PRIME MINISTER:
Well could I just start by saying on behalf of the Federal Government how delighted I am that the World Youth Day of 2008 will be held in Sydney. I congratulate Cardinal Pell on the successful bid that he gave at Cologne on behalf of the Catholic community in Australia. This will be a great event for Australia and a great event for Sydney. It will be an enormous spiritual gathering of young people from all around the world and it will be once again an opportunity for this country to showcase its openness, its friendship and the warmth of the reception the visitors receive whenever they come to Australia. And I know that all Australians will welcome a visit to this country by His Holiness Pope Benedict. It will be his first visit as Pope to Australia and I know that not only Catholics in Australia, but all Australians will look forward to that visit in 2008 most warmly.
Do you have any questions?
JOURNALIST:
Will you be welcoming the Pope or addressing the conference as Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Another one of those very tricky questions you journalists ask. He will be welcomed by the leadership of the Catholic Church and by the Prime Minister of Australia and the Premier of New South Wales.
JOURNALIST:
How did you come up with the guest list of Muslim leaders and what's your response to the concern out there that people believe the group isn't representative?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think the community shares that view. I think the community agrees with me that you don't give a platform to extremists. If I had invited extremists tomorrow, they would dominate the doorstops, they would make their extreme remarks. That would swamp the media coverage of the event and it would undermine the good work of the leaders of 99 per cent of the Muslim community in Australia who are trying to do the right thing, are trying to work with their fellow Australians and don't want prominence given to extremists.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] tomorrow's summit? There are reports to that effect.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the list was just compiled and it wasn't compiled with a regard to whether they were men or women.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] as far as you're aware?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well whoever has been invited, they are invited according to the positions they hold. You don't invite people according to their gender.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister do you have views that extremists maybe frustrates the aims of the conference?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't think extremists will frustrate the aims of the conference and the purpose of this meeting is to underline to the leadership of the Muslim community that it has responsibilities. That a common thread which has run through extremist attacks and a common thread that has run through extremist declarations has been the use of a perverted interpretation of Islam to justify the attacks and to justify the behaviour. It is therefore very clear that a particular responsibility falls upon the leadership of the Islamic community to make it constantly clear that a proper observance and understanding of Islam rejects totally resort to violence, resort to terrorism and resort to the sort of behaviour that's brought so much concern to all of us. That's why it's important for me to talk to these leaders, but it's also why it's important for the entire community to see this as a community-wide challenge and for us to work together as Australians in order to fight the problem.
JOURNALIST:
What propositions will you be putting to the leaders?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'll be putting to them the need for them to assume positions of leadership and responsibility within their own community. I'll be reminding them as I remind all Australians that our common values as Australians transcend any other allegiances or commitments that we have. And I'll be talking in practical ways about how those goals might be advanced.
JOURNALIST:
And could you tell us a little bit about some of those practical ways?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think I ought to tell them first, as a matter of courtesy.
Thank you.
[ends]