PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning ladies and gentlemen, I'd like to welcome you to this news conference on a very sad morning indeed.
First, can I on behalf of all Australians extend my condolences and my respects in relation to the death of His Holiness the Pope. This great man who has led the Catholic Church for 26 years, who has been a pillar of strength as well as a provider of great compassion and in every proper sense of the term an apostle of peace during his pontificate, has been a source of leadership not only to the one billion people worldwide who belong to the Catholic Church, but on most occasions he has also spoken on behalf of all Christians.
He has been a special blend of strength and compassion. He held fast to the central tenets of the Catholic Church. He was an unwavering critic of those who believed that watering down the faith in the face of criticism would win support. He was one of those people who combined his great strength with tremendous compassion. He was a friend to all Christian denominations. He advanced the ecumenical movement, he reached out to Jewish people, to those of the Islamic faith, and was also an inspiration to people of no faith at all. His personal courage was demonstrated when he survived an assassination attempt more than 20 years ago.
He travelled very widely, he visited Australia on two occasions and Australian Catholics and Australians generally remember those visits with very great affection. I personally remember with great warmth my audience with the Pope that I was privileged to have a little over two years ago in Rome, although his health had then begun fade, he retained a lively sense of humour, a fond recollection of Australia and a great capacity, though increasingly physically challenged, to communicate about the affairs of the day.
But there is one other thing that will be remembered of this Pope, and something very important, and that is that he was a person who played a significant role in bringing about the end of Soviet imperialism and Soviet communism in Eastern Europe. He fought the good fight of freedom for his native Poland, he opposed Soviet communism because he believed rightly that it diminished the individual and suppressed the spiritual content of man's being. It was his commitment to the dignity of the individual and the essential spirituality of man that was the source of his opposition to Soviet communism and history will always remember favourably the role he played in supporting the solidarity movement in Poland which led of course to the liberation of that country and was so instrumental in bringing about the end of Soviet imperialism.
I know that all Australians will want me to express at this time a particular sense of sympathy and solidarity with the Australian Catholic community. They have lost a great spiritual leader and may he rest in peace.
The morning of course is made particularly sad by the tragic news of the death of nine young Australians in a helicopter crash on the island of Nias in Indonesia. This terrible tragedy is quite heartbreaking. The life of every man and woman in the Australian Defence Forces is very precious to me and I know to all Australians. And to learn that nine young people have lost their lives doing good, carrying out humanitarian work for the people of Indonesia makes it all the sadder. I want to, on behalf of the nation, as well as for myself and my wife, express our deepest sympathy to the families of those who've died. They died in the service of this country, they died doing good things in the name of this country and they died living out the essential decency and compassion and mateship of the Australian people - so strongly displayed towards the people of Indonesia.
I hope that the two survivors fully recover. They are receiving the very best of attention that can be made available on HMAS Kanimbla and clearly if further arrangements need to be made in relation to their care then that will take place.
I spoke last night to the Chief of the Defence Force, General Peter Cosgrove, who communicated some details of this tragic accident to me and I know that he's addressed the media this morning. The mission of mercy, the mission of help in Indonesia will go on. It's important that Australia continue to carry out its humanitarian role in Indonesia. I know that that is what the men and women on the Kanimbla would want to occur and I know that that is what the Australian people would want to occur and I believe it is what those who have lost their lives would want to be the case. We should feel a particular sense of concern and sympathy for the ship's company on HMAS Kanimbla, having worked so closely with those who've lost their lives they will feel this tragedy very especially indeed.
This morning just before nine o'clock President Yudhoyono of Indonesia telephoned me to express his shock and sadness at the loss of the nine lives through the helicopter crash. He was boarding his plane to come to Australia. He said that he had instructed the Indonesian military to provide all necessary assistance in relation to those who have been killed and I know that he shares the sense of loss and grief at this very tragic incident and I thanked him for his expression of condolence on behalf of the Indonesian people.
This accident, this tragedy, this heartbreaking loss of nine young lives is a reminder to all of us again that there are dangers in military service, although this was a peacetime activity, although this was a humanitarian mission, a mercy mission, an Army, Navy and Air Force doing good in the name of Australia, it was not without danger. And it is a moment of particular sadness and grief that these nine fine young Australians have lost their lives on a mercy mission in the name of our country and I again express to their loved ones our sadness and our sorrow as they grapple with this terrible and unexpected loss.
Any questions?
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Alison Langdon from Channel Nine, what happens from here, will the families be flown to Indonesia, will the injured be...
PRIME MINISTER:
No, the arrangements, and they are still unfolding, the arrangements as I understand them are that the remains will be brought back to Australia as soon as possible and there will need to be some kind of coronial investigation carried out in Australia. There are procedures to be followed in Indonesia. My current advice is that the earliest that the bodies can be brought back to Australia will be on Tuesday, perhaps a little later, but when General Cosgrove and the military authorities are in a position to say more about that they will.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Prime Minister, how does this affect the mission, in particular the Kanimbla's role?
PRIME MINISTER:
The Kanimbla will continue with the mission, the mission will go on. The Kanimbla will continue to provide the relief assistance. It is important that it be maintained because the humanitarian task remains. Sad though the loss of these nine lives is it's important that we continue to provide this relief work to the people of Indonesia who have suffered so much through natural events in the past few months.
JOURNALIST:
The crash is under investigation but can you tell us any more about it?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I can't tell you any more than what you already know from news reports. There will be a proper military investigation and that investigation will reveal presumably what the cause of the accident was. I've been told the weather was quite good. I know of nothing to suggest it was other than an accident but I'm no better informed on that than you are and the proper thing to do is for a proper military investigation to be carried out, and I'm sure that will be.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, are you reviewing other Sea King.....?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
Are you reviewing other Sea King helicopters?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it's too early to say whether we're going to review other defence assets as a result of this. I imagine that what always happens in these situations is that if there should be reviews carried out they will be but there's nothing to suggest that there's anything wrong with the other Sea King's and it would be wrong, inaccurate and foolish for that view to get around.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, particularly tragic because this company had been so close to returning home?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, I feel that very keenly. I am very conscious of the fact that it was steaming, it had some leave in Singapore and it was on the way home and it was asked to turn around and go back and I am particularly conscious of that, they were asked to do that and they carried out their instructions, as they do, and they were doing it in our name and I am very, very sad indeed, it's a very heartbreaking accident this, to have nine young people wiped out doing good for this country, I think it's terrible, I am very, very upset about it.
JOURNALIST:
When can you expect to know who was involved in the crash?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is a matter for the military, it's always important in these situations that all of the next of kin be fully notified as to exactly where that is at this stage. I understand generally they have been but you'd have to talk to the military to be sure of that and the right thing to do is for everybody to be notified before the names are made known.
JOURNALIST:
What do you know of morale onboard, what has General Cosgrove told you?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon?
JOURNALIST:
What do you know of morale?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well they're very upset but their morale is strong because they are well trained professional men and women. They will go on with their task but they're sad, there are reports that many of them cried and I'm not surprised at that, we all would have done so in the same circumstances. It's a terrible thing, you work cheek by jowl with people, you cooperate, you're part of a team, you feel proud of the work you've done and then out of the blue a tragedy like this strikes. It's pretty tough and it will be a real challenge. But I have no doubt that they will do their job and do it well and make us even prouder than we are now of the work they're doing in our name.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any plans to visit the Kanimbla, to go up to the region?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think the important thing is to see what arrangements are made for the return of the people, the remains and we'll see what happens after that.
JOURNALIST:
Do we know what's happening with the two injured personnel?
PRIME MINISTER:
With the which?
JOURNALIST:
The two injured?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is something I don't know yet. They are being treated on the Kanimbla and I imagine that if they need to be brought back to Australia for better and further treatment that will happen. But I will take the advice of the medical people and the military on that, that's a matter for them to decide. Whatever is needed to make sure that they are given the best possibility of a full recovery will be provided.
Thank you.
[ends]