PM SIKUA: Thank you, thank you very much ladies and gentlemen of the media. First of all I wish to thank Prime Minister Rudd for taking time from his busy schedule to visit Solomon Islands. This is a manifestation of the new chapter in our bilateral relations. We've had a very successful meeting this morning and I wish to thank Prime Minister Rudd for his indications of additional funding support for rehabilitation and other priorities, priority areas of the (Coalition for National Unity and Rural Advancement) Government that I lead. I welcome the announcement of the $14.5 million additional funding announced by Prime Minister Rudd and I'm also grateful for the granting of the fifth freedom rights to Solomon Airlines.
I also wish to acknowledge and warmly welcome Australia's commitment to work with the region including Solomon Islands under the Pacific partnerships framework. My Government is committed to working closely with Australia and the region on the basis of this framework.
On RAMSI we will continue to consult with a, through contributing countries on matters pertaining to the operation of RAMSI. I hope that RAMSI will continue to assist the Government in fulfilling its rural development priorities and goals. Finally Solomon Islands supports Australia, Australia's bid to host the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders meeting in 2009, thank you ladies and gentlemen.
PM RUDD: Thank you very much Prime Minister for you welcome here in Honiara today and the welcome we also received from members of your Cabinet and I would thank the Solomon Islands Prime Minister for his support and the support from the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea for Australia's bid to host the 2009 Pacific Islands Forum in our country. We think that is a good step forward for Australia in its new partnership of cooperation with the island states of the Pacific. It has been some 14 years since Australia hosted a Pacific Islands Forum and by 2009 it will be 15 years, so it's over due for Australia to host this important gathering of all the island states of our most immediate region and I thank the two Prime Ministers, representing two significant nation states within the Pacific Islands Forum family for their support for Australia hosting this important event.
On top of that, the discussions we have had today have focused on RAMSI, they've focused on our proposal for Pacific development partnerships into the future. On RAMSI, we, as one of the participants in RAMSI, have appreciated the support provided to RAMSI operations by the Government of Solomon Islands. This is a partnership between the Solomons, the Pacific Islands Forum and contributor states including Australia. RAMSI has made progress against the objective set for it, there is still much work to do, but we are confident that it is headed very much in the right direction, and we look forward to working in partnership with the Government of Solomon Islands on how that work can be enhanced into the future
I thanked this morning the various participants of RAMSI. The men and women of the Australian Defense Force, our police, and of course our Government civilian officials and those of other countries as well for the important work they are doing on the ground.
The Prime Minister and I also discussed our framework for Pacific development partnerships for the future. In the case of Solomon Islands, this is not a substitute for RAMSI, it's an addition to RAMSI over time. And we look forward to these Pacific development partnerships as providing a mechanism based on mutual respect, mutual cooperation and mutual responsibility, to obtain the core development goals which we between us have set for the people of this beautiful country. On top of that, I have also indicated to the Prime Minister that Australia would be pleased to support some immediate and specific development projects concerning road infrastructure, recovery from the tsunami as well as other development priorities which the Prime Minister has identified.
Finally, before taking your questions, we also discussed the great question of whaling. This is a matter of concern to the Australian people, concern to peoples across the world. The proper conservation of whales, the proper conservation of these great creatures of the deep and working as an international community towards an end point of ending so called scientific whaling. And I've asked the Government of Solomons to work with us in the future in partnership in support for our efforts in the international whaling commission and in building a broader international coalition against so called scientific whaling. I appreciate the response I have received from the Prime Minister of Solomon Islands on this and I look forward to working with other partner Governments in the South Pacific on this challenge into the future. Australia is serious about this mission we have set for ourselves. We are looking at all ways in which we can advance the cause of protecting these great creatures of the deep into the future and working in partnership with island Pacific countries is an important step forward for us towards that end.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Rudd is Australia's relationships with the Pacific now back on track?
PM RUDD: Well from the Australian Government's perspective we think they're getting back on track. The Port Moresby Declaration was intended for the entire region, the Pacific Development Partnerships are intended for the entire region and it's to herald a new period of mutual respect, mutual cooperation and mutual responsibility. We think we've made a good first start, a good first step in this direction and the response I've received both in Honiara, Port Moresby and even Goroka on this question has been pretty positive.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Sikua this morning Prime Minister Rudd said that the RAMSI forces would stay here for as long as they are welcome and as long as they had a job to do. Can you tell us what job there is left for them to do here and how long you think they should stay?
PM SIKUA: That is a matter in which we are looking at in our review and that will become clearer when the report is produced to Parliament by the mid of this year and we will discuss that in Parliament during the mid year Parliament session.
PM RUDD: What the Prime Minister and I discussed on that was that the Pacific Island Forum conducted a review of RAMSI's performance which was concluded last year and that review was positive. It's now being considered by relevant Parliamentary Committee I believe by the Solomon Islands Parliament and it will reach its conclusions by about the middle of the year.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Rudd I'd like to know if you addressed the issue of Fiji with your Papua New Guinea counterparts and the Solomon Islands Prime Minister?
PM RUDD: Certainly we have had discussions on Fiji in Port Moresby. We propose to have discussions on a range of regional questions over lunch fairly soon and that includes of course the desirable objective for us all of seeing an early return to Parliamentary democracy in Fiji.
JOURNALIST: Is there scope for you to work together to achieve that?
PM RUDD: I'll ask the Prime Minister to speak for himself on that, but for myself and Papua New Guinea, again I pay tribute to the work of the Grand Chief Sir Michael Somare and the very constructive role he's played both in the Forum and outside the Forum in encouraging Fiji's early return to Parliamentary and democratic processes. The target's set of course of 2009 and I think we are all marching in that direction together.
PM SIKUA: Yes it's good for us to work together.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd you've talked about $14.5 million today for the Solomons and $38 million for PNG when you were there, a total of more than $40 million. What would you say to Australian people who they are facing tough budget, you've talked a lot about a tough budget, why should we be giving money to these Pacific nations when it's so tight back at home?
PM RUDD: It is a question of making sure that if you act now on the development challenges here in the region then you reduce the problems for Australia and other countries later on. If you leave these problems go...let's just assume for example there was no RAMSI, let's just assume there was no intervention, let's just assume that contributor states all walked away. There are real problems that could have emerged including the disintegration of certain regional states. And if that occurred that would of itself be a bad development for the region in terms of its stability. It would also be a bad development for Australia because what would happen is that you would inevitably be large scale outflows of refugees. Now that's why it's important for Australia to act sensibly, intelligently and cooperatively with our partner Governments in the region to build health, to build education, to build infrastructure, to build economic opportunities for the peoples of the Island States, for their own futures. But also it is entirely meshed with the interests of the Australian people as well. Otherwise if this region is not properly attended to, then these problems come crashing across our doors later on.
JOURNALIST: Australian carers and now Australian pensioners are worried by reports in recent days that your Government is about to withdraw payments guaranteed under the previous Howard Government. Can you either give them a reassurance that those payments will remain or at least set their minds at rest and tell them what is being withdrawn and when?
PM RUDD: Right now we are engaged in a Budget process where everything is being debated in preparation for the upcoming Budget. We have been very transparent about that in the period since the last election. What I can say to carers and pensioners right across Australia - that there is no way on God's earth that I intend to leave them in the lurch. I will say to carers and pensioners across Australia that as a Labor Government we are there to extend a helping hand to those in need, and not to push them to one side as if they are unimportant. They are not. They are at the forefront of our attention and that will be the case as we frame this Budget and that will be seen on Budget night as well.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Sikua, could I ask you, your Attorney-General Chambers presented a submission to the Commission of Inquiry basically saying RAMSI was responsible for the damage in the riots and Australia should bare responsibility for compensation. Is that the Government's point of view?
PM SIKUA: I have not received those submissions, and therefore has not come to Cabinet to take a Government position on those submissions.
PM RUDD: Certainly on that matter itself which you have just raised Sean. Our view as Australia, is that RAMSI has acted entirely professionally and properly in discharging its responsibilities. For RAMSI there is absolutely no case to answer. RAMSI itself has made its own submission to this part inquiry which you would be aware. I'm certainly aware of the document to which you have referred as well. These matters will now be deliberated on by the appropriate Inquiry into what happened in those riots. But from the perspective of the Australian Government, there is no case to answer.
JOURNALIST: Mr Rudd on whaling, are you concerned that a Japanese whaling ship has thrown, what they are calling “noise balls” onto the Steve Irwin?
PM RUDD: I'm deeply concerned by any behaviour in the Southern Ocean, from whichever party, which becomes potentially dangerous or incendiary. I make no particular judgment on what may have occurred in the last 24 hours or so. I'm here in the Solomons and have not seen the detail of what has transpired. But I would call on all parties who are active in this matter in the Southern Ocean to exercise restraint. The last thing that any of us want to happen is for there to be a tragedy down there because of any irresponsible behaviour anywhere.
JOURNALIST: Time to send the Oceanic Viking back?
PM RUDD: We have as you know deployed that vessel for one explicit purpose and that's been to collect evidence to form a basis for a possible international legal action and that mission has been successfully executed. We have also said from day one that whoever is down there, has to exercise proper restraint because no one, repeat, no one wants a tragedy to occur. And I would therefore call on all parties not to engage in provocative or incendiary behaviour and for all parties to exercise proper restraint.
JOURNALIST: Prime Minister Sikua, Prime Minister Rudd said that when he raised the issue enlisting your support for opposition to scientific whaling, he was pleased with your response. Can I ask you, what was your response?
PM SIKUA: Well, as you might know, the International Whaling Commission is meeting in London at the moment. We are not attending because usually Japan pays for our attendance but we refused that assistance and therefore we have not gone because we can't afford it. I'm not sure how much, but it does cost us money and in previous situations and meetings, Japan has been paying for our attendance but we have refused that assistance.
PM RUDD: So I thanked Prime Minister for his indication of working with us positively and cooperatively into the future in building a robust and real coalition against whaling around the world.
JOURNALIST: Did you offer to pay the Prime Minister's attendance?
PM RUDD: Neither his nor yours!