PM: Well good morning. This is the first major economies meeting at Heads of Government level. And, the first G8 outreach meeting attended by Australia.
This major economies meeting, at Heads of Government level, on climate change, is the first to be held. And, this G8 outreach meeting is the first that Australia will attend.
The agenda for this meeting will cover three major areas. Climate change, it will also cover food security, and it will cover energy security.
On the question of climate change, I will be engaging world leaders on the need for us to all achieve real progress on the post-Kyoto road map. This is critical for the planet, and critical for Australia.
We are the world's hottest and driest continent already. And therefore, we run the risk of being hit earliest and hardest when it comes to climate change.
Looking to this meeting, I doubt that this meeting will achieve major breakthroughs. But it is important to use this meeting to help fashion a consensus on the need for us all to act together on climate change because of all our economic and environment interests are at stake.
On the question of energy security, I will be arguing that we need, as a world community, to address the challenges facing global energy production and supply and refining capability.
Furthermore, on the question of food security, we have a huge challenge on our hands right now. And that is to achieve a major breakthrough at the World Trade Organisation Doha round of negotiations. A ministerial meeting is due later this month. We must achieve a breakthrough there. Not only important for the global economy, important also for long term global food security.
Therefore, on these three big agendas, climate change and acting on global energy security and food security, I look forward to engaging world leaders on these critical subjects, not just for the planets future, but for Australia's future as well.
And I conclude where I began. This is the first major economies meeting at Heads of Government level on climate change, and the first time Australia will be attending a G8 outreach meeting. And myself and the Minister for Climate Change Penny Wong look forward very much to participating and putting Australia's case.
Over to you.
JOURNALIST: Brendan Nelson wanted you to take a blow torch to the G8. Can you do that?
PM: The G8 outreach meeting will deal with food security and energy security. The argument that I'll be putting is the need for the major economies of the world to engage with the major oil producing countries of the world to deal with the huge challenge of global oil production, oil supply, and the problems in refining capacity.
A practical challenge already pointed to at a meeting held recently in Saudi Arabia was the inadequacy of open investment arrangements with the major oil producing companies. Therefore, we have to deal with these supply questions, these investment deficiencies, and these refining deficiencies if we are to deal with the overall challenge of global oil supply.
JOURNALIST: Dr Nelson also spoke about yesterday the danger of Australia moving before the rest of the countries in terms of an ETS scheme. If the other countries don't play ball, would that have the potential to knock our plans back?
PM: You know, Australia is the world's hottest and driest continent, and therefore we run the real risk of being hit hardest and earliest if we do not achieve global progress on climate change. That is a real problem for Australia.
Secondly, when it comes to the rest of the world, remember 27 states in Europe are already operating with a carbon reduction trading scheme. More than 10 states of the United States are already operating with a carbon reduction scheme. Japan, where we are going, is currently debating the introduction of a carbon reduction scheme.
The rest of the world is moving. We must move with the rest of the world because our interests are so acute. If we are already the world's hottest and driest continent, we run the real risk of being hit hardest and earliest.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd are you concerned at the cover up allegations levelled at George Pell in regards to a sexual abuse case?
PM: I understand that the Catholic Church has issued a statement on this last night dealing with these matters.
JOURNALIST: (Inaudible)
PM: Our ambition remains clear, our intention remains clear, our plan remains clear, consistent with what we said in the lead up to the last election which is to have this new carbon pollution reduction scheme in place in 2010. And as I have said before, we will be very mindful of the implementation responsibilities which flow to business in particular on that. And that's why we are going through a green paper, white paper process.
JOURNALIST: What would be the optimum outcome for Australia from the Summit? (Inaudible)
PM: As a group of nations, as I have said, this major economies meeting is the first to be held at heads of government level on climate change. These major economies represent 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions.
There are 16 of us around the table. And these economies represent 80 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. The challenge for us is to use this meeting to push the global negotiating agenda forward on the post Kyoto road map on climate change.
There are negotiations currently being engaged in at a ministerial level where Senator Wong, the Minister for Climate Change is Australia's representative.
That began in Bali just after this government was elected. It goes to Poland at the end of this year and Copenhagen is intended to be the concluding point at the end of 2009.
Therefore, we have got to work hard as world leaders at this meeting to provide as much momentum as possible for those negotiations. But I repeat what I said before, it is unrealistic to expect a dramatic breakthrough at this meeting.
But the objective is to push the global consensus further in this direction. If we fail, I go back to what I said before. In Australia, we are the world's hottest and driest continent and If we fail to achieve progress nationally and internationally, we run the risk of being hit hardest and earliest.
JOURNALIST: (inaudible) Art Monthly, says she is offended by your comments. Is she too young to know the real issues here?
PM: As I said the other day. My attitude to this has not changed one bit. And that is, the protection of children and the innocence of children is of fundamental importance. Secondly, if people want to make a political point in opposition to me, I don't think it is right they use under age children to make that point.
They can engage the political debate as much as they want, it is a free country. But when it comes to the protection of children, I say that should be a foremost responsibility for each of us and I add this: How can you credibly expect a six year old girl to have made their own independent decision about this matter in the beginning.
I go back to my point, we have a view about what constitutes, you know, a responsible time for people to take decisions for themselves. Children, I don't think fit within that category. We have got to board a plane. Last one.
JOURNALIST: On world youth day, how embarrassing would it be for Australia if the unions carry through on their threat to disrupt?
PM: Can I say that leaving aside the legalities of industrial action. I think it is very important for Australia, all Australians, including this trade union, to treat the visit of his holiness the Pope with appropriate respect.
He is a welcome guest in Australia, Australia is honoured to have the holy father with us. And all Australians, including those in this particular union, I believe should treat him with respect.