JOURNALIST:
We'll begin our interview now. Mr Howard welcome to the programme.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, how do you think you'll be received at this Forum, especially by Mr Sogavare and Mr Somare when so many strong words have already been exchanged?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh it should be an interesting meeting.
JOURNALIST:
Just interesting?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes.
JOURNALIST:
What do you expect to get out of it?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would like to see a reaffirmation of the cooperative mood that the Forum's had over the last few meetings. RAMSI is getting better in a forum-wide sense, more countries are contributing. And RAMSI is a wonderful example of what can be achieved when members of the Forum cooperate.
JOURNALIST:
But we have had many spats with Pacific Island countries before, but Australia this time has been very, very tough in its response. For example, in banning the PNG ministerial visits, pre-empting the inquiry into finding out what happened, why are we tougher this time?
PRIME MINISTER:
It's not a question of being tougher this time. What is happening is the Australian Government is insisting that in response to the large amounts of aid we are providing, there is a lift in standards of governance and economic performance, and we'll continue to do that. The events surrounding Mr Moti are of course quite unusual and his circumstances of his leaving Papua New Guinea and going to the Solomon Islands were unusual. I'll leave it at that. But the real issue there is allowing the law to take its course. This is not the Australian Government prosecuting Mr Moti; it's the Australian Government allowing the laws of Australia to operate. And I don't intend to stand in the way of the Australian Federal Police in enforcing the laws of Australia. And that's all that's happening. This man is wanted to answer criminal charges. Now it's not right for the Australian Government to negotiate somebody's liability under the criminal law and we won't be doing that.
JOURNALIST:
Now you will be meeting Mr Somare at the Forum and you'll be talking to him no doubt. What do you expect to get out of your meetings with him, and what will it take before the travel ban is lifted?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I will just deal with him in the normal courteous way, as is my wont, but I won't be altering the Government's position on these issues. But let's just take it a day at a time.
JOURNALIST:
But you must have some expectations?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh I have lots of expectations but I'm just not in a position to go into them.
JOURNALIST:
Right now?
PRIME MINISTER:
No.
JOURNALIST:
Of course Australia is also at odds with the Solomon Islands Government on at least two issues, of course the fate of Mr Moti, the inquiry into the riots and moves against Mr Castles. Mr Sogavare has said that those issues, the first two, are not negotiable, what do you say?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well we'll just stick to our policy of being a good friend of the people of the Solomon Islands. The continuation of RAMSI is in the interests of the people of the Solomon Islands. It may not be in the interests from time to time of some politicians in the Solomon Islands, but it is clearly in the interests of the people of the Solomon Islands and that's why we support it. But in the end the Solomon Islands is a sovereign country and it will decide what it does. But I would offer the view that RAMSI has been a wonderful lifeline to the people of the Solomon Islands and they would be the poorer if RAMSI disappears.
JOURNALIST:
Well Mr Sogavare has talked about an exit strategy for RAMSI, is there a timeframe for RAMSI?
PRIME MINISTER:
You normally talk about exiting something when you've done the job - you haven't done the job in the Solomon Islands by a long way.
JOURNALIST:
But how...surely the effectiveness of RAMSI will be somehow diminished by the constant spats between Australia and the Solomon Islands? I mean it's not the best environment is it under which to operate successfully?
PRIME MINISTER:
Helen, you've got to take a much longer view then a few weeks, much longer view then a few weeks. This spatting as you call it has been going on for a few weeks and all that's happening is that Australia is insisting that the law of this country be allowed to run its course, and also sticking by the agreements that underpin RAMSI, and gently maintaining the position that our aid has to be tied to increased standards of governance and improvement in economic performance. I made that clear several years ago when we altered our policy in relation to the Pacific islands and it's what the Australian people have a right to expect, and it's going to remain our policy.
JOURNALIST:
But things are getting worse if we look at the Solomon Islands, can you work with Mr Sogavare and his government?
PRIME MINISTER:
Helen, let's just take a longer view, I'm not going to get into that kind of personal comment, you're wasting your time.
JOURNALIST:
Alright. This tough policy that....well the tough words I guess that the Government has been talking recently, signalled do they not, the beginning of perhaps a tough policy on the Pacific? I mean are you looking at changing the way we do things if the policies so far have not worked?
PRIME MINISTER:
I think you've sort of missed what I've said. All we're doing is maintaining a policy that's been annunciated for a number of years now. I think what is happening is that people are reacting to the implementation of the policy. We're not changing our policy, we're maintaining our policy and our policy is fairly simple - we want to help to lift the living standards and we want to improve the lives of the people of the Solomon Islands - and we'll give a considerable amount of money to do so. But the giving of that money is conditional on better governance - and we all know what that means - and also improved economic performance. Now they've always been Australia's conditions, we haven't made them tougher, we're just repeating them and perhaps you're seeing the interaction of the pursuit of those goals and the interests of individuals.
JOURNALIST:
Now, are we expecting results from our aid, in the sense, are we putting an Australian template on societies that are very complex, tribal, where patronage, wontok systems are paramount, are we expecting results that really are not going to work in those very complex societies?
PRIME MINISTER:
We're not trying to make the Solomon Islands into another Australia. We are however respectfully requiring countries who receive our aid to lift their standards of governance and observe the basic practices of a democratic state, and the Australian people would expect no less of me in requiring that as conditions of our aid.
JOURNALIST:
Sir, but where is it all going wrong if we...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think you are once again, you are taking a very short term view. RAMSI's intervention has been widely welcomed by the people of the Solomon Islands; things are a lot better there now than they were before RAMSI went in. There are some differences of opinion at the moment; there seem to be some difficulties at the present time. But you take a long view of these things and I am not going to fall into the habit of responding to the exigencies of a few passing weeks.
JOURNALIST:
But how long will it take do you think before the money that we're putting in will start yielding results? I mean are you expecting change in the next 10 years, will it take 20 years?
PRIME MINISTER:
Helen, I don't give in to these timings, I mean I know journalists love to sort of fix a benchmark and then see how much closer we're getting to it, but I am not going to play that game. It obviously will take time. You've got to change attitudes, you've got to change expectations, but the future of the people of the Solomon Islands depends very much on something like RAMSI. And the great thing about RAMSI is that it's a programme that involves all of the countries at the Pacific Islands Forum, certainly Australia is the major contributor. That's fair enough; we're the wealthiest and biggest country. But it includes a lot of other countries as well and I think that's a very good thing, it's a wonderful exemplar for what can be achieved in the region.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, thank you very much for your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thank you.
[ends]