PRIME MINISTER:
Well ladies and gentlemen, my only involvement today has been the plenary session and you heard what I had to say there. Can I say before taking your questions, and I know some of you may want to get back to watching the tennis, which is at a very interesting stage, this is the first Davos I've been to in Switzerland, it was a valuable meeting, it did bring me into contact, particularly with a range of leaders that perhaps one doesn't see on such a regular basis and it's certainly an impressive opportunity to see the exchange of ideas between business leaders and political figures and leaders of NGOs and to understand how many things that we have in common, but also to recognize that there are differences of approach. The issue of poverty is quite properly high on the agenda at a meeting such as this. It is important to emphasise the role that trade liberalisation will play in the relief of poverty, a point that I made during my contribution and something that I hold to very strongly.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, there was a round of applause at the end of your last comments on that, do you think that you did make headway in terms of convincing others here that that is a key issue?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't want to sort of get carried away on the basis of a round of applause, but clearly there needs to be some plain speaking on this issue, it's not just a question of official development assistance, it is a question of the more developed countries, the highly developed countries removing trade barriers. And it's also a question of the less developed countries understanding that issues of governance, of corruption work against public sympathy in the developed world and there's no point in denying that, I mean I'm at the hands of the Australian people, I have to take notice of their feelings and my read is that the Australian people are very generous people and they are people who want to see the developed world lifted out of, the developing world lifted out of poverty but they also are keen to ensure that there's a proper return on their contribution.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you comments today about the obligations of developing countries, it's probably one of the very few instances during this conference where those obligations have been pointed out, do you feel that the debate here has been a little too bleeding heart (inaudible)?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I don't want to use that expression. What I endeavour to do is to talk very frankly and openly, I mean I am as concerned anybody else, about poverty, I think the world does have a moral obligation to address the issue, if it is not addressed it will not only get worse, and there's a huge moral consequence in that, but it will also have political consequences which will be discomforting to other parts of the world but it won't be addressed simply by looking at it in the traditional terms of increasing official development assistance because unless that official development assistance is properly used, and even if it properly used it is still minuscule compared with the value of opening up trade, and if you can break down trade barriers then you can achieve a great deal more.
JOURNALIST:
You were a strong advocate yesterday in your working lunch for the interests of Indonesia, encouraging some of your lunch mates to look more closely at investments in Indonesia, but obviously Indonesia is one of the countries in particular where there are concerns about...
PRIME MINISTER:
Can I say that that is understood in Indonesia, and the Indonesian Government is aware that it must have, it must address governance issues. And President Yudhoyono has spoken very openly of that.
JOURNALIST:
Can you give us an idea of which practical steps...
PRIME MINISTER:
Look it's not my role and I don't think it should be the role of somebody in my position to start specifying individual changes in particular countries, I think that is a matter for those countries to address that they having recognized the generic challenge that is involved.
JOURNALIST:
You said today, a number of times, that some of your views would be unpopular...
PRIME MINISTER: yes...
JOURNALIST: Do you think it's time that all the talk about poverty, you want to bring back some home truths and make them face reality here?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I do think we have to have a realistic debate on this issue, and it is not just a matter of percentage of GDP in official development assistance, and for too long it's been cast in those terms. Now that's important and there's a role for aid of that type, there's a role, a very important role for aid organizations. I'm a great admirer of the work that many of them carry out, I think they do absolutely wonderful work, but in the end the thing that will lift the nations of Africa out of poverty and will lift those nations of other parts of the world out of poverty, Africa is obviously the worst area, the most deprived continent is trade, and I am a passionate believer that there are benefits in globalization, I do not embrace the conventional view of many non-government organisations that globalisation is the enemy of the poor, I think globalisation is pathway to improvement for the poor and it should be seen in that way, and it should be advocated as such, and I do want trade barriers against developing countries lowered and I think Australia is not just preaching and not practicing, I think we have a good record on that front and there have been domestic political consequences involved in that. Progressive reduction of tariffs in Australia has involved that. But I want to see the developed world do more on that front, and I also want the under-developed world to understand the significance of addressing issues of governance, and both of those things have got to be said.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, you've been quite critical of Europe on several occasions in your time here. Have you had any feedback from European officials?
PRIME MINISTER:
I haven't spoken to any of them. But I'm not critical of Europe as such, I am critical of the restrictive trading policies of the European Union. But look this idea that I'm critical of Europe generally that is not correct, I don't look as Europe as a whole, I think that's an error. I think the other point I sought to make today, I think we have to be a little bit more realistic about it. This is still a world of nation states and I know some people don't want to embrace that idea but it is still a world of nation states and nation states can still act more quickly in times of emergency and dire need, and I made the point about the tsunami. I mean it was the nation states of Australia and the United States and Singapore that had assets on the ground in Aceh immediately. You can't get an international organisation doing that in quite the same way, I mean we work with those organisations and they're all doing wonderful work and I applaud them.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, (inaudible) where do you see Australia standing in terms of that global millennium goal of reaching 0.7 per cent of GDP?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I think we can do more on that front, but I do think it's - even more can be done in expanding trade.
JOURNALIST:
Do you commit Australia to meeting that goal by 2006...
PRIME MINISTER:
Well I'm not on the run making commitments about anything, this is not the occasion to do that. The occasion to address those issues is at another time.
JOURNALIST:
You said earlier that this was a great opportunity to meet political leaders and business leaders. While you've been here have you met anyone from Xstrata in relation to the take-over bid?
PRIME MINISTER:
No, I haven't and I don't intend to discuss that issue except to say that it would be dealt with in accordance with the Government's foreign investment policy.
JOURNALIST:
So there are claims, there are concerns that the take-over of Western Mining is against the national interest?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well whatever commercial interests are in play there is often a ready resort to acclaim national interest. It's been one of my more constant experiences in public life that companies often, in order to advance their own argument identify the national interest. It's the role of government to make decisions about the national interest in an objective and dispassionate way.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think that you might make the World Economic Forum an annual event for you?
PRIME MINISTER:
Oh look I don't, I'm a little more focused on the next few months than that.
JOURNALIST:
Mr Howard, can you give us a few words on your views of the significance of today for Iraq?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes I can. I see the election in Iraq as an historic moment for the Arab world. If there is a significant turn out, it will represent a triumph of people's courage over their fears. It will represent a victory of epic proportions for the cause of democracy in the face of just the most determined, vicious and evil attempt to frighten people out of exercising their democratic right. And to see those images on television of Iraqis literally dancing with joy at the opportunity to cast a vote brings home very much to me what is really involved in Iraq.
JOURNALIST:
Do you think the fact that there's been not a great deal of violence today in Iraq, there has been some, but not at a level that was expected, is that a good sign?
PRIME MINISTER:
I just hope that there's a big turn out. I don't have enough information, I don't think anybody does at the moment, to make any claim about that, any definitive claim. But if there is a significant turn out, and bear in mind that the last presidential election in the United States the turn out was less than 60 per cent, and I think anything significantly in excess of 50 per cent could be regarded as a good turn out. But if there is and generally it is seen as a success that would be a victory of epic proportions for the cause of democracy and it will, I believe, permanently change the whole debate about Iraq around the world, and it will drive home the point that nothing can beat the expression of free will by people through the ballot box and I hope very sincerely that there is a big turn out and I think the Iraqi people will deserve the admiration and congratulations of the world if that turns out to be the case. Just imagine what the voter turn out might be in mature sophisticated democracies if it had to take place in the teeth of the sort of harassment and intimidation and murder and mayhem that the Iraqi people have been subjected to. I only have to state it for you to understand what the obvious answer would be.
Can I just at this stage wish Lleyton Hewitt good luck and congratulate Alicia Molik for her victory in the women's doubles and Sam Stosur and Scott Draper for their victory in the mixed doubles. It's shaping up to be a very good Australian Open.
Thank you.
[ends]