JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, when were you first briefed on the allegations made in the 2000 cable detailing the Canadian claims?
PRIME MINISTER:
There has been a check made in my office and it doesn't indicate that that cable, and I get hundreds, indeed thousands of cables a week, was ever brought to my attention and that is my recollection. But in a sense that is irrelevant, the Government is fixed with knowledge of that cable so that is the reality, but the cable is a part of series of cables which clearly shows that what happened was; a concern was raised, that concern was communicated to AWB, the allegation was denied, AWB was required to provide some contracts to the United Nations and the United Nations said that the provision of those contracts removed the misperceptions, end of story. That is the reality of what happened then and it doesn't alter in anyway the position that my Government has taken.
JOURNALIST:
Both ONA and your Department were also informed; Max Moore-Wilton and Kim Jones. Are you disappointed that someone in your office, or department, or ONA at least would have thought it appropriate, at least tell you of these claims.
PRIME MINISTER:
No I am not because there are hundreds, if not thousands of cables that get copied into Minster's offices, including my office every week.
JOURNALIST:
(Inaudible)
PRIME MINISTER:
What had happened with this was that the issue was dealt with and there was no reason because it had been dealt with and the concerns had been answered at a bureaucratic level, there was absolutely no need to bring it to my attention. You cannot run a Government on the basis that every time there is some kind of query it is brought to the Prime Minister's attention. Judgements are made at a bureaucratic and an office level as to what should be made available to me. What happened here was concerns were raised, they were dealt with to the satisfaction of the United Nations and this has all been canvassed months ago, there is nothing new. What's new is that the cable has been made public and what is interesting of course is that the cable is part of the series that indicates the matter was dealt with to the satisfaction of the United Nations. That has not been published in the press this morning.
JOURNALIST:
In the context of this, what is your reaction to this morning's (inaudible) export agreement with Iraq on wheat?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well what this indicates is that Mark Vaile's visit to Iraq has been an outstanding success and the Opposition must now eat its words, it must apologise to Mr Vaile for smearing him, for saying his visit was a waste of time. What's happened is that the Iraqis have said that Australia, Australian companies, not AWB but other Australian companies, can participate in the current tender, not future tenders, the current tender to the tune of about 350,000 tonnes. Now that is an outstanding result for Australia. It is a great tribute to Mark Vaile and it is a total repudiation of the nonsense that has been hurled at Mr Vaile by the Opposition over the last week. His visit, so far from being a failure, has been an outstanding success.
JOURNALIST:
Did Mr Vaile make the bid while he was there? Was it his bid that resulted in this...
PRIME MINISTER:
Look Mr Vaile handled himself very, very well. He was over there for one reason, to protect the interests of Australian wheat growers and to mix my metaphors, he's brought home the bacon.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Vaile's at a rally supporting the single desk. What's your view on that?
PRIME MINISTER:
My view remains as I articulated it a few days ago and it remains that it's the current policy to preserve the single desk. If there were be a change in the future we would only, or should, only change it in return for significant concessions from other countries in a world trading environment.
JOURNALIST:
(Inaudible) Max Moore-Wilton was very close to you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Max Moore-Wilton is not close associate of mine, he is a good a friend of mine but he was at the material time the Secretary of my Department.
JOURNALIST:
He didn't mention to you even though he's a friend, about this situation?
PRIME MINISTER:
It's got nothing to do with his friendship, he was the Secretary of my Department. I have already answered that question.
JOURNLAIST:
Given that compensation has been paid to that 11-year old Iranian asylum seeker, do you think the floodgates might now open in terms of compensation claims and payouts to children formerly held in detention.
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
Are you happy that children are no longer in detention?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well our policy on that was announced some weeks ago, some months ago and obviously I'm happy with the Government's policies. They wouldn't be Government policies if I weren't happy with them.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any regrets given the nature of this...
PRIME MINISTER:
No I don't.
JOURNALIST:
So are there any other things being done at Government level to have God Save the Queen sung at the Commonwealth Games? Has anything been done (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don't think it's the sort of thing where you get some kind of standoff between the Government and the Commonwealth Games Organising Committee. I'm told that some announcement's been made by Mr Walker this morning that in part deals with the issue. I'll find out more about it in a couple of hours time. I'm going to Melbourne now and I think I may even see Mr Walker at some function there. But my position is very simple and that is that the standing arrangements in this country are that when the Queen is present, the Royal Anthem is played. Now that was the protocol that was laid down by Mr Hawke when he was Prime Minister and when Advance Australia Fair was established as Australia's national anthem but I also understand that some arrangements have been made in relation to the Commonwealth Games which in the view of the Organising Committee and so they tell me, in the view of Buckingham Palace, give proper courtesy and proper respect. It's all just a question of manners. It's got nothing to do with republicanism. I've got to go to Melbourne.
[ends]