PRIME MINISTER:
Well since we last met I';ve had a bilateral meeting with President Megawati which was very positive, we both agreed that the bilateral relationship continued to grow stronger and better. I thanked her for the facilitation that had been extended to me and other Australians who visited Bali last weekend and I again told her that I fully understood the reasons for her not coming and that her senior co-ordinating Minister Bambang Yudhoyono had very strongly and effectively expressed the feelings and views of the Indonesian Government. We talked about the agenda for the APEC meeting, we both agreed that it was important that the Leaders'; declaration contain a strong statement on agriculture subsidies, an area where both Australia and Indonesia have similar views and we talked again about the importance of co-operation between our two countries in relation to terrorism and the Foreign Minister Hussan Wirayuda again mentioned the upcoming meeting on anti-terrorism in Bali which is to be held early next year as a further evidence of the co-operation between our two countries, as indeed is the ongoing co-operation and exchange between the police and the intelligence services as witnessed by the trilateral meeting in Jakarta where Australia was represented by Dennis Richardson and the Commissioner of Federal Police Mick Keelty and their counterparts from both Indonesia and Singapore attended.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, did you discuss any specific new initiatives in relation to regional terrorism?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, not this morning no, we still have a lot that are sort coming out of the earlier discussions.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, (inaudible) President Megawati that you understood why she didn';t come to Bali, did she offer again her explanation or any…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well she had already fully explained that, I fully accept the reasons why she didn';t come, it was never a problem as far as I was concerned, I understood fully the cultural sensitivities and I respected that and I never imagined that she would come for that reason and it';s just not an issue with me at all.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, what did you make of Go Chok Tong saying yesterday that Australia would have to be 50 per cent non-white to be accepted in the region.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I didn';t see that.
JOURNALIST:
Well did you talk about it at dinner last night?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I didn';t even know he';d said it, did he? Not in the Australian papers.
JOURNALIST:
He said that (inaudible) without mentioning…
PRIME MINISTER:
Was he being a commentator or a declarant?
JOURNALIST:
Or a jokester?
JOURNALIST:
Well I think he';s being a declarant actually, he';s seriously making the point…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven';t seen it, all I can say is that Australia will never define its place in any part of the world other than to behave as we are and that is as Australians. Australia will always deport itself in this region and around the world, not according to any divertive status or any ethnic composition but purely as an independent Australian nation.
JOURNALIST:
Do you believe it would make it easier for Australia if it did have a higher ethnic…
PRIME MINISTER:
Look can I tell you I am simply not going to get into that, we have a non-discriminatory immigration policy and the idea of having particular targets of different groups with different ethnic backgrounds is absurd, we are a very tolerant country when it comes to immigration, I have reaffirmed on countless occasions the fact that…
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister…
PRIME MINISTER:
Just a moment, reaffirmed on countless occasions that we have a non-discriminatory immigration policy and the idea that we should have our immigration policy determined by the declarations of anybody is ridiculous.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) a short time ago that Australia does have to do much more work on its image within the region, is that something that…
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no, it didn';t come up. I think Australia';s image in the region is very good, the fact that we';ve been able to conclude in virtually record time a Free Trade Agreement with Thailand, the fact that we will be hosting the President of the largest country in the region by far on one of his very first overseas visits, the fact that we have a Free Trade Agreement with Singapore, all of those things taken together mean that Australia has a very strong respected position in the region. But in the end our position is something that we have to as a nation feel comfortable and proud of, we don';t seek some kind of rating from anybody as far as our position in the region is concerned.
JOURNALIST:
Why do you think Prime Minister (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think there';s an over-preoccupation on the part of some people in our own country on what others in this region say of us rather than the way in which others in this region act towards us, it';s a bit like free trade agreements Glenn, you can have all the rhetorical flummery in the world but it';s what you actually deliver and I would just ask people to look at our outcomes, I mean here you are getting into a bit of a frenzy about some remarks yet we';ve just signed a deal that according to the Melbourne Age, and who am I to argue with the Melbourne Age, is worth about $3 billion in trade gains. I mean what';s more important, come on let';s get real.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I hope that the language of the declaration, the Leader';s statement you call it, the statement or declaration, the thing that comes out tomorrow…
JOURNALIST:
Communiqu‚.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think actually they call it a declaration but we all know what we';re talking about, I hope the language in that is very strong.
JOURNALIST:
What message do you have (inaudible) say these things…
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t know…
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well you should go and ask him, okay? Let';s strike a deal on that.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, how do you characterise the visits of Mr Bush and President Hu to Australia (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they are, the visits are of great practical as well as symbolic importance to Australia, our relationship with the United States from a defence, strategic common values point of view is well known and well understood and there is no relationship that is deeper in relation to those things. But the visit by the Chinese President coming as it does the day after, I mean that';s just a neat piece of symbolism but whether they are a day after or a week after or six months between it wouldn';t alter the fact that China is of growing importance to Australia, I have worked very hard since I';ve been Prime Minister to build a relationship with China and I think if you look back over the last seven and a half years I can point to a lot of practical outcomes, a lot of achievements, in our dealings with the Chinese we have avoided rhetorical flummery and we';ve really focused on outcomes, we';re actually achieving some things, not only in trade but the people to people links, the fact that we have a more pragmatic approach to the human rights dialogue rather than joining in the passage of resolutions that have no impact at all on what the Chinese do, we have in fact established a dialogue, we are providing practical assistance in relation to issues of governance, we have sent people from our federal government departments to help in relation to the bureaucratic structures of China. It';s a very important relationship for our country but it';s not one that I have spoilt, that';s for others to judge, it';s not one that I have sought to describe by excessive language and particular categorisations, I';ve avoided that because I think those sorts of descriptions such as special relationship can raise undue expectations and I think they can do more harm than good.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, will you resume efforts to get a seat at the ASEAN leaders'; summit?
PRIME MINISTER:
I am not really in any great hurry about that, I never have been, I prefer once again to focus on practical outcomes. Getting a seat at a summit is of itself, it doesn';t deliver anything, as far as our relations with Malaysia after Dr Mahathir is gone, well I don';t expect them to change dramatically in the short term and I won';t be seeking to be knocking on the door the day after there';s been a change in prime ministership, I don';t intend to deport our country in that way, let us see what happens, the people to people relationship between Australia and Malaysia is very strong, I know the new Prime Minister, I';ve met him, Abdullah Badawi, I know him quite well but I don';t expect there to be any dramatic change at the top and I wouldn';t be behaving as if I did but over time there could be, let';s wait and see.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minster, how optimistic are you that China will agree to a scoping study into a Free Trade Agreement?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think we';ll just wait and see, the President will be in Australia later this week and we always work, we';re always at work, we never rest, and if there are any opportunities we seek to take them and then if we achieve outcomes then we talk about those outcomes and we avoid rhetorical flummery.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, the Philippines have claimed to have arrested the third most senior member of JI …
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven';t heard that, you';re ahead of me.
JOURNALIST:
It';s in the papers today.
PRIME MINISTER:
Is it? Which paper?
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';m sorry I must confess I haven';t seen it.
JOURNALIST:
Well I was going to ask you about (inaudible)…
PRIME MINISTER:
Come on, it';s not a time for frivolity.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, any further word on the alleged Taliban general?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I understand his name';s not Montgomery, that';s the only further word I have.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don';t think it';s Patten or Alexander either. I can';t give you any further information at this time, no I don';t. Anything else? Yes Patrick then Michael then we finish.
JOURNALIST:
Did you discuss with Megawati the question of broadening APEC';s agenda to embrace security?
PRIME MINISTER:
It';s general, I expressed the view to her that terrorism is something that had to be discussed by APEC and had to be part of it and we both agreed that terrorism can have an economic impact on a country and Indonesia is a very good illustration of that and most particularly Bali.
JOURNALIST:
She didn';t express any sort of reservations?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, she did not, no she didn';t.
JOURNALIST:
Just on that, how good a message are you hoping world leaders will send (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would expect and hope it';ll be very strong, yes. But once again it';s what you do that counts, I mean you can make declarations and I';m sure there';ll be a strong declaration but it';s the action and I believe that the co-operation that as far as Australia is concerned the co-operation that';s arisen between Australia and Indonesia and Malaysia and Singapore, but particularly between Australia and Indonesia in the last year has been more important than any ringing declarations because we';ve actually done things.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';d guess you could always do more but I think the level of co-operation between the intelligence agencies and the police is so important, and I';ve said repeatedly that the war against terrorism will be won as much if not more through intelligence and police co-operation as it will for other actions and that';s very true of our part of the world, the arrest obviously of people like Hambali, very important, I had the opportunity yesterday of personally thanking the Thai general who put the handcuffs on him and he';s justly proud of the role that he played in Hambali';s capture.
Thank you.
[ends]