PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, I will be paying an official visit to Singapore tomorrow, I'll meet the Prime Minister, I'll address a meeting of the Australian Chamber of Commerce and I'll also attend a small ceremony at Kranji war cemetery and meet the Minister Mentor and the Senior Minister and I'll also be formally investing the former Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong with an honorary award as a Commander in the Order of Australia and my office will be releasing, if they haven't already done so, details of that visit.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister, will you be raising the issue of Nguyen Tuong Van with the Prime Minister in your meeting to support his plea for clemency?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I will raise that matter. There are compassionate circumstances in that particular case and I'll be putting those compassionate circumstances to the Prime Minister, yes.
JOURNALIST:
What is that case?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well he has co-operated with the authorities and he was, although engaged in a criminal act as found by the courts of Singapore, he was endeavouring to secure financial resources to help a family member and I'll be putting those issues and other matters in the hope that they will be taken into account by the President of Singapore in the final decision that he must make in relation to whether or not the death penalty is carried out.
JOURNALIST:
What impact would it have on the bilateral relationship if the death penalty was carried out?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look I think we have to keep a balance here. I believe there's a very good case for clemency but people must understand that the laws of Singapore are well known and I think we'll leave it at that.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, you mentioned that you will be talking about the region's ongoing response to the tsunami disaster, what do you see as the major challenges for countries like Singapore and Australia in terms of the ongoing relief effort?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think the most important thing is that we've co-operated very closely and I intend to visit Aceh on Wednesday before returning home to Australia to meet the Australians on the ground there, to thank them personally for the tremendous work they're doing in this wonderful humanitarian operation. I think Singapore has shown very great leadership on this issue, very great leadership, and it was in fact an initiative of the Singapore Prime Minister that led to the convening of the Jakarta summit chaired by President Yudhoyono which brought together so many people to deal with the tsunami aftermath.
JOURNALIST:
With the death toll being upwards of 226,000 people has there been any consideration into increasing Australia's aid assistance?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think Australia's aid has been very, very generous and appropriate and I don't think anybody is suggesting that we have been anything other than very strong and up there with everybody else in fact, I think Australia's contribution to this terrible tragedy has been very praiseworthy indeed and has attracted very strong praise and support all around the world.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, is there an element of fact finding about your visit to Aceh in terms of seeing the operations on the ground and perhaps revising what's happening there, or is it merely just to...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well all the information I have suggests that it is proceeding very smoothly. Obviously I'll have my ears open, ears and eyes open and trying to make my own assessment. But all the indications I have is that the Australians are doing a wonderful job, there's great co-operation with the Indonesian military, we are guests in that country and that should be understood and there's terrific co-operation with the aid organisations but obviously it will be an opportunity for me on the ground.
JOURNALIST:
It's only early but have you been pleased with the voter turnout in Iraq at the polls?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I think the indications are that the voter turn out has been higher than people expected and that is a tremendous tribute to the people of Iraq and I want to pay my personal tribute to these courageous men and women who have risked their lives to participate in democracy, we take it for granted in our country but just imagine what the experience must be to savour for the first time for virtually all of them the opportunity to participate in a democratic exercise, it is throwing in the teeth of the terrorists a demonstration of courage and commitment to democracy which I find quite heart-warming and admirable in every sense of the word.
JOURNALIST:
What's your reaction to Mr Beazley's suggestion that now might be a good time to timetable withdrawing the Australian troops there?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think there's any sense in timetabling the withdrawal of Australian troops. I think any indication at the present time that countries are wanting to leave before the job is completed will give comfort to the murderers and the terrorists. We will keep our forces there while they have a job to do, all the information I have as of now is that they do have a job to do, a very important job to do, including the training of the Iraqi army and the Iraqi police, that will become an even more important issue as time goes by as more and more responsibility is assumed by the locals. This is not the time to be talking about withdrawal, this is to the time to be providing encouragement and reassurance and saying to the people of Iraq we are with you in this great embrace of democracy.
And while I'm on the issue of Iraq could I express my sorrow at the death of Flight Lieutenant Paul Pardoel who whilst serving with the Royal Air Force in Iraq has lost his life, he was of course formerly an officer in the Royal Australian Air Force, he's a duel Australian British citizen and I extend to his parents, who live in Victoria, and to his wife and other members of his family, as I do to the relatives of all of the British personnel who died in this tragic incident, my personal sympathy and that of the Australian people.
Thank you.
[ends]