PRICE:
Thanks for joining us again.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning Steve.
PRICE:
Been quite a morning for you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes indeed, oh well it's part of day's work. This is a difficult issue but what the Government has decided to do is in our longer term interests. I understand some don't agree, I respect that, but we are living in a different world and if ever the twin evils of international terrorism and weapons of mass destruction come together then that spells danger for every Western country and Australia is no exception and it's just tremendously important that countries like Iraq are not allowed to retain chemical and biological weapons, if they do others will think they can do the same and the more countries that have them, the greater is the likelihood that they will come into the hands of international terrorists.
PRICE:
It would be better if the Greenpeace activists didn't actually chain themselves to your front gate though, I mean there's other ways to protest isn't there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the Australian public will make a judgement on that. They will.
PRICE:
How did you feel yesterday when you saw 'No War' on the sails of the Opera House?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think most Australians, I'm more interested in their views, I think most Australians would see that as nothing more than a stunt. It doesn't add to the strength of the argument against what the Government has decided. Nobody likes war, I mean I'm a no war man too, we all are. Everybody hates war. People who criticise what I'm doing think they have a moral monopoly on a detestation of military conflict. But what is the alternative? The alternative put forward by the French and put forward by Mr Crean is that a quarter of a million American and British troops remain in the Gulf region indefinitely, now that is unrealistic, you can't keep an army of that size in those conditions indefinitely. And that essentially is what they're arguing and they're perfectly happy, the French are perfectly happy for the British and the Americans to do it but they're, they reserve the right and the luxury to continue to criticise the Americans and the British from some kind of moral parapet. I mean it really is an exercise in hypocrisy. The Americans and the British have done the heavy lifting, with persistence from us, and also I might say in different ways a growing list of other countries.
PRICE:
I'll just play this grab for you, this audio grab of Greens Leader Bob Brown, very disappointing quote from him this morning.
BROWN:
I think any peaceful protest is valid in a time of extreme mismanagement of this nation by a Prime Minister who has sent 2,000 people off to face death in the sands of Iraq. It must be kept peaceful.
PRICE:
2,000 people sent off to their death in the sands of Iraq.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think that kind of remark will be greeted with contempt, even by many people who disagree with the decision that we have taken.
PRICE:
I mean that just flies straight in the face of what you asked us to do yesterday.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the last thing people should be doing at this time is to say anything that will in any way add to the natural sense of anxiety of the relatives of forces who are in the Gulf. I said yesterday if people have a complaint, if people have a protest, if people have a beef then it should be directed to me.
PRICE:
... one of the parents of one of the kids today.
PRIME MINISTER:
Exactly, I mean that was just a self-indulgent, insensitive comment which speaks very poorly of the person who uttered it. I mean by all means attack me, I accept that, I've taken the decision, my Cabinet colleagues and I have taken the decision. And I accept full responsibility for the decision. But in the name of reason and fairness don't say things that will add to the anxiety of the relatives and friends of servicemen and women, don't say anything that's critical of them. Let us all admire them and respect them and support them.
PRICE:
And we hope like hell not one person...
PRIME MINISTER:
Exactly. But to start talking in that way is just outrageous.
PRICE:
Now your critics want to ignore this but I thought I'd tell you anyway. There were two phone polls conducted across Australia yesterday on radio talkback programmes, one on John Laws programme where extraordinarily in three hours he got 10,000 calls and one on Neil Mitchell's programme in Melbourne where he got 3,600 calls. The poll yesterday on Lawsie's programme, 87 per cent were supportive of what you were doing and 13 per cent against. And in Melbourne it was 88 per cent and 12. Critics will say that's the talkback audience but, particularly in the case of John Laws programme, that's the Australian audience isn't it?
PRIME MINISTER:
I always find when people say oh it's just a talkback audience as though there is something inferior about people who are either involved in talkback or call into talkback. I think it's a rather patronising, elitist way of responding. Now phone polls are not necessarily reliable guides, I'm not being critical of them, they're not necessarily, but I'm interested and if that is in some way reflective of the change of public opinion, well obviously that would be reassuring to the Government. We haven't been poll driven on this, I don't think anybody could accuse me of being poll driven on this issue, we're driven by what we believe to be the right situation. And I hope over time the Australian people grow in their support for what the Government is doing.
PRICE:
I know you want to be cautious about operational matters and I know you won't go anywhere near them even if I ask about them, but you're addressing the country at 7.30 tomorrow night, would it be wrong of me to read into that that at 7.30 tomorrow night we won't be engaged in military conflict?
PRIME MINISTER:
I can't comment on that.
PRICE:
When will the Australian people find out exactly what the Australian forces are doing and how will we find out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well there are certain things that for reasons of security and the nature of their operations that we may never be able to disclose, particularly in relation to the special forces. What we intend to in relation to operations is to have regular briefings by the military, not by the Ministers or by me, I have a very strong view that when it comes to these operational matters it's far better that the briefings be done by the Defence people, just as in relation to the Bali investigation I got the Federal Police to do all the briefings. They are operational things and I think it gives a great authenticity to it. And in any event they understand these things far better than I do, I'm not a military person and once we are in a position to do so we're going to start regular briefings by the military here in Canberra and of course there'll be other comments made by me and other Ministers as time goes by. But the actual details of operational things will be given by the military spokesman as well in the case, I gather, of the Americans and the British and this is the best way of doing it. But until we're in a position to say something, and I made it clear yesterday that once we committed then it was an operational matter if and when things commenced and as soon as we're able to say things and to keep the public well informed we will. I want as much information given to the public consistent with the total security and safety of the men and women and consistent with the success and the objectives of the operation. Consistent only with that I would want as much information made available as humanly possible.
PRICE:
US has moved to code orange, their second highest security alert, we don't have such a system. Is Australia in a heightened security alert mode at the moment?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well as of now we haven't received any intelligence suggesting that we should move to a higher level of alert. I mean we are on a heightened level of alert since the 11th of September and then there was a generic terrorist warning given late last year. But as a result of actions in recent days and decisions taken in recent days we haven't got any intelligence suggesting that we should go to a still higher level. We have of course tightened our travel warnings in relation to travel to Middle Eastern countries and they've been fully advised and advertised by the Department of Foreign Affairs and by the Foreign Minister. If things change then obviously we'll let the Australian public know.
PRICE:
Would you expect to be in constant contact with George Bush? How does that work, does he open up a line of communication?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we will talk as necessary. From day to day there's not necessarily a reason to talk because once operations start it really is very much in the hands of the military and it's for them to call the shots so to speak.
PRICE:
Have you been surprised by the reaction about the UK with Tony Blair, I mean do you feel a bit sorry for Tony Blair?
PRIME MINISTER:
I admire Tony Blair, I think Tony Blair has been so courageous, he believes this, he's been tenacious and I wish him well. His vote's coming on very soon and I hope not only that he gets the support of the House of Commons, which he obviously will, I hope he gets it with the support of a majority of the people in his governing Labour Party. Now I don't normally talk so approvingly of Labour Party Leaders but let us give credit where it is due. This man has been incredibly courageous and committed and I salute a very strong Labour leader.
PRICE:
George Bush asked Saddam Hussein and his sons to get out of the country, it would appear they're not going to now do that, they're going to ignore that advise. What should then happen for Saddam Hussein once this operation comes to an conclusion?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't want to divert attention from the main game by sort of easy comments. He may flee the country. Want I want to see is the military operation conducted speedily with a minimum number of causalities, particularly civilian casualties but also military causalities. I mean a life is precious to everybody, to somebody, and therefore to all of us. I think you've also got to remember that the suffering of the Iraqi people will be a lot less once this regime has gone and we hear a lot about innocent civilian causalities and that's understandable because people have a reason to be concerned about that. But let us remember the scale of the loss of life that's been inflicted on the Iraq people and others by this regime. We're not dealing here with just an ordinary brutal dictator, we're dealing here with somebody who in the words of one of the United Nations most respected rapporteurs on torture has a regime that is comparable to the most odious since World War II. I mean you've really got to put it in that kind of category.
PRICE:
I know you've got to go, can you just leave us with a message for the friends and relatives of our troops that are there?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well to them can I say the whole country admires you, whatever our views may be about the political issues at stake. We admire your professionalism and your courage. We think of you constantly, you're very much in our thoughts and prayers as are your loved ones back in Australia. And to them I say we try to understand your sense of anxiety, we deeply admire the courage of your loved ones in the Gulf region and we'll do all we can to support and help you during this time of very great anxiety.
PRICE:
And might I say it's great to see that not even Greenpeace could stop you having your morning walk.
PRIME MINISTER:
Certainly not.
PRICE:
Thank you for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]