Subject:
Australian flag, reshuffle, Sheik al Hilali
E&OE...
JOURNALIST:
I might get your reaction to the ban, do you think there's any good reason to....
PRIME MINISTER:
No, there is no good reason and I'm pleased that they appear to be backing down. They originally tried to make a political statement against the Australian flag and the proposition that the display of the Australian flag should ever be banned anywhere in Australia is offensive to me and it will be to millions of Australians. And the reason given at the time was quite unacceptable. They're running their own political agenda, but because of public pressure they're now backing down.
JOURNALIST:
Is there a genuine fear when we saw what happened at Cronulla?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, look, that wasn't the fault of the flag. I mean flags don't have legs and arms. If anybody was breaking the law at Cronulla or breaks the law any time in the future, they should be dealt with by the authorities. But the idea that a flag, which is revered and respected by the Australian community, should be banned, I mean, people should be told not to bring an Australian flag to an event, is quite offensive. And this event is on property owned by the New South Wales Government, so the New South Wales Government has the power to make absolutely certain that this stupid ban does not in any way get implemented.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, first day back on the job, any closer to a reshuffle?
PRIME MINISTER:
I never speculate about those things, others do, I don't. Could I just say though on another matter, on my first day back, I noticed that Mr Iemma, the New South Wales Premier, is challenging Sheik Hilali to run against him in the seat of Lakemba. As well as doing that, perhaps Mr Iemma could explain to the Australian people why the Labor Party in western Sydney applied the pressure it did in the 1990s to make sure Sheik Hilali became an Australian citizen. Everyone knows that the pressure from the New South Wales right, of which Mr Iemma is a member, from Mr Keating, from Mr McLeay and from many others, overturned the view of the then Labor immigration minister, Chris Hurford, that Sheik Hilali should not, because of his anti-Semitic statements, be given Australian citizenship. He is an Australian citizen now because of the New South Wales right of the Labor Party, because of the actions of Mr Keating and Mr McLeay and others with whom Mr Iemma has been closely aligned. Perhaps he could explain to the Australian public why that happened.
JOURNALIST:
Have you had a chance to see Mr Rudd's water proposal and would you accept his offer of a three month truce?
PRIME MINISTER:
Mr Rudd's proposals are being very effectively dealt with by Mr Turnbull at the present time and I'll leave it to him. Thank you.
[ends]