KARL STEFANOVIC:
Prime Minister Tony Abbott joins us now live from Canberra.
PM, good morning to you.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good morning, Karl.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
We will get to that agreement in just a second, but first of all on asylum seekers, can you tell me this morning where the 153 asylum seekers at the centre of the High Court challenge are this morning?
PRIME MINISTER:
Karl, we haven’t, and I won’t, talk about on the water operations – that gives aid and comfort to the people smugglers – and that’s not something that I’m going to do. What I am going to do though, Karl, is to reiterate the Government’s absolute determination to stop the boats because if we stop the boats we stop the deaths and that’s why it is absolutely critically important that Operation Sovereign Borders continues to succeed.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Can you at the least this morning though confirm that they will not be going back to Sri Lanka, they won’t be sent back to Sri Lanka?
PRIME MINISTER:
I will confirm today, as I always will, that we will operate in accordance with our legal obligations and we will operate in accordance with safety at sea.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
The newspapers this morning are carrying the story that you are, inside your Government, sources are saying that they will be going back to Sri Lanka. Is that the case?
PRIME MINISTER:
Karl, I’m just not going to make any comments upon Operation Sovereign Borders activities on the water. I just want to stress to you and your listeners that we will comply with our legal obligations and we will certainly comply with our obligations to promote safety at sea.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Are those people safe?
PRIME MINISTER:
They certainly are.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Ok. If the High Court goes against you in regards to this decision will you change the policy more broadly?
PRIME MINISTER:
What the Australian people elected us to do was to stop the boats and let me stress again, Karl, if we stop the boats we stop the deaths. If we stop the boats we stop the Budget blow-outs as well as stopping the massive inflow that we were receiving in the middle of last year.
Let’s not forget that in the middle of last year, Karl, we were having arrivals at the rate of almost 5,000 a month, at the rate of 50,000 a year. There’s been a very, very dramatic change since then and that’s largely because of the operation of this Government’s policy.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
The Sydney Morning Herald carries a disturbing story on its front page this morning. From three independent sources they claim nine mothers who are asylum seekers on Christmas Island tried to commit suicide hoping that as a result of that their orphaned children would be settled here. Is that true, that story?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look, I haven’t seen the story so I can’t comment upon it. If true, it is a harrowing tale but I also have to make the point that we are going to stop the boats, we are going to maintain our policies and, look, this is not going to be a Government which has our policy driven by people who are attempting to hold us over a moral barrel. We won’t be driven by that.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
This is slightly different though, and as a father I’m sure you have great sympathy with these people. If this story turns out to be true – mothers trying to take their own lives in order for their children to stay in this country – it takes it to a whole new level.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I say if it’s true, Karl, and I haven’t seen the reports, and look, the fact is that the people who are on Nauru, they’re being clothed, housed, fed and above all else they’re safe. They are not going to be subjected to any persecution in Nauru. Now, I don’t believe that people ought to be able to say to us, “Unless you accept me as a permanent resident I am going to commit self-harm”. Now really and truly, no Australian government should be subjected to the spectacle of people saying, “Unless you accept us I am going to commit self-harm” and I don’t believe any Australian – any thinking Australian – would want us to capitulate to moral blackmail.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright, let’s move on. The Japanese PM Shinzo Abe I think was extraordinary yesterday in Parliament. It was an extraordinary speech – powerful and it was moving. How will Australians benefit from this agreement in terms of the hip pocket and how long will that take for it to happen?
PRIME MINISTER:
Karl, there’s no doubt it was a remarkable speech by Prime Minister Abe yesterday and it was an historic day, but again, it’s right that we should focus on the impact for our country and our people and what this essentially means is lower prices and more jobs. It means lower prices for sophisticated manufactured goods, lower prices for cars, lower prices for consumer electronics.
It also means a much better deal for our exports to Japan and in particular, big new market possibilities in agriculture – beef, dairy, wine, horticulture, cereals and so on. This is the first free trade deal which Japan has done with a major developed economy and as I said, it is very good news for Australian consumers and for Australian jobs.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright. If I’m in China though I might be very well waking up this morning feeling like a jilted lover.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well the point that John Howard often made was that we don’t have to choose between our history and our geography and the point I make is that you don’t win new friends by losing old friends.
I am determined to develop all of our friendships. We have a very strong and deep friendship with Japan, as we do with the United States, as we do with the United Kingdom. This is not a zero sum game, Karl. It is possible to have more friends and you don’t lose one friend just because you’ve got that friend.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
It sounds like we’re sort of throwing it around a little bit which is always a difficult thing to do, however, just one final…
PRIME MINISTER:
Karl, we have much to offer. We have much to offer. We are a very reliable supplier of resource security, food security and energy security which all the countries of North Asia want. We’re also a reliable and steady friend. We’re a country of clear principles and when we make commitments we keep them.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Alright. You look a little bit worse for wear if I don’t mind saying this morning, PM. You didn’t get on the sakes did you, with the Japanese PM?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look the truth is, it was a very convivial dinner last night, very convivial dinner…
KARL STEFANOVIC:
How many did you have?
PRIME MINISTER:
… it was also, as you’d expect, it was a very responsible dinner too.
KARL STEFANOVIC:
Everybody’s got to do their bit for free trade and if getting on the sakes means getting on the sakes, then the PM’s got to do what the PM’s got to do!
Thank you, Prime Minister. It’s another busy day for you – I appreciate your time.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good on you, Karl. Thank you.
[ends]