PRIME MINISTER:
Well good morning, I just wanted to say that today, although the meeting is a short one, it's a very important one not only for its symbolism but also for its substance because it will bring together for the first time, 16 countries of the East Asian region. We will have an opportunity to talk necessarily in general terms about the major issues confronting the region, economic growth, I will be emphasising the crucial importance of the Doha trade round and encouraging my fellow Heads of Government to express strong views on the need to achieve progress on that front, I dare say terrorism, and the potential impact of a flu pandemic will also figure in the discussions.
JOURNALIST:
Would you like to see Russia become a permanent member of the East Asia Summit?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think what we should try and do is settle in the existing architecture.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister the Malaysian Prime Minister has been saying that the region really needs to talk to China and Japan, that the China and Japan problems are really starting to impact on the region. Do you see that this sort of gathering could actually help get some sort of relaxation between the two super powers?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the very fact that China and Japan are both here is a very good thing and I have no doubt that in the margins there will be contact between the two leaders. We have to be wary of seeing a body like this or allowing a body like this to emerge as some kind of grand adjudicator on relations between individual countries. One of the features of ASEAN and one of the features of other regional groupings has been a desire of individual countries to avoid interference in their domestic affairs and that should therefore apply to large countries as well as small countries.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister do you think your endorsement of APEC yesterday will go down very well with the group of countries who seem to think that APEC has lost its way and particularly India our new partner in this group (inaudible) APEC is relevant?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I said what I believed and that's what I do in these things, you don't shop around for an anticipated reaction and then work out what you are going to say accordingly. I believe APEC is the premier body, I say that without in any way lacking respect for India's role in the region. I will be paying a bilateral visit to India next year, I have already had a brief in the margins discussion with the Indian Prime Minister but self-evidently APEC is the premier body and its great advantage is that it does bring the United States to this region, it does bring the countries of South America to this region and therefore it is the premier body. But it doesn't mean other groupings are unimportant, I think we make a terrible mistake indulging in comparative regional architecture. Sure APEC is the premier body because it brings all these countries into the region and that's important, I mean who can deny the importance of the security role of the United States in this region. But we can have different manifestations, this is the fourth regional, this is the fourth meeting, dear me architecture under threat, this is the fourth multilateral gathering I have been to in two months and CHOGM of course was in Malta but we've got the Pacific Forum, I've got APEC and now I've got this, they're all important and they all have a role to play.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister back home Ian Macfarlane has suggested that Robert Gerard could have been sort of more forthcoming about his tax affairs with the Treasurer, are you surprised that the Reserve Bank Governor said that about Robert Gerard?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I hadn't heard of that, I think you better leave comment on that to the Treasurer, I don't know the background of it.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, police in Cronulla locked down suburbs last night and it seems to have been a quieter night. How confident are you that the violence has passed now and what lessons if any, are there for governments of all levels in Australia from this whole incident?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Karen I hope that things are settling down but I don't want to jump to conclusions about that. When they have settled down will be a time for people to think about the reasons why it occurred. We should never lose sight of the fact that primarily what happened was that a group of people broke the law, a group of people broke the law the previous weekend when they assaulted two lifesavers. People break the law whenever they harass individuals in the shopping centres and streets of any part of our country, they break the law when they harass children and parents attending a carol service as apparently occurred the night before last in Lakemba in Sydney. So we have to primarily see these things as breaches of the law and they should be dealt with firmly in that context. As to the longer term explanations or longer term lessons, it's better to settle things down before we start making on the run pronouncements about that. I'll have something to say about that in due course, but now is not the time.
JOURNALIST:
Yesterday the Malaysian Prime Minister showed some understanding towards Australia but has suggested it also shows that extremism isn't peculiar to Muslim countries.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well as I said before I left Australia, incidents like this that don't play well around the world can happen in any country.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, Prime Minister Badawi has apparently spoken about the Sydney troubles yesterday in an address to other leaders, have any leaders raised this with you yet or did they last night mention the incident and if not do you expect they might during the course of today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well it was mentioned informally yes, a few people have just asked about it and we chatted about it over a drink before the dinner.
JOURNALIST:
Do you expect it to colour your visit in any way?
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister could we for the record get your response to the Hicks decision in the UK overnight?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is a matter now between Mr Hicks and the British Government. It's a matter for the British Government to decide what it's going to do. Our view of Mr Hicks has not changed, the evidence is that he trained with Al Qaeda and after the terrorist attack on the 11th September he returned to Afghanistan. Our view has not altered, he cannot be tried in Australia for that behaviour because that behaviour did not represent a criminal offence under the laws of Australia at the time. We remain of the view that we had before this decision and the decision has not altered our view. As to what the British Government does is a matter for the British Government.
JOURNALIST:
Are you making any representations to the British to revoke the decision?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, the British will decide what they are going to do themselves.
JOURNALIST:
So there's been no representation?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look obviously there's been some discussion and some contact but we are not going to be pressing a particular point of view on the British.
[ends]