PM: Well last night in Bali the world community decided to take a bold step into the future. But it's only one step and we've got a long, long way to go. This is an important step forward because it opens up a roadmap to the future but that roadmap means two further years of hard, tough negotiations between developed and developing countries and among developed countries as well. Australia into the future will be going into those negotiations with sleeves rolled up and prepared to put in the hard yards over this time ahead because we're going to need every bit of negotiating grunt in the international community to bring this to a positive outcome. Of course what's at stake here is the future of our economy. What's at stake here is the future of the global economy. What's at stake is of course the future of the planet itself. And this therefore represents a core priority for this Australian Government over the next two years.
I would also commend the significant role played by Australia in these negotiations. I would commend the role of our lead negotiator, Senator Penny Wong, the Minister for Climate Change. Penny being ably supported by our Environment Minister, Peter Garrett and other members of the Australian delegation, led by our Ambassador for the environment Jan Adams as well as Howard Bamsey. There are many, many Australian negotiators who have been out there burning the midnight oil and in some cases, not sleeping at all for days on end to try and do their bit on Australia's behalf to bring this negotiation to an effective conclusion. So I, on behalf of the Government, thank them for their efforts. Happy to take your questions.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM:Well, if you look carefully at the text of the convention document which has emerged, we now have a commitment on the question of developing countries for them to engage in measurable, reportable and verifiable nationally appropriate mitigation actions. This is a step forward. Is it as much as the international community would have liked? It's not quite there. But does it commit however, developing countries to producing measurable, reportable and verifiable actions? It does that and that therefore does represent a step forward.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM:On the part of China or the document itself?
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM:Well, the reason we have got this document, which commits to actions on the part of the developing world and other actions and commitments on the part of the developed world is that the world can move forward together to address the common global challenge of climate change. Australia, as I've said in previous statements and has Senator Wong, repeatedly in Bali as well, recognises the science here. The challenge for us now is to frame our own national targets, which are cognisant of the science. The Garnaut Review, as I've said on many occasions will report by the middle of 2008 and we will frame our interim targets based on that. The Garnaut Review will also canvas and examine extensively the economic impact of acting and not acting on climate change for Australia. That's why that report is so important for us all.
JOURNALIST:What do you see as Australia's role in further negotiations? Is it going to be focussed on the United States, in pushing them?
PM:I believe the world community has taken a positive step forward here, developed countries and developing countries and there has been movement on the part of our friends in the United States as well, which needs to be recognised. Going forward, the obligation will be on us all to make further efforts. In the developing world we of course need to continue to work with our friends in China and India, on the significant task ahead for them as major emitting developing countries. In my own dealings with the Chinese in the year ahead, I hope to spend as much time as possible with the Chinese leadership acting on that and with the objective of achieving a greater agreement and greater consensus with our friends in China on future courses of action for them. Similarly with India.
On the developed countries side our friends in the United States and other developed countries, I look forward to further discussions with them as well and certainly they'll be forming a part of my discussions with the US Administration.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) when are we going to see some targets set?
PM:Well, this was always desired at Bali as outlining a Bali roadmap and I would commend the efforts of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono of Indonesia for his efforts in intervening in this Conference, to making sure that that roadmap, that Bali roadmap was laid out. But it was always envisaged as a roadmap and what that means is, it's destination point is Copenhagen in two years time. So, the Copenhagen destination point is there. It's clear cut. It's at the end of 2009. We therefore have two years as a world community to roll up our sleeves and do the hard work. The end point of that will decide whether or not as a world community we're serious about the future of the planet.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)?
PM:Our position on that has always been that what we need is a nationally consistent relationships register, both for same sex couples, for de facto heterosexual couples, if they wish to use it, or for carer relationships. That has been our position all along. That remains our position. The other aspect of that is that we want to ensure that we have nationally uniform legislation removing remaining forms of discrimination in terms of inheritance law, taxation law and social security law for same sex couples. Anything else?
JOURNALIST:Church groups might oppose that though (inaudible)?
PM:Well on the question of a nationally consistent relationships register we have been, in the course of 2007, in discussion with various church bodies. There's a range of opinion there. But we believe that's an appropriate way to go. Our position has always been, that marriage is between a man and a women and therefore that always will form the cornerstone of our view on these matters. A relationships register, nationally consistent of the type we had in Tasmania since 2004 and of the type which the Victorian Government has recently proposed, we believe is a positive and productive way forward, particularly if you add to it appropriate nationally uniform legislation to reform and to remove any impediments to same sex couples in relation to inheritance law, taxation law and social security law.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible)
PM:We'll be consulting with the affected groups on that and the States and Territories, because it affects everybody during the course of the next twelve months. It's complex, you've got to get it right.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) you've talked about the cooperative arrangement with Anna Bligh but you surely must believe that more Federal intervention needs to be done in Queensland and Western Australia?
PM:Well, I've just had a half day talking to the Aboriginal leadership of the Northern Territory, yesterday. We had a good two hour long discussion and prior to that I had a long discussion also with the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory. These are complex matters. What I want to do with the States and Territories is move forward on a cooperative basis. Secondly, in the case of the Northern Territory I reiterate, I support the intervention. I've said that before the election. That remains my position after the election. As I said also before the election, we'll review it at the twelve month point and make an assessment of its effectiveness. Therefore, in response to any suggestion that it be applied somewhere, that is a wrong approach, until such time as we've actually concluded our assessment of its effectiveness. My approach therefore, with States and Territories, long term and in the immediate term is to work cooperatively. The other thing I said in Darwin yesterday, and I think in Dili the day before was that during the course of this week I'll be determining through discussions with States and Territories the placement of Indigenous affairs on the COAG agenda for this Thursday in Melbourne and I'll be having those discussions later today and tomorrow with State and Territory colleagues.
ends