PRIME MIINISTER'S PRESS CONFERENCE
AT JAKARTA
THURSDAY 22ND FEBRUARY 1973
Ladies and gentlemen: The Prime Minister will make some
introductory remarks and then you can ask questions.
PRIME MINISTER: Ladies and gentlemen I am told you haven't yet
got a copy of the communique. The delay is to add a passage
following tne discussions that I had this afternoon with
SriSultan Hamencku Buwonolx and the other ministers involved in
economic affairs so I don't know if you want to wait unt ' il you
do get the communique or whetner if it comes while you'r6 asking
me questions you would like a phase to read it. I'm told the
communique can't be nere until six o'clock at the earliest.
Well ladies and gentlemen this limits it a bit I'm afraid.
By way of preliminary all I need say is that my main objective
in coming to Indonesia was to reinforce two tnings. The first
is the continuity of Australian Government interest in
Australia's nearest neighbour. Secondly to reinforce the personal
relations which I'd achieved with President Soeharto on the many
occasions I've met him since 1966. I believe both these objectives
have been very satisfactorily achieved. Are there any questions?
Q. Was there any special reason for your second meeting with
President Soeharto?
PRIME MINISTER: No. We had a long conversation yesterday you'll
remember and we both thought that if the President's programme
could be arranged it would be pleasant for us to have another
conversation and this I'm happy to say was achieved.
Q. What is your commentary regarding the outcome of the White
Australia policy. Is it still useful now or still necessary?
PRIME MINISTER: There have been substantial changes in the
Australian Government's immigration policy.' We now do not
discriminate on the basis of race or nationality or colour among
persons who are admitted to visit Australia or to settle in
Australia. But those that come to settle in Australia are
primarily now drawn not from government recruitment but from
nominations by people who are living in Australia and who want
close relatives to come and live there with them.
Q. Were there discussions on future naval exercises?
PRIME MINISTER: This was not discussed. There was a passing
reference to the success of the recent naval exercises between
the Indonesian and the Australian navies. I'm sure there will
be future such exercises not only between our naval forces but
indeed between other sections of our armed forces.
Q. Will there be another joint exercise this year?
PRIME MINISTER: I didn't discuss my programme but there are
certain to be future naval exercises. We were both pleased with
tile results of the first one which was held recently. The
Deputy Prime Minister of Australia, Mr Barnard, is the
M~ inister for Defence and he was here last year and he will be
here again in the first week of April.
Q. There is a report Prime Minister that there is a need for
a military pact between Australia and Indonesia. How far are
you adopting this idea?
PRIME MINISTER: There have been no discussions about a military
pact between Indonesia and Australia during my visit or as far
as I know ever. I don't think there has ever been a proposal
for a military pact between Indonesia and Australia. There are
as you know arrangements under which members of the Indonesian
Armed Forces receive training in Australia and members of the
Australian Armed Forces receive it in Indonesia.
Q. The speech of yours at the State Banquet last Tuesday night
have the impression that Australia would like to set up a form of
co-operation in South Asia, of regional co-operation.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes.
Q. What's the Indonesian Government's and President Soeharto's
reaction about your suggestion?
PRIME MINISTER: The communique has this passage in the middle
of page 4. You've now got it have you. You see there:
" President Soeharto welcomed Mr Whitlam's objective of the
evolution of a widely representative Asian regional organisation.
The President agreed that while such a concept was unlikely to
come about in the short term he recognised its potential value
in the longer term"
Q. And what about ASPAC in the future. Australia has recognised
Peking while Taiwan is one of the members of ASPAC.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes. Its true that Australia, a member of ASPAC,
has transferred her representation of China from Taipai to Peking.
So too have two other members of ASPAC, Japan and New Zealand.
So this really does very greatly limit the utility of ASPAC. it
makes it anacharonistic as long as Taiwan is still a member of it.
Q. It was reported that you did offer to President Soeharto to have
a larger regional co-operation bigger than what we already have
in ASEAN, which would merge ASEAN. Could you tell us what is
behind this new Asian grouping you have in mind?
PRIME MINISTER: I never made in conversations with President
Soeharto or at any time such an offer and I didn't in my statement
with President Soeharto. Nor have I at any other time made the
suggestion that there should be a merger of ASEAN with any other
regional grouping.
Q. Well, maybe the new form of regional grouping other than
we already have.
PRIME MINISTER: Yes, well perhaps it might help you, I think
the Australian Embassy can probably give you a copy of it, but
I did discuss this general question three weeks ago three and
a half weeks ago when I opened the Australian Institute of
Political Science Summer School in Canberra. Well perhaps it
might help if I could read to you. ( Prime minister reads extract
from A. I. P. S. speech).
3.
" To meet the new realities and our perception of them.
We shall be seeking new forms of regional co-operation. In its
present form ASPAC no longer reflects those realities. In
particular, the continued presence of Taiwan makes ASPAC
anachronistic. Three of ASPAC's members, Australia, New Zealand
and Japan, recognise Peking as the sole legal government of
China. We will not be withdrawing immediately from ASPAC
although we consider that unless there is a change in its present
membership it cannot function effectively or continue for very
long. In Wellington the New Zealand Prime Minister and I
expressed our intention to work with our Asian and Pacific
neighbours in making adjustments " i-o existing arrangements and
seeki* ng new forms or' co-operation. We shall be conm:: ulting with our
neicjibours including IndoneFsia, Japan and others, b-,: fore any
final decisions are reachedl on how wo. should proceed. There is
no question of seeking to change and enlarge ASEAN. We should
like to see all our ASEAN neignbours in a larger regional
association for Asia and the Pacific, but ASEAN itself is a
sub-regional grouping which is doing valuable work and any
enlargement of the organisation is a matter for its members.
Regional co-operation will be one of the keystones of
Australia's foreign policy for the seventies. We shall be
charting a new course with less emphasis on military pacts.
It will be based on an independent outlook on foreign affairs
and will be directed towards a new regional community geared
to the realities of the seventies.
The guidelines of the regional community that I foresee will
be an organisation genuinely representative of the region without
ideological overtones, conceived, as an initiative to help free
the region of great power rivalry that have bedevilled its
progress for decades and designed to insulate the region against
ideological interference from the great powers.
I do not intend that Australia should try to impose a
detailed formulation for setting up such a community and we shall
not seek to intrude beyond our realistic capacity to participate
and assist in tne realisation of this concept. We shall be
patient and punctilious in our consultation and prepared at
every turn to take account of and participdte in the genuine
aspirations of the region. So you see that I did discount the
idea of merging three and a half weeks ago.
Q. ( ABC) Prime Minister. What were President Soeharto's
objections to the short term value of this Asian concept that
you put forward as regional co-operation?
PRIM4E MINISTER: President Soeharto has no objections. He is
concerned that the situation in Indo China should become clearer.
Q. When do you visit Peking.
PRIME MINISTER: No arrangements have been made for me to
visit Peking at all.
Q. Or Tokyo?
PRIME M4INISTER: It is probable that some of my colleacrues, about
three of my colleagues and I will visit Tokyo at the end of next
October because there is due about that time the second of the
annual meetings which take place between Japanese and Australian
ministers. Last year the first meeting took place in Canberra.
The next one is due to take place in Tokyo and the end of October
seems to be the most convenient time.
Q. Sir, since President Soeharto considers that the concept of
regional groupings could not come about for short term purposes
will you continue to seek for approval from other South East
Asian countries?
PRIME MINISTER: Whenever I meet heads of government or heads
of state or foreign ministers from any countries in South East
Asia I will discuss this general concept. I have done so with the
Prime Minister of New Zealand and the President of Indonesia.
And there will be other occasions to discuss it in the next few
months. For instance there will be a Commonwealth Heads of
Government conference in Ottawa in August and on that occasion
tnere will be the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Malaysia
and Singapore as well as myself in attendance.
Q. Have you established any framework for ministerial exchanges?
What specific proposals were put to you on Australian investment?
PRIME MINISTER: There have been no specific projects finalised.
There are several matters under discussion but my visit was not
intended to finalise any of these arrangements. As you can see
I'm only accompanied by advisers from the Prime Minister's
Department and the Department of Foreign Affairs. I don't have
advisers from the Treasury or from other departments here with me.
The Sultan gave me an aide memoire on the whole of this subject
and of course I discussed many aspects of it this afternoon
with Dr Sadli and Professor Widjojo and Dr Subroto and
General Sudjono. You did also ask me about regular exchanges of
visits by Ministers. There is no framework for regular visits
by M'inisters each way although there are frequent visits as
you know. There is one at the moment isn't there to Australia.
And there are regular discussions between officials of the two
governments on all these matters.
Q. Prime Minister you said you would be talking to various
Asian and Pacific leaders about this concept of regional
co-operation? Can this be interpreted perhaps that your idea
will slow down a little from what you may hvave had originally?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. Do you see any prospect of Australia calling together people
who might be interested in talking about this.
PRIME MINISTER: I have never expressed a view that Australia
should call such a conference. Never. Obviously I don't discount
that we could co-operate in calling such a conference but the
programme for visits to Australia and by me to other countries
hasn't changed. I've pointed out here just now the Commonwealth
heads of government conference in Ottawa is in August has been
arranged for about a month past and the meeting with the Japanese
Ministers in Tokyo at the end of October has been discussed for
about a month.
Q. If there was a new regional association in the long-term
how far ahead do you see it?
PRIME MINISTER: PIR IMwEoMuINlIdTnER': t discount the possibility of having
it in a couple of years. I wouldn't expect it before a couple
of years. But I think there is a general realisation that the
existing regional associations to which Australia belongs are
inappropriate because they are transitory or because they're
anachronistic or because they are losing members. There's the
five power arrangements. That's the most recent one. Before that
there were the ASPAC arrangements which I mentioned and before
that again there were the SEATO arrangements. Well clearly none
of these are arrangements which would be made now. And the
sensible thing is to look for better arrangements. Ones which
are more representative of the region and less idealogical or
derivative than the existing ones.
Q. A simple point. Your visit is to reassure continuity with
the government. Can you specifically say the policy of the
new government in terms of defence co-operation with Indonesia?
PRIME MINISTER: I expressly welcomed the idea o f co-operation
in my policy speech not only with Malaysia and Singapore but
also with Indonesia, New Zealand and Fiji. I s9pecified those
three additional countries with which we would be happy to have
training procurement exercises.
Q. The policy here is to develop a national resilience. And
this has two prongs. The economic and internal security. Our
defence co-operation will be therefore part of the second.
Could you give a rationalisation of why our Australian aid
priorities are spread over the two and not just concentrated
say on the economic front.
PRIME MINISTER: I must make plain as I did to one of the
first questions that the defence co-operation does not take the
form of any pact. Indonesia has never entered into a military
pact with any country. I doubt if any countries from now on
will be entering into military pacts with any other countries.
The day of military pacts has gone. Indonesia never went through
that phase.. Indonesia believes that Australia can assist her
in developing the skills of her armed forces. Australia is very
happy to meet any such requests and Indonesia can also help
Australia's armed forces in the development of their skills
with particular application of course to this region and we
appreciate the assistance which Indonesia has given. You do
mention the policy of resilience or endurance. This policy comes
out in all discussions I find. With the Sultan yesterday and with
the President at our two " tete-a-tete and also on many
occasions. As you noticed we've been together in cars or on
platforms or at dinner. I can well understand the faith that
Indonesians have in this principle. It is a particular
application to their situation. Indonesia has resisted disruption
and subversion. She has achieved independence and identity through
her own efforts and Indonesia is indeed fortunate in the fact
she doesn't have the racial, linguistic, the economic
disparities that are characteristic of most other countries in
the region. And even where there is diversity as in religion
there is not dissension on that basis. Indonesia is very
fortunate. Indonesia realises that she has a cohesion which
is the basis of her strength. A cohesion extending over
centuries. A cultural identity. A political identity. A social
identity which can be a source of very great strength to the
whole region and indeed of envy to most members of it.
Q. Prime Minister, were you asked during your discussions
with the Indonesian leaders for specific grants of aid on
this particular trip?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
Q. I was going to say if so, what were they?
PRIME MINISTER: See answer to first question. No, no specific.
Oh there was one, I beg your pardon there was one reference, the
first time I believe but of course no decision was sought on it
because it was a new concept. Perhaps you should check with
Mr Woolcott afterwards as to the dates and quantities. My
recollection is that the arrangements for particular assistance
to Irian Barat expire next year. They started in 1968. They
amounted to $ 30,000,000. The funds came I think from the
Netherlands and the proposal was made that Australia might contribute
to a continuation of this programme particularly to ensure that
there was parity of development between Irian Barat and Papua
New Guinea. I said I would certainly look at the proposal, refer
it to my advisers for prompt consideration. I did however
express the view that any assistance that Australia gave to
Indonesia or to any part of Indonesia would almost certainly
go through the government of Indonesia. This was a specific new
suggestion that was made. There were no other specific
suggestions. There was a discussion on existing or standing
proposals which are the subject of discussion. It was never
forecast that there would be any decisions made on any of these
matters or that there should be any substantive discussion on
them. Q. Did you happen to sort out the matter of the naval patrol
boats which was left in abeyance in the visit of the previous
Prime Minister last year?
PRIME MINISTER: There was no reference to the specific programme
of patrol boats. There was general reference to Indonesia's need
of patrol boats in this very dispersed archipelago for various
reasons of course. All sorts of, I don't know if the word was
used, " smuggling". But that's the impression I got. There was
a general reference to the desirability to improve maritime
communications and to safeguard them. Mr Barnard I would expect
would be discussing this matter more substantially when he comes
up here.
Q. It is concerning the aircraft, the Fl-ll. Australia tried to
acquire this. I am wondering whether you still intend to acquire
it. I believe that
PRIME MINISTER: I'll believe that they'll come when they arrive.
You should understand that these aircraft have already been paid
for by Australia. We paid for them so we might as well take them.
We can't trade them in. We can't return them and they will be
arriving I expect this year before the 10th anniversary of the
contract being placed for them. Australian taxpayers have already
paid for them so quite obviously we have to take
we might as well take delivery of them.