NEIL MITCHELL:
Mr Abbott, good morning.
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, good morning!
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thank you for your time. These allegations that Australia paid people smugglers to turn back the boats – did it happen or not?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Neil, we don’t comment on operational matters but we are determined to ensure that illegal boats don’t get to Australia. We will do whatever is reasonably necessary to protect our country from people smuggling and from the effects of this evil and damaging trade that costs lives.
NEIL MITCHELL:
But surely we wouldn’t pay people smugglers? They’re criminals.
PRIME MINISTER:
What we do is we stop the boats by hook or by crook because that’s what we’ve got to do and that’s what we’ve successfully done and I just don’t want to go into the details of how it’s done because like a lot of things that law enforcement agencies have to do, it’s necessary, it’s difficult and at times I suppose it’s dangerous work, but we deal with it and we’ve stopped the boats, Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Let me put it another way. Theoretically, hypothetically, would you find it acceptable to pay people smugglers?
PRIME MINISTER:
Look Neil, I’m just not going to get into hypotheticals. The important thing is that we stop the boats…
NEIL MITCHELL:
No – but Prime Minister, not if we’re paying criminals, I mean these people have been described as evil, as scum of the earth and if we’re paying them, bribing them to turn back the boats, I mean that’s almost a crime.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Neil, the important thing is to stop the boats – that’s the important thing – and I think the Australian people are extremely pleased that that’s what’s happened and of course by stopping the boats we’ve stopped the deaths, by stopping the boats we’ve certainly improved our relationship with Indonesia. So, stopping the boats is all good, it is all good and I ...
NEIL MITCHELL:
I’m not sure about the relationship with Indonesia. They’re saying today they’re shocked by the allegations we’d pay people smugglers. Are we at least investigating whether it happened?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, I want to say to you and your listeners that I am proud of the work that our border protection agencies have done. I really am proud of the work that they’ve done and they’ve been incredibly creative in coming up with a whole range of strategies to break this evil trade, which as you know, flourished under the former government and which led to the deaths of well over 1,000 people. So, look, as I said by hook or by crook we are going to stop the trade. We have stopped the trade and we will do what we have to do to ensure that it stays stopped.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Will the Australian Government investigate whether it happened?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, the short answer is the Australian Government will do whatever we need to do to keep this evil trade stopped.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Including paying people smugglers?
PRIME MINISTER:
We will do whatever we need to do to keep this trade stopped because that’s what the public expects. Frankly, that is the right and decent and compassionate and humane thing to do and I don’t make excuses and I don’t offer apologies for stopping the boats because – frankly – it is absolutely imperative for reasons of our national policy and it’s absolutely imperative for reasons of saving lives at sea.
NEIL MITCHELL:
The Indonesian government is investigating whether it happened. Will the Australian Government investigate whether it happened?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we have very good relations with the Indonesian government and we’ve got very good cooperation with the Indonesian government when it comes to stopping people smuggling because amongst other things we haven’t offered the gratuitous insults to Indonesia that our predecessors did by amongst other things stopping the live cattle trade in panic at a television programme.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, will the Australian Government investigate whether it happened?
PRIME MINISTER:
Neil, what we are doing is saving lives at sea, we are defending our national sovereignty, we are protecting our country from the evil trade of people smuggling and by hook or by crook we will do what is necessary to keep our country safe and to keep this evil trade stopped.
NEIL MITCHELL:
With respect, Prime Minister, that’s not an answer. Will the Australian Government…
PRIME MINISTER:
It’s a very good answer, Neil. It’s a very good answer because with equal respect to you, Neil, there are all sorts of things that our security agencies do – all sorts of things that our security agencies do – that they need to do to protect our country and many of those things just should never be discussed in public. Operational matters when it comes to national security are never discussed in public and that’s the way it should be and what I am charged with is the protection of our country and I am pleased to say that when it comes to border protection, this Government unlike its predecessor, has a really outstanding record.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Ok, so whatever it takes?
PRIME MINISTER:
Consistent with being a humane and decent country – absolutely.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, does Bill Shorten have questions to answer out of the royal commission into alleged corruptions in unions?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I certainly think he needs to explain what kind of sweetheart deals if any took place under his leadership. What we know thanks to the royal commission over the last week or so is that the AWU did agree to arrangements which dudded workers but helped the unions. We need to know whether any of that kind of thing happened when Bill Shorten was in charge. Now, we saw Cesar Melhem resign his position in the Victorian parliament. He was Bill Shorten’s successor as Victorian leader of the AWU. Now, if this is important enough for Cesar Melhem to resign, it’s certainly important enough for Bill Shorten to give us some answers rather than giving us some lectures.
NEIL MITCHELL:
While you’re in Melbourne will you be seeing Daniel Andrews, the Victorian Premier?
PRIME MINISTER:
It’s not part of my schedule. I’m on my way out to Endeavour Hills Police Station because that, as you might remember, Neil, was where a Victorian and an Australian Federal Police officer were very gravely wounded by our first actual terrorist who was subsequently shot dead. Now, I’ll be getting a briefing at Endeavour Hills Police Station on some of the local counter-terrorism operations, some of the Countering Violent Extremism programmes that are in contemplation out here. And then as you might also know, Neil, I’ll be going off to what is a very special place for very special kids to announce an important Commonwealth grant. So, look, I’ve got a pretty full programme in Victoria today. I’m happy to keep talking to the Premier about improving transport infrastructure, but the point I keep making is that the best way to help the people of Melbourne is to crack on with the East West Link and I still can’t understand why the Victorian government would have paid almost a billion dollars not to build a road.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, at the terrorism summit yesterday a gentleman who is involved in de-radicalisation of young Muslims said that for you to call the Islamic State a death cult or Daesh was in fact promoting Islamic State propaganda. What’s your reaction to that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I’m certainly not going to call it Islamic State because it’s a perversion of religion and it’s a travesty of a state. It is a death cult in the sense that the people who join it at are in love with death. Now, I think I had a private conversation with the gentleman in question and he said that its followers like the idea that it’s a bit of a cult. Look, that’s an opinion but I think we should call things what they are and plainly some people do have a macabre fascination with this. Some people have been brainwashed into thinking that their idealism is best engaged through this kind of violent extremism. And what we’ve got to – I suppose – point out to people is that this is no way to serve God. This is no way to help humanity because it’s never, ever right to kill in the name of God which is all this wretched death cult does.
NEIL MITCHELL:
So, would you change your language on the basis…?
PRIME MINISTER:
No. No, look, I am never going to dignify this evil movement by calling it what it claims to be – that’s to dignify evil which I will never do.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I understand why you’re going to Endeavour Hills but do you think that’s wise? I mean, regardless of the reasons, a young man died out there? I mean, do we really want a photo opportunity around that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, Neil, I think it’s important to show support for our police – it really is. They have a difficult and dangerous task and the two policemen who were gravely wounded by this individual are both back at work but they carry seen and unseen scars and I think it’s important to support them and support their colleagues.
NEIL MITCHELL:
I couldn’t agree more, but a photo opportunity out at the area where it happened?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, they want to know that their Government supports them, Neil. I think they want to know that their work is appreciated and the best thing I can do is show up and tell them how much I appreciate what they’re doing. Both the local Members – one Liberal and one Labor – will be there to likewise show support for their work and I think it’s a very important thing that we do. We let our security agencies know, the people who keep us safe, we let them know that we’ve got their back.
NEIL MITCHELL:
Prime Minister, have you ever heard of Tyler the Creator? He’s a rapper.
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I’m afraid I haven’t, Neil.
NEIL MITCHELL:
There’s a letter going to one of your Ministers saying he should be banned. What’s your view on banning performers because of what they say?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I guess they’d have to say pretty outrageous things, I don’t rule it out but I certainly don’t rule it in either. I presume this guy’s a foreigner of some sort?
NEIL MITCHELL:
An American – a black American rapper.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, look, we have from time to time banned people on character grounds. I guess it would depend on what we thought of his character and as I said, Neil, I’ve never heard of him, I’m not naturally a supporter of rap music. You know, my taste kind of ended with the Travelling Wilburys!
NEIL MITCHELL:
Thank you very much for your time. Thank you for speaking with us.
PRIME MINISTER:
Good on you, Neil.
[ends]