal issues, federal elections. But the New South Wales Government is the most criticised state government in Australia. I think the people of New South Wales want a change of government and I will do everything I can to help Mr Debnam win.
JOURNALIST:
Any tips for him with the upcoming televised debate?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh look, I wouldn't be getting into giving him public tips.
JOURNALIST:
President Yudhoyono, will you have a chance to speak to him at the summit?
PRIME MINISTER:
President Yudhoyono, because of many domestic considerations, may not be at the full meeting. He's had a number of domestic disasters. There have been some terrible incidents and also a very bad plane crash, and some floods and for those combination...for that combination of domestic reasons he won't be at the full meeting.
JOURNALIST:
And the meeting was postponed last time, why was it postponed first of all and....
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Philippines Government postponed it because of the typhoon warnings that were available at the time and it said at the time that the reason for the postponement was a fear that the typhoon might disrupt the meeting.
JOURNALIST:
Just in regards to the Sheik, is he welcome back?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well he's entitled to come back to Australia because he's an Australian citizen and if people are unhappy about that then they should seek an explanation from the last Labor Government that in a very politically inspired decision gave him citizenship in circumstances where he probably shouldn't have received it. The Sheik's great problem is that he's becoming a standing embarrassment to his own community and I said before and I repeat it again this morning, it is up to the Islamic community of Australia, if it cares about its standing reputation in the Australian community, to do something about his position within that community. It is not for the Government to say who should occupy positions within religious organisations. We separate the church and the state in this country and it's not for me to say who should be an Imam anymore than it's for me to say who should be a Cardinal or an Archbishop. But it's up to the Islamic community to understand that he is of great embarrassment to them, he's hurting their reputation in the eyes of their fellow Australians and I ask them in their own interests to do something about it.
JOURNALIST:
Personally how did you take those comments when you heard them?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I have been insulted by experts.
JOURNALIST:
What do you think of Premier Morris Iemma's comments that he shouldn't bother coming back?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Mr Iemma should really seek an explanation from his federal Labor colleagues as to why they yielded to pressure from Labor Party branches within Mr Iemma's own area of operation to give him Australian citizenship. It's a bit late now for a member of the Labor Party to be complaining about him being allowed back into Australia. He's entitled to come back into Australia because he's an Australian citizen and to my understanding he's not broken Australian law since becoming citizen, so under the rule of law he's entitled to come back. But people ought to understand how he became an Australian citizen in the first place.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think there's anyway he can explain away those statements? The community here is saying wait for him to get back and give his explanation.
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I think the community has got to show a bit of generic leadership. I mean he's an embarrassment to Islamic Australians. I worry about the damage his behaviour is doing to the image of Islamic Australians within our broader community. I don't want them to be hurt by him, but they alone have it in their hands to stop that happening and they can stop it happening by doing something themselves. But only they can do that. I can't do it and I won't try and do it. And it's no good people like Mr Iemma saying he should stay overseas. He's entitled to come to Australia because, by courtesy of the last Labor Government, he's an Australian citizen.
Thank you.
[ends]