Subjects: Olympics; Prime Minister’s Olympic dinner; Minister Ruddock’s decision
E&OE……………………………………………………………………………………
MURRAY OLDS:
Hello Prime Minister.
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m just driving in from Tullamarine Airport to go to the Prime Minister’s Olympic dinner in Melbourne tonight where we hope to raise a lot of money from corporate Australia for the Australian team. And there’s no doubt that the whole country is now gripped by the excitement of what’s about to happen. I’ve been in Brisbane overnight and it’s the same up there. It really is an event now that is spilling across the nation which is quite exciting.
MURRAY OLDS:
It’s been a long time coming but it’s here and now and I can vouch for it up here in The Rocks in Sydney, your hometown, the place is absolutely alive. The world is here.
PRIME MINISTER:
It really is. I’ve got to tell you Murray I can barely hear you. Can you hear me alright?
MURRAY OLDS:
I can hear you very well Prime Minister.
JULIE FLYNN:
Loud and clear Prime Minister you’re coming through.
PRIME MINISTER:
Very good.
JULIE FLYNN:
There has been some controversy about the decision to not allow Gafour Rakhimov to come into the country. Is that a sovereignty issue for Australia - and he’s not coming in?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that’s right. The Immigration Minister has considered the matter fully and properly and it’s not in the security interests of Australia that these two people be allowed and I can’t really go into the detail of that for legal reasons I hope are understood. But it was always part of the deal when Sydney got the games that, although proper credit would be given, proper respect would be paid to the accreditation procedures of the International Olympic group. When it came to matters of security naturally the Australian Immigration Authorities have the ultimate right to recommend certain courses of action. That has happened on this occasion. The Minister has handled the matter correctly and his decision is final as far as the Government is concerned and there won’t be any further consideration of the matter.
JULIE FLYNN:
Prime Minister will you be giving Juan Antonio Samaranch a personal explanation of why we’ve done this?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I won’t be giving a personal explanation in the sense of speaking to him specifically about it. I understand from the media that he’s written to me and I’ll be replying to his letter and I’ll be conveying in that letter essentially what I’ve just said to you. It’s not something that we wanted to happen but in the end the ultimate responsibility we have, despite all the euphoria of the Olympic games, is to do what we can to safeguard the security in the interests of the Australian community and that was the basis of the decision taken by the Immigration Minister. It wasn’t taken lightly. He never takes decisions lightly. He’s a very conscientious, competent Minister and he has my total support on this issue and that of the Government.
MURRAY OLDS:
Prime Minister might there be other people, do you perhaps know of others, or can you give us any idea, are there others perhaps that may involve this type of action from the Australian Government?
PRIME MINISTER:
I’m not aware of any others Murray.
MURRAY OLDS:
If there are others who fall into this category they too will be denied entry - case by case?
PRIME MINISTER:
We’ll do what’s right by the Australian community. We don’t want in any way to be difficult but at the end of the day we’ve got to take matters into account that ought to be taken into account and I’d reckon the great bulk of your listeners would fully understand why we’ve taken this action and I ask them to do so because it wasn’t taken lightly because we, like everybody else, want the Games to be a huge success. And I’m quite certain that this action that has been taken is not in anyway going to diminish from or take the success of the Games, I’d say it certainly won’t do that.
MURRAY OLDS:
And Prime Minister just finally because I know you’re in your way in there and we’ve got a news commitment shortly. John Coates has still got his hand in his pocket. How does that feel?
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon.
MURRAY OLDS:
John Coates has got his hand in your pocket. He wants more money for Australian athletes.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the last time I saw him he expressed a great deal of satisfaction with the funding of sport by the Government. He did. He came to see me in Canberra quite recently and we had a very amicable discussion. Of course when you are responsible for any activity in this country you’d always like a bit more from the Government. I understand that but we have been very supportive of sport and one of the things that pleases me is that I was part of a Government way back in the 1970s that kicked off the Institute of Sport and commenced many of the Government’s support activities that have borne a great deal of wonderful fruit over the last twenty odd years.
MURRAY OLDS:
Prime Minister I know John Coates, Phil Coles, both of them are very grateful for the support of Federal Government, New South Wales Government as well in fact State Government’s nation-wide. Thanks for your time this afternoon.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good on you Murray.
JULIE FLYNN:
And have a great night tonight at the Prime Minister’s dinner.
PRIME MINISTER:
Thanks Julie.
[Ends]