PRIME MINISTER:
There'll be additional money to increase the rate of container examination. The x-ray facilities in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Fremantle. There will be support to enable Customs to board more vessels at the first port of arrival in Australia, that will include random checks. It will extend the Customs closed circuit television network, it will place specialist immigration officials to ports to assist with border control and we're also proposing to amend the Migration Act to allow passengers on round trip cruises to be more easily checked should that be deemed necessary in the future.
MCGRATH:
Dealing with those first of all, if we could, increasing in the rate of container examination - how much will it be increased by?
PRIME MINISTER:
Something by about 25%. 25% increase and it will actually bring the rate of inspection up to the standard of comparable countries.
MCGRATH:
Currently that rate is about 5%?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes, but it's going to be increased to bring it into line with comparable countries, USA and Canada and so forth.
MCGRATH:
Now, would you work towards 100% x-rays?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I don't think you can ever hope to have 100%. A lot of this is done on the basis of risk assessment and on the basis of intelligence and obviously you like to have it as high as possible but from a practical point of view and a resource of view you do try and base it on risk assessment and intelligence.
MCGRATH:
Now, you've said you'll allow custom officers on board at the first point of arrival. Labor has talked about, as you know, a sea marshals programme where they would be collecting surveillance and conducting operations off shore - now isn't that a better way to go?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think a lot of it depends on intelligence, Catherine, and obviously if you get intelligence then you do certain things irrespective of what the standard approach might be.
MCGRATH:
Meaning that...?
PRIME MINISTER:
Meaning that if you have intelligence that a ship is carrying a terrorist, you don't wait until the ship is safely berthed before you start doing something about it - that's the point I'm making.
MCGRATH:
Now what about oil and gas rigs, Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we're going to review the security arrangement for Australia's offshore oil and gas facilities. We're going to have a dedicated taskforce within the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet and that taskforce will also consider Australian Government capabilities for interdicting ships and other vessels at sea.
MCGRATH:
What sort of level of protection do you think there is at the moment for those oil and gas rigs?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, there are a number of measures and procedures that exist to protect those assets. Obviously, once again it's a question of intelligence. You don't have the resources to have an armed patrol and there's no need to have an armed patrol because you do have a capacity with intelligence services to be forewarned of attacks that are likely to occur on them.
MCGRATH:
There was much made several months about the danger of ships carrying actually dangerous goods within them, in effect floating bombs - are there any procedures to be announced on Tuesday to counter that?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, I think all of the emphasis must recognise the importance of timely intelligence. I mean, there is no limit to I guess the inspections and the surveillance you can undertake. You have to accept for the orderly despatch and conduct of business, you can't have a regime which makes that impossible and I think the use of primary and effective intelligence remains the most effective antidote against something such as that.
MCGRATH:
After you announced the changes to port security there'll be the first cabinet meeting with your new reshuffled team. From that should we presume that parliament will sit in August as planned?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well current arrangement is that parliament will sit, yes, that's a reasonable assumption.
MCGRATH:
But if an election was held earlier or called earlier then obviously it wouldn't sit?
PRIME MINISTER:
Catherine, it is reasonable to assume and natural to assume that parliament will sit as planned.
MCGRATH:
Your new team. The Communications Minister, Senator Helen Coonan said on the weekend that she's looking at possible refinements on Telstra and cross media ownership - what sort of things can the public expect?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, the basic policy is going to remain the same. We still believe that the existing cross-media laws are anachronistic. We think it is in the interests of telecommunications in this country that Telstra be no longer half owned by the Government and half owned by private shareholders. It would be better if it were all entirely owned by private shareholders. I think Helen was expressing the natural view of an incoming Minister that you look at the details and the nuances of the policy but the fundamentals of that policy is not going to change anymore than the fundamentals of our policy regarding commercial television licences and so forth. That's not going to change either.
MCGRATH:
Prime Minister, just finally, you've had a bit time to look at the Flood Report into Australia's intelligence services - are you any further down the track in determining whether or not there needs to be changes in the ONA after this?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, what I'm going to do Catherine, is after the Government has finished its consideration of the Flood Report I'm going to release the unclassified version to the public and I'm going to announce the Government's response to Mr Flood's recommendations. Let me express my own view and that is that I think that we are very well served by our intelligence services and I don't think there is a case for any big changes, any fundamental rearrangements. I think our intelligence services did a very honest and cautious and conscientious job in relation to both Iraq and in relation to other intelligence challenges that this country has had.
MCGRATH:
Do you have any regrets at all with the way the Flood inquiry was set up, I mean, one thing that Labor is criticising is the fact that within the terms of reference there is no examination of the political impact on the intelligence services?
PRIME MINISTER:
Catherine, there was no political interference in the intelligence services. We have not heavied the intelligence services. We have not manipulated intelligence. Of course, Labor is critical. Labor is always critical. I suppose they feel they have to be automatic oppositionists. We set up the Flood inquiry in the way recommended by the parliamentary committee which included from the Labor Party Mr Beazley and Senator Ray. We did exactly what we were asked to do by that committee.
MCGRATH:
But won't that question remain and why not ask him, why not have asked him to look at the political climate as well?
PRIME MINISTER:
Catherine, I think you ought to have a look at the report when it comes out. Why don't we do that? Why don't we have a look at the report? Why do you have a look at the report and/or your colleagues have a look at the report when it comes out? Can I just repeat again - we did exactly what we were asked to do by the Jull inquiry. We didn't set up our own inquiry. They recommended that somebody of Mr Flood's standing and experience have a look at the intelligence services and that's what we ended up doing.
[ends]