ELLEN FANNING:
Prime Minister, thank you so much for joining us. You've been reluctant to say that yesterday's riot was a result of race, of racism. If it's not racism, what is it?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I utterly condemn the mob violence that was seen yesterday. It has no justification. No group of Australians, irrespective of their background, has the right to take the law into their own hands. And the very first thing I want to say, is to extend my congratulations and praise to the police, for the outstanding job they did in a very difficult situation. I think the first thing we have to do, is to see this for what it is at this stage, and it is primarily a law and order issue, and what we...
ELLEN FANNING:
But Prime Minister when people look at the vision we've just seen...
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no, I've seen the vision and let me say again, the first thing that has to be done, is to establish law and order, to make it very plain to people who might be minded to do so, that any retaliatory attacks tonight or next weekend will only make the situation worse. The time to try and dissect it and to make grand pronouncements, is after things have calmed down and law and authority has been...
ELLEN FANNING:
At the same time, Prime Minister, there's a lot of Australians...
PRIME MINISTER:
..law and authority has been established. Now, clearly there were things said, there were epithets hurled at people, there was racial abuse used. Clearly, that is quite unacceptable. But I am not going to make the mistake, and I don't think the Australian community should make the mistake, of just accepting some glib assertion that this country has suddenly become very racist. I don't believe Australia is a racist country. The overwhelming majority of Australians accept people, irrespective of their racial background, provided they behave as part of the Australian community. That's always been the Australian way and it always will be the Australian way. We have been one of the most successful countries in the world in absorbing millions of people from around the world and they have peaceably absorbed themselves into the Australian community and we've done it brilliantly, better than most, and it would be a huge mistake if we allow the behaviour of a few to intimidate us into thinking otherwise.
ELLEN FANNING:
Prime Minister, part of what was chilling yesterday was seeing a lot of people in between the violence doing things that you'd see at the cricket, singing "Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, Oi, Oi, Oi", wrapping themselves in the Australian flag. What do you say to people who use the Australian flag in that way?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I would never condemn people for being proud of the Australian flag. I don't care - I would never condemn people for being proud....
ELLEN FANNING:
What if they've got a beer in their hand and a baseball bat in the other?
PRIME MINISTER:
Now hang on. What I condemn is loutish behaviour, criminal behaviour, and what should happen, is, the people who committed crimes yesterday should be caught, if possible, and punished. There were crimes committed yesterday. The punches that were thrown, that attack on the train was absolutely vicious and quite unacceptable and if those people can be caught and prosecuted, then they should be. But once again, we have to see this, at this stage, primarily as a law and order issue and after things have settled down, is the time to try and assess if there are some fundamental causes. I have no doubt that the situation was made worse by too much grog being consumed. I mean it's always an explosive mix. You get a hot day, you get a lot of young people, you get a mob mentality, and it's a very ugly, sickening thing and nobody likes it and it's never acceptable.
ELLEN FANNING:
Prime Minister, we thank you for making time for us tonight.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]