E&OE....................................................................................................
Ladies and gentlemen, I've called this news conference with Mr
Ruddock to announce to announce a number of decisions that the Government
has taken today in response to the appalling human tragedy that is
unfolding in Europe particularly in the wake of the forced expulsion
as an act of racial persecution by the forces of President Milosevic
of hundreds of thousands of Albanians who are now trapped in a most
distressing human situation. There are some varying estimates but
there's not much doubt that we are talking about 300,000 to 400,000
people at the very least who have been displaced from their homes.
It is a humanitarian crisis of immense proportions and one that is
likely to get a lot worse.
Australia geographically, of course, is a long way from Yugoslavia
but the Government does not believe that in the circumstances it would
be appropriate for Australia to rely on geographic distance as an
excuse for not doing more. We have already announced a contribution
of $2 million to humanitarian organisations working in the region
including to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, CARE
Australia, the Red Cross and World Vision. The Cabinet has decided
today to increase that contribution by another $4 million to a total
of $6 million and the assistance will go towards meeting the urgent
relief needs of displaced people in Albania, Macedonia and other surrounding
countries.
But more importantly the Government has decided that Australia should
play its role in the international effort to relieve the burden on
neighbouring states and we have decided to provide within Australia's
safe haven for up to 4,000 people displaced from Kosovo on a temporary
basis until the situation on the ground improves. It will be for an
initial period of three months depending and that'll be
renewable depending on the circumstances as they unfold in
Kosovo. I do want to emphasise that this is a purely temporary measure.
Our main aim must be to see these people returned to their homes,
their villages and hamlets in Kosovo as soon as possible.
This decision by the Government is taken as a special measure. It
is to be seen as separate and apart from the normal immigration and
refugee programme. It is conditional on one very important consideration
and that is the passage of legislation by the Federal Parliament with
effect from today, establishing a situation where none of the 4,000
people will be able to initiate any action within Australia for a
change of status. They will not be entitled to seek while in Australia
any change of status. The intention is that they will be provided
with accommodation, with food, the basic necessities of life and health
care. In the nature of an emergency operation such as this it would
be necessary for these people to be received and looked after in perhaps
some defence installations. We have already initiated an urgent assessment
of available temporary accommodation and we are, of course, willing
to naturally bear the full cost of bringing people to Australia. They
are to be here as a special category of displaced people with the
intention that they should return. The passage of that legislation
is a pre-condition or an agreement for the passage of the legislation
rather it is a condition of the implementation of decision.
I have spoken to Mr Beazley the Leader of the Opposition this afternoon.
He has indicated strong support for the Government's decision
and an in-principle commitment to support the passage of the legislation
through the Federal Parliament. I welcome that expression of support
from Mr Beazley. Humanitarian responses of this kind ought as far
as possible to be conducted on a bi-partisan basis.
I want to emphasise to you, ladies and gentlemen, that this is a humanitarian
disaster, a human tragedy beyond the normal tragedies and developments
to which we have almost become numbed over the years. The movement
of populations is the greatest, I understand, in the experience of
Europe since World War II. The behaviour of the Milosevic forces which
have engaged in acts of racial persecution are quite unacceptable.
The Government believes that despite the fact that we are not part
of NATO and we are not involved in any way, of course, with the military
action that we do have a responsibility on humanitarian grounds to
participate in the relief of suffering of such a magnitude.
Australia has a very long and proud record of providing a humanitarian
response to the mass uprooting and movements of populations around
the world and this is very much of a peace with those responses. It
is the sort of response that I believe the Australian public expects
of its Government but more importantly than that it is the right response
because this is a terrible tragedy and even though it is a long way
from Australia we have to play our part.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible].. what's changed the Government's thinking?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well let me something. Mr Ruddock will no doubt say something about
that as well. But what Mr Ruddock said yesterday was utterly consistent
with the Government's immigration policy. And indeed one matter
that I did not mention was to reconfirm that Mr Ruddock's earlier
indication that in recognition of the grave situation on the ground
Australia is prepared to extend the visas of the estimated 2,000 visitors
from the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on a case by case basis. What
Mr Ruddock said yesterday was utterly consistent with the Government's
position and policy. This is a special response to a particular situation
which should be seen separately and apart from, and in addition to,
the normal refugee and humanitarian response programme.
JOURNALIST:
[inaudible].Mr Ruddock said they would not go back after the temporary
status.
PRIME MINISTER:
I beg your pardon.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Ruddock argued that people on temporary status were unlikely to
go back.
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I haven't read every single thing Mr Ruddock has said and
Mr Ruddock will no doubt speak for himself. But what is important
is that the Cabinet has looked at this whole situation and has decided,
quite properly in my view, that a special response in all of the circumstances
is needed. Now everything that Mr Ruddock said in relation to the
normal operation of the immigration programme was utterly consistent
with Government policy. And I completely endorse in every way his
handling of the situation. We had a discussion about it, we thought
about it long and hard, and we decided that this was the right thing
to do. Now if you want to spend the next half an hour asking me questions
about what Mr Ruddock said, or thought, or I did before today, well
you go ahead. But I tell you what, I won't be here to answer
them because I think the quality of the decision and the appropriateness
of the decision that had been taken is the right thing.
JOURNALIST:
Can I just ask, how are these people physically going to get here?
Are Australian RAAF planes going to be involved, and how soon do you
expect the first people to arrive?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well Tony, I can only say in response to that that people are working
away furiously now to make those arrangements. I can't answer
all of that now. Just a moment Aban. I can't answer that. All
I can say to you is that we've taken this decision, I've
outlined the basis of the decision. We've now asked all of our
advisers to prepare a detailed game plan. Clearly there will be, I
imagine, involved the chartering of aircraft, the use of all available
aircraft. We've got to work out appropriate procedures for selection.
There are a million and one things that will need to be done. The
important thing is that we are indicating to the Australian people,
and we're indicating to the world a willingness to help. And
that will make a small contribution to I hope improving the spirits
and improving the sense of hope and relieving the sense of despair
which is no doubt being experienced by these hundreds of thousands
of unfortunate human beings. This is something where a nation of Australia's
strength and wealth, and comparative affluence has an overwhelming
moral obligation to play a part in. That's why we've taken
the decision and it's the right decision. As to all the details
of it, I can't answer your question. I don't know yet. We've
got to work many of those details out. I'm sure with the support
of the Opposition, the goodwill of the Opposition, and I hope the
goodwill of the Australian community and people who support humanitarian
responses that we'll be able to get the job done and get it done
quickly. We obviously need to act as speedily as possible. We know
there's a cost involved. It's a cost worth incurring because
there's a humanitarian response involved.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, can these people be kept under some form of restraint,
I mean, effective captivity so that they don't just scatter in
the community?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well look, initially, Peter, they'll obviously have to go to,
you know, arrival centres around the country. There'll need to
be health checks and so forth. The question of their future movements
away from the initial reception areas, that is something that we're
giving consideration to and we're seeking advice on. You can't
resolve all of these matters in the space of a few hours. You do need
to get advice. They are to be seen as not as part of the normal immigration
programme. And I think if you look at what the Americans are doing
and many of the other countries are doing, I think the Americans are,
so I've been informed, are going to receive them on the Guantanamo
Naval Base in Cuba and also at Guam. They're making special arrangements.
We will give a broadly similar response. The aim of the exercise is
to provide a safe haven. The aim of the exercise is to give to these
people some sense of physical security, sustenance, but not to do
it in a way that relieves the international political pressure on
Milosevic. And one of the criticisms that could be made of the automatic
inclusion of these 4000 people in the normal refugee programme would
be that it would signal that Milosevic had won and that he had succeeded
in expelling these people from their own country. We think this is
the appropriate humanitarian response which falls short of conceding
political ground to Milosevic.
JOURNALIST:
Do you have any concerns, Prime Minister, that it might lead to racial
conflict here in Australia?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't think it will lead to racial conflict here in Australia.
Australians are humanitarian people. I think, if people look at things
from an Australian national interest point of view, we have decided
to do this because it's the right thing for Australia to do.
We think that this country has a moral obligation to play its part.
I don't believe it will lead to racial conflict. And I can just
say again that Australia respects very much the right of people of
all origins to honour their heritage and preserve their culture. It
never respects the right of people to bring overseas hatreds and bitternesses
into this country wherever those hatreds or bitternesses come from.
JOURNALIST:
Did you discuss today's decision with any other leaders in NATO
or the US?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, no. It is not in response to any request. It is a decision which
has been generated by the Australian Government of its own volition,
according to our assessment of what Australia ought to be doing. I
have not received any request and I'm not aware that Mr Ruddock
or Mr Downer has received any request from any foreign country. We
think it's the right thing for Australia to be doing and that's
why we've taken the decision.
JOURNALIST:
What about the time the Government has [inaudible] of the situation
not being resolved in the Balkan in the three-month period?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, let's take one thing at a time. I've announced the
decision. I've explained the context in which the decision has
been taken. And what I am saying and what I'm doing, as I understand
it, is no different from the way in which Mr Blair and President Clinton
and others are responding to like questions. I mean, our response
in concept is broadly similar to that of the United States, the United
Kingdom, Germany and a number of other European countries.
JOURNALIST:
What they said about Tiannamen Square when Mr Hawke made his decision
one thing at a time but isn't the question that
was on your Immigration Minister's mind yesterday, what happens
after three months or, you know, is there an upper limit to the time
that you permit these people to stay?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I am simply not even going to try and answer that question,
not even try. It is altogether too, it's too calculated, that's
too considered and calculated a question. I mean, you've got
a humanitarian crisis. You've got a flood of humanity coming
across borders in the most appalling circumstances and you are a relatively
affluent, very peaceful, very stable, very endowed, very lucky country.
You have a moral obligation to put your hand up and say to the rest
of the world, we are prepared to take our share and to play our part.
There will be problems. There will be difficulties. People will criticise
the decision. After a while people will get impatient and they'll
say you should have done this and you should have done that. I know
all of that and you'll be back with all sorts of questions. But
it is the right thing to do. And we'll deal with three months
in three months time.
JOURNALIST:
In relation to President Milosevic, isn't there a situation where
you intend to repatriate those people and if you can't, then
he has won.
PRIME MINISTER:
Matt, I'm not going to answer a whole series of hypothetical
questions.
JOURNALIST:
You've said there's no upper limit here, but do you have
reason...
PRIME MINISTER:
No upper limit?
JOURNALIST:
Well, you've said that it can be renewed after three months and
presumably Kosovo won't be actually solved within three months...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I'm not prepared to speculate about what the situation
will be in three weeks let alone three months. So you may be able
to predict it but I'm not going to try to.
JOURNALIST:
My question was, really, was if Kosovo hasn't been solved to
the point where Albanians can go back and live there, will these people
be shunted off somewhere else down the track?
PRIME MINISTER:
I'm not going to speculate about that. I'm really not. Except
to make the point that the decision that we've taken today can
hardly be categorised as lacking humanity. It's a compassionate,
fair, decent decision. And you can be certain that this Government,
in these matters, will always act in a compassionate, fair and decent
fashion but also with a healthy and firm regard to the Australian
national interest, which is why the whole proposition is conditional
on the passage of that legislation with effect from today which Mr
Beazley has told me this afternoon on the phone the Labor Party will
support.
Thank you.
[ends]