Subjects: Cricket tour, Zimbabwe, Heffernan
E&OE...........
JOURNALIST:
The cricket, the tour of Zimbabwe, are you concerned for their safety, it has been announced that the tour will go ahead?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that is presumably because they are satisfied about safety matters. I know the cricket board, they would always be concerned to ensure that Australian players travel in safe conditions. There were discussions between the ACB and the Department of Foreign Affairs and if as a result of those everybody is happy that the tour should go ahead, well, it goes ahead. I hope it is a good tour.
JOURNALIST:
But there is a travel advisory now for Australians now going to Zimbabwe. Is there any inconsistency there, that the cricketers are going but the …..
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, different people in different groups take their own decisions and I know that the ACB wouldn';t be undertaking the tour if it were really concerned and I know that they will continue to be in discussion with the Department of Foreign Affairs. I haven';t spoken to either body in the last few hours so my fount of knowledge on this is less than yours.
JOURNALIST:
Prime Minister, on Zimbabwe, are you happy with the way it has been received …
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, it seems to have been very well received. It is seen as a decision that nobody expected. It does open a channel of communication with all political sides in Zimbabwe and it does create a pressure on Zimbabwe, through her suspension from the Commonwealth, to change. If you read the fine print of the declaration yesterday you will see there';s an embrace of all of the changes to the electoral laws that the commonwealth observer group felt were necessary. That is a very big step forward. But the crucial test will be the willingness of those who now hold power in Zimbabwe to contemplate the sharing of that power and the possible disapperance of that power through a more democratic electoral process.
JOURNALIST:
How do you turn the screws on Zimbabwe to get fresh elections.
PRIME MINISTER:
You do it in a variety of ways. You do it by international rebuke which is what occurred yesterday. You do it by engaging with both sides, which South Africa and Nigeria have begun to do, you do it by the Commonwealth Secretary General engaging with the Zimbabwean government about electoral reform and that will start. And you also do it by the international community pointing out that so often aid, humanitarian aid flows more freely when you have a more democratic and orderly society.
JOURNALIST:
On a slightly different Commonwealth issue (inaudible) Commonwealth car, your former driver Wayne Patterson in Sydney, tenuous link I know….(inaudible).
PRIME MINISTER:
Very tenuous link….good try.
JOURNALIST:
…been revealed as the source of the Comcar receipts with regard to Michael Kirby, does that bring the issue any closer to your office ?
PRIME MINISTER:
I don';t think it means any more than what you';ve just said. He was my driver, he was a very good driver, he hasn';t been my driver for I think, since about September of 1999. Beyond that I know nothing about those other matters and don';t intend to comment on them.
JOURNALIST:
Simon Crean has called for you to come home, what do make of that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I';ll be coming home on Saturday morning.
JOURNALIST:
You';re meeting with Jack Straw today, will Iraq be on the agenda?
PRIME MINISTER:
I would imagine that there';ll be a general discussion about the war against terrorism. As to whether Iraq is specifically on the agenda or not I don';t know. But I wouldn';t be surprised if we ranged over all of that.
JOURNALIST:
Are you concerned, the British of course have committed 1700 combat troops, are you concerned that the issue is escalating when everyone thought it was going to down and perhaps Iraq is a common next step?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think we have to take one theatre of operation at a time. The war in Afghanistan is not over, we were reminded of that about 10 days ago. Our position is that we are heavily involved in that alongside the Americans. If there is a request for Australian involvement in some other operation than we';ll examine that request on its merit. We are not automatically committed in advance to be involved in any operation the Americans undertake but if they do ask for our involvement we';ll look it at and we';ll look at it very sympathetically and consistently with the willingness that we have shown in the past to align ourselves where we believe what they are doing is not only just but also in Australia';s national interests.
JOURNALIST:
Has there been any requests or any indications that they may want additional troops either in Afghanistan or possibly in other theatres, such as Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
As I speak there have not been any such further requests.
JOURNALIST:
Do you expect any requests today?
PRIME MINISTER:
Today, no I don';t. I expect to see Jack Straw and Gordon Brown and Tony Blair today.
JOURNALIST:
(inaudible) as I speak…
PRIME MINISTER:
Well that';s just my way of speaking. I always want to be careful because somebody might come back and say there you are, in answering Geof Parry on the 20th of March you said… now you';ve mislead me and you';re in trouble.
JOURNALIST:
What are you hoping to achieve with Tony Blair?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think it';s an opportunity to catch up on what';s happened with Zimbabwe. It';s also an opportunity to talk about the campaign against terrorism in which we are participating actively together. It';s also an opportunity on a bilateral basis to pass on a few ideas about economic growth and economic performance and I';ll have the opportunity of doing that when I have a chat to the Chancellor of the Exchequor who is very keen to have a yarn. The British economy is growing quite strongly but its growth rate at the moment is projected to be about half Australia';s growth rate, so we probably have some notes to compare.
JOURNALIST:
You';ve got a few hints for them ?
PRIME MINISTER:
I wouldn';t presume to give hints to them.
[ends]