New Zealand's National Remembrance Service following Christchurch terrorist attack
Prime Minister
PRIME MINISTER: It’s been a great privilege to be here today with Jenny, the Governor General and Lady Cosgrove and Bill and Chloe Shorten, to stand together as Australians. To stand with New Zealanders, to stand with our Muslim brothers and sisters here, the first responders and all those who have been so directly and more broadly impacted. The service today was a thing of absolute beauty.
Today, New Zealand has responded to hate with love. They've responded to violence with peace, and I think that is a very, very powerful message. The outpouring that we saw today and as we've seen over the last fortnight - from New Zealanders, from Australians, from all around the world - I think has been a reminder of the goodness amongst the darkness that is often present.
I suppose one of the most touching moments today was when Farid Ahmed spoke as someone who is a survivor of that horrendous attack, that terrorist attack. He spoke of love and he spoke of peace and he spoke of forgiveness. These are very powerful, powerful things. Far more powerful than the hate and the violence that he encountered on that horrible day.
To hear the names of the 50 souls that were lost, particularly the last name spoken by his daughter, was overwhelming, overwhelming. But out of this comes a great hope and that's been expressed, I think, so beautifully by the people of New Zealand in the only way they know how to; with a smile, with a beautiful Maori song and a sense of strength which Christchurch and New Zealand has responded to that call for kia kaha by doing exactly that, by staying strong. For that, we embrace our Kiwi brothers and sisters, our cousins and we stand with them, as we always will. I'm also very grateful to the appreciations of support from New Zealand for the great work that Australians have been doing here, both in the police work that is being undertaken, the other support which is coming again in this next week - I understand New South Wales Ambulance counsellors will be here in New Zealand, providing support.
Whether it's state or federal - it was great to see the Premier, Gladys Berejiklian, here today - no Kiwi will ever forget the silver fern on the Opera House. I think that was such a wonderful gesture and I want to thank Premier Berejiklian for arranging that so quickly, to send that message on behalf of all Australians.
Today I had the privilege and the opportunity to talk to survivors directly, to talk to first responders directly. The shift that turned up on that horrible day two weeks ago, was the same shift that turned up to the Christchurch earthquake. So you can only imagine what those first responders were going through, as the horrors of the Christchurch earthquake, were now confronted with the horrors of violent terrorism in their midst. So it has been a deeply moving day for Jenny and I. There is much work to do. I've just finished a bilateral with the Prime Minister, where I have commended her for the work that she has done and the leadership she's shown here in New Zealand. We have worked very closely over the last few weeks, whether it was on gun laws or whether it was on the immediate response and the support that was provided. And now working together - and I appreciate her strong support for the G20 initiative, taking forward these measures on social media - as you know, we're working very consistently on that path. We appreciate their support and equally New Zealand is working on this as well. We'll continue to form a strong team, a strong ANZAC team, when it comes to pursuing these issues globally as well as domestically.
For Australia, while this didn't happen on our own shores, it certainly felt like it did, because of the closeness of our two countries. All those years ago, when John Howard responded to Port Arthur and the response for us today is to ensure that social media is not weaponized, in the same way that guns were available in Australia all those years ago and are no longer, thanks to that important reform. So a very somber day, but amongst the darkness there was a bright stream of light today.
JOURNALIST: PM do you get the sense at all, I mean in your time here, about the fact that Australia is viewed at the centre of all this and the ramification that might have on our relationship? The very [inaudible] between the two peoples?
PRIME MINISTER: No, I don't believe it does and I don't believe it will. The bonds between Australians and New Zealanders are too strong and too deep. So no, I don't believe it will. I think there is a way that we have shared this pain together that I think conveys an empathy and understanding that all Kiwis understand.
JOURNALIST: Is there a sense of guilt, a sense of responsibility [inaudible] given that the [inaudible] Australian citizen?
PRIME MINISTER: The crime was perpetrated by an extremist terrorist and extremist terrorists have no nationality. Their only nationality is hate and violence. That's not our country and it's not New Zealand either. So we proclaimed to the world that here, where we all live, we stand for peace, we stand for tolerance, we stand for living together in a harmony that frankly, the rest of the world, I know, would want to emulate. Australia and New Zealand are the most successful immigration countries and multicultural countries in the world. Australia, in particular, is a standout success on that front. I think that is the face of Australia.
JOURNALIST: Did you discuss bilateral efforts to combat right wing extremism and terrorism with Prime Minister Ardern and if so, what were the outcomes?
PRIME MINISTER: I'm not going to go into the details of the bilateral on a day like today. We work closely on those matters and all matters, particularly our focus at the moment is working very much on ensuring that we have coordinated action in relation to social media reforms.
JOURNALIST: Was there a discussion about whether Jacinda Ardern would like the alleged perpetrator extradited to Australia?
PRIME MINISTER: There was no discussion of that and there's no planning on that basis.
JOURNALIST: So no [inaudible]?
PRIME MINISTER: No.
JOURNALIST: Australia and New Zealand of course now share a tragedy, for us Port Arthur for them Christchurch, does it disturb you that conspiracy theories about Australia's own tragedy are now finding purchase 20 years on?
PRIME MINISTER: Look I've commented on those matters already in Australia, I don't intend to give that any oxygen in this city.
JOURNALIST: When you spoke with survivors, what did they tell you?
PRIME MINISTER: They are getting through, every day, but the one thing they did say to me was, they were so aware of the love and support that had come. Not just here in Christchurch and around New Zealand, but from Australia and all around the world. They felt quite overwhelmed with the expressions of support and love that have come from everywhere. That's why I say love conquers hate, peace conquers violence and that is what is happening in Christchurch.
JOURNALIST: You spoke of the little girl who read her father's name. You, as a dad, is that why it hit home so much?
PRIME MINISTER: Well, of course, of course. This is … this is a shocking terrorist event that will touch each of us differently and so for me as a father, hearing a daughter say the name of her father, who she now can't kiss goodnight ever again, obviously impacts me as a father. Jenny was talking to mothers today, she was talking to other women today. We will all connect with this in different ways, but in doing that, I think we all connect to each other.
Today is a day to celebrate the strength of humanity, the strength of love, the strength of peace and our shared commitment to it, as two great nations. Two great nations who have fought for peace all of our existence and we'll stand together in peace today.
Thank you very much.