PM: It's a great honour for me to spend the last short period of time with His Excellency the President of the Indonesian Republic. I've been to Indonesia many, many times, and I like this country very much. I always enjoy coming back here. And it's been a particular honour for me to have this time with His Excellency, the President, discussing the entire range of our bilateral relationship. It is a broad and deep relationship with I look forward to continuing with him into the future.
We touched, of course, on the importance of security cooperation, our work on counter-terrorism, our work on border security questions, and this is excellent cooperation which has come such a long way and I look forward very much to that cooperation continuing into the future and broadening and deepening.
When it comes to the economic relationship between our two countries, the trade relationship goes from strength to strength. I look forward very much to that sustaining into the future.
I also look forward to the conclusion of the feasibility study of the proposed bilateral free trade agreement between Australia and Indonesia.
When it comes to our military assistance cooperation relationship, many good things have been done. I've acknowledged to His Excellency the President the good work and good contribution by my predecessor, Mr Howard, in this context, the work in particular since the tsunami. The work which is underway with assisting our friends in Indonesia with the construction of thousands of secondary schools across the Indonesian Republic. This is good work and I'd like to see this expand and continue again.
On Climate Change, His Excellency and I had a good discussion about our two countries working together and forging, over the next couple of years, a growing global consensus on the needs to act, and act effectively, on climate change. Indonesia is a significant country, a leader in the developing world. Indonesia, therefore, is exercising that leadership right now by hosting this important conference here in Bali.
Australia, as you know, has most recently ratified the Kyoto Protocol, and as a consequence of that, I proposed to the President that Australia and Indonesia work in partnership globally and regionally and bilaterally to advance a decisive and effective outcome on climate change over this period ahead, these next two critical years.
Here in Indonesia, His Excellency also emphasised the importance of the program and the reforestation programs and there has been good cooperation between our countries in this are and I look forward to that continuing and expanding into the future.
To conclude, this is for Australia one of our most important relationships. Within one hour of winning the election a week or so ago, His Excellency extended me the great honour by telephoning me direct. In fact the election was two weeks ago. I have lost track of time. But within an hour of the result being determined, His Excellency was on the phone and reaffirming the importance of this relationship between us. I look forward very much to working with His Excellency on this most important relationship into the future.
Great things have been done in the past between Australia and Indonesia, right back to the independent spirit of the 40s and I look forward to that continuing into the future, broadening and deepening what, for Australia, is a critically important relationship. Thank you, your Excellency.
JOURNALIST: (translation) Is Australia a priority for Indonesia and with the election of Prime Minister Kevin Rudd will there be any things (inaudible) foreign policy for Australia?
SUSILO BAMBANG YUDHOYONO: (translation) Australia is very important for Indonesia. Australia is Indonesia's partner in (inaudible) partnership (inaudible)
During our discussions today, we discussed many areas where we can expand our (inaudible) cooperation. As I have said earlier, these include areas in trade and investment, security, development cooperation (inaudible) and climate change cooperation.
I'll be working closely with the Prime Minister to develop our strategic relations and to develop these relations for the long term. Of course from time to time there will be problems, bilateral problems between us and this is very normal as neighbours but with great spirit and with neighbourliness, our two countries will handle whatever problem that stands in the way.
JOURNALIST: Will Australia and Indonesia be supportive of the draft declaration at this climate change conference which gives a general guideline of 25 to 40 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions by 2020?
PM: Having arrived here about two hours ago and having just sat down with my own delegation, I understand a number of these are still being negotiated. The first starting point of course, as His Excellency and I just discussed on the question of greenhouse gas targets for the future, is that we request and accept the work of the scientists in identifying the future reductions which have been identified in order to avoid dangerous climate change and that's the scope that you referred to before.
The second question of course is what binding commitments that individual nation-states enter into. My commitment to the Australian people just prior to the election is that we would proceed on the question of binding commitments in a methodical fashion. We commissioned our own national report, entitled the Garnaut Report. We commissioned that six months ago while we were still in Opposition. It's due to report by the middle of next year, about June. Based on that report and the analysis it does in terms of interim targets through to 2020 and beyond and then we would be in a position then to frame our own interim targets.
I emphasize that our long term target is an ambitious target - to reduce our own greenhouse gas emissions by 60 per cent by 2050 against 2000 levels (inaudible). But we've established a proper and methodological basis by which to determine interim targets and that's the way in which we are going to proceed.
ends.