PRIME MINISTER:
It’s good to be here in Kuala Lumpur at the East Asia Summit, of course this follows the ASEAN Summit. ASEAN is at the heart of regional security and Australian engagement with ASEAN is of vital importance.
The focus of these discussions in the course of yesterday and today has been very much directed at the issue of countering violent extremism. The attacks in Paris and Bamako in very recent days of course have focused attention on that. As you know, we’ve been working for some time with our partners in the region – including our host Malaysia – on countering violent extremism and sending out what the Prime Minister of Malaysia would call counter messaging. His message is that Islam is moderate and he seeks to project – as do other leaders of Muslim countries, such as President Widodo of Indonesia – a message of authentic, moderate Islam as a counter message to the violent extremism of Daesh and other similar extremist groups.
So, we’ve had very productive discussions and I want to acknowledge the great job Malaysia has done in hosting the ASEAN and East Asia Summits.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, can I ask you a couple of questions about China? What’s the general mood on the South China Sea business, if you like? And also in your meeting with Premier Li – can you elaborate a little bit on your discussions with him about Australia coal and the new Chinese [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER:
Dealing with the coal first. As you know, China has imposed – and we respect their doing so – strong environmental limits, regulations on coal, principally directed at reducing the level of sulphur in the coal that they burn to counter pollution. Australian coal generally has very low sulphur so there’s no bad news in that for Australian coal exporters. There have, however, been some administrative difficulties in the way the testing has been managed and the Premier Li Keqiang and I had a very good discussion about that and how we might be able to expedite the testing so that Australian coal exporters and indeed Chinese importers of Australian coal will not be inconvenienced or have their activities disrupted.
QUESTION:
Back home there is a concern among the Church leaders that not enough Syrian Christians will be accepted in the 12,000 intake. Do you acknowledge those concerns at home? Do you want to see more Syrian Christians taken into Australia under that [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER:
Can I just say, David, I’ve been concerned for some time and have been very vocal about my concern for the persecuted minorities in the Middle East, prominent among whom of course are the Christian communities. Regrettably, the likely consequence of these wars in the Middle East will be a reset order in which there will be a much less welcoming environment for Christians. The regimes in Iraq and Syria – tyrannies though they were – were secular tyrannies. That’s to say Christians were not persecuted by reason of being Christians as a general rule. The tenor of the times in the Middle East is much less welcoming to minorities like the Christians and that is why the focus of the 12,000 intake is on persecuted minorities and women and children. Nothing has changed – that is exactly what it is and I discuss it regularly, indeed not every day, but most days with the Immigration Minister, Mr Dutton.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, in view of conversations you’ve had over the last week and your return home is imminent – are there further domestic actions and legislation that are under consideration in light of the terror attacks, or even bilaterally coming out of say your discussions with the Malaysian Prime Minister?
PRIME MINISTER:
Well, we are intensifying our cooperation on counter terrorism with all of our partners in the region. Sharing intelligence, of course, is of critical importance. The challenge of combatting Daesh and similar groups online is very real. They may be promoting a very barbaric, primitive message but they do so skilfully through social media and so effective counter messaging, counter narratives of moderation – to quote the Malaysian Prime Minister – are very important. And as you know, there is a centre being established here in Kuala Lumpur which we are supporting which is going to be working on that. And what we all need to do is – PM Najib and I were discussing today – is we need to be sharing our experiences, seeing what works, what doesn’t work and making sure that the right messages are out there that counter these extremist narratives which regrettably are drawing a lot of young people from the path of moderation and good sense.
QUESTION:
Bearing in mind what’s going on in Brussels at the moment with the security lockdown there and what’s been going on in Paris and obviously in Mali – has the National Security Committee of Cabinet met or are you holding extra talks as a result of that? Are you looking at closely reviewing Australia’s alert level?
PRIME MINISTER:
The alert level, as you know, remains where it has been since I think September last year at high. I’ve been talking to my national security ministers and other ministers and officials. I was just speaking to the Chief of the Defence Force, Mark Binskin, a few moments ago and I was speaking to ASIO and the Chief Federal Police Commissioner over the last few days. Yes, National Security Committee will be meeting tomorrow shortly after I return, but I can assure you – because I think you understand from what I’ve said publicly – I’ve remained in the closest possible contact on all of these national security issues at home.
QUESTION:
Prime Minister, is there anything you wanted to say about the two Australians who died in the helicopter crash in New Zealand?
PRIME MINISTER:
Yes – I’ve spoken about that with John Key and two Australians – as you said – were killed in a helicopter accident and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and we’re very sorry to hear of that accident.
QUESTION:
On security, some of your conservative colleagues back home think that the Immigration Minister should be put back on the NSC. Given what’s been happening over the last two days, what’s your response to that suggestion?
PRIME MINISTER:
Let me say, the National Security Committee of the Cabinet is composed on a relatively small number of Ministers who attend every meeting and then whenever there is an issue which is relevant to another Ministers portfolio or to which another Minister can make a relevant contribution, that Minister is co-opted. The Immigration Minister is frequently co-opted to the NSC. Any matter that is relevant to immigration at NSC we’ll have Mr Dutton there. Any matter that is relevant, for example, to the work of the Education Minister, or the Health Minister will see them there. Any matter that is relevant to the work of the Social Services Minister, for example, in settlement services in relation to migration will see Mr Porter there.
So, I can assure you that Mr Dutton is intimately engaged with all of our linked discussions about security, where they affect the Border Protection and Immigration portfolio. And I might make the same point about the Justice Minister, Mr Keenan, who of course is the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister on Counter-Terrorism. When those issues arise he is co-opted as well. So, you should be under no misapprehension. Every single Minister whatever their portfolio, if there is a matter before the NSC which is relevant to their portfolio, they are there. If there is a matter to which they can make a relevant contribution, they will be there. This is a very traditional, consultative, Cabinet Government and what I’ve sort to do with respect to all of the institutions of Government is so far as I can model them on the practices of the Government led so successfully by John Howard. And on that note, I will leave you.