Press Conference - Prime Minister of Australia

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER
THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP
PRESS CONFERENCE - COOLUM, QLD

Subjects: combating HIV/Aids; CHOGM; Governor General; defence; global warming; Zimbabwe.

PRIME MINISTER:

Well ladies and gentlemen, I certainly welcome you to this news conference. I thank all of you for joining me to celebrate the sixth anniversary of the election of the Howard Government on the 2nd of March 1996 and I look forward to seeing quite a lot of you in the years ahead.

Ladies and gentlemen, I just have two announcements to make. Both of them relate to the terrible scourge of HIV/AIDS in many parts of the Commonwealth. You will be aware that in 2000 the Foreign Minister announced that Australia would commit an amount of $200 million as a global commitment to fight HIV/AIDS and I can announce today that Australia has decided specifically to commit $100 million, that's half of that $200 million amount, to fighting the problem of AIDS in Asian Pacific member countries of the Commonwealth. So out of the $200 million already announced, we will dedicate $100 million, or half, specifically to fighting the problem of HIV/AIDS amongst Asian Pacific member states of the Commonwealth.
You will be aware, of course, that Australia sees herself as having, not only a responsibility to the Asian Pacific area, but a special responsibility to this part of the world.

And then over and above the $200 million, and this is new money entirely, Australia will provide an additional $11.5 million over four years to assist African members of the Commonwealth to reduce infection rates and the impact of HIV/AIDS by using Australian expertise in this field. Of this, $10 million will go to community based projects identified by Australian non-government organisations, and $1.5 million will go towards a scholarships programme to train African health workers to develop and implement strategies for reducing HIV/AIDS.

As I think everybody in this room is aware, it is an appalling problem and challenge, not only in Africa, but in a number of Asian Pacific countries, and whilst we are committing some additional funds to fighting the problem in Africa, in accordance with our long-standing policy of seeing a special responsibility in the Asia Pacific region we are committing $100 million of that already announced, I emphasise that, $200 million programme to dealing with the problem in the Asia Pacific area.

They are the only specific announcements I have to make at this celebratory press conference. But if there are any questions you want to ask me about the last six years, the last six weeks, the last six months, the last six days, I'd be absolutely delighted to try and answer them.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]…opinion polls would suggest the Australian people have similarly lost confidence…

PRIME MINISTER:

I don't have anything to add to what I've previously said.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER:

Look, I'm just not going to give a commentary on every single matter related to the Governor-General. My responsibility is to form a view as to whether grounds exist to recommend to the Queen that he be removed from Office. I do not believe those grounds exist on the information available to me, and I'm simply not going to give a commentary on each and every aspect of it.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible] responses to your public appeal for people to come forward with claims about Dr Hollingworth.

PRIME MINISTER:

Look I'd have to check Dennis. I'd have to check. As of a couple of days ago, I hadn't had a lot of, I'd had one or two letters. But I'd have to check that because I've been out of contact, or I've been out of Canberra. I'll check that, but as of Friday the response had been fairly small.

JOURNALIST:

And does your appeal suggest that you are leaving open the option to ask Dr Hollingworth to resign in relation to actions he took before he became Governor-General …

PRIME MINISTER:

It wasn't an appeal. I think it was wrongly reported as an appeal. What happened was that I was asked questions based on something that had been in a newspaper, I think, from recollection, and I said "well if anybody's got anything they want to send, please do so". "Appeal" suggests that I'd sort of proactively gone out and stood up and said send me information. I wasn't doing that.

I have a position which I have explained and nothing has been presented to me which would alter that view.

JOURNALIST:

Did you discuss this with the Governor General when you saw him in Adelaide ?

PRIME MINISTER:

We had a discussion, and I don't normally comment on discussions I have with the Governor-General or Her Majesty.

JOURNALIST:

Prime Minister, would you acknowledge that there is significant community concerned about Mr Hollingworth's performance as Archbishop and that the community expects you to resolve this matter?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, I'll leave that to you people to write columns on. I've got a responsibility, I've got to deal with whether circumstances and material exists. I have formed a judgement on that. I believe that that judgement is correct. I believe that thinking people in the community understand that I have reached a correct judgement. I feel comfortable about that judgement. I think it is the right judgement, and I think I have a very big obligation to the Australian people, a very big obligation to the Australian people to form a value judgement on the merits of this issue and not to be unduly influenced by media coverage, and I don't say that in the context of this answer, I don't say that, disrespectfully. I might say that disrespectfully in other contexts, but in the context of this answer I don't. I've got an obligation to form a view on the merits of it. I mean, I'm in a different position from you, and I'm in a different position from other people. I have the responsibility, and I intend to discharge that responsibility in a very conscientious faithful fashion, irrespective of what may be written, or irrespective of what may be currently reported in opinion polls. I've got a responsibility and I intend to stick to it.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible] impossible to do that job…

PRIME MINISTER:

Look, I'm simply not even going to attempt to answer that question.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER:

I'm not even going to endeavour to try and answer that

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]… how you can stop the crisis harming the office, surely that is a job for you as well as Dr Hollingworth.

PRIME MINISTER:

Well I think if people who care about the Office and also care about fair treatment of people, including and most particularly, past victims of child abuse, everybody has an obligation to report and cover this issue in a fair and objective and sensitive fashion, and I do believe that some of the things that have been said and written about the Governor-General haven't met that standard.

JOURNALIST:

…these organisations…

PRIME MINISTER:

Well I'm not going to talk Glenn about individual relationships between the Governor-General and organisations. I don't know the discussions, I don't know the thought processes, I don't know the correspondence. It is not my job to give a running commentary on, in effect, every relationship that the Governor-General has with an organisation. I'm not going to even try and do it.

JOURNALIST:

Mr Howard, [inaudible] public opinion totally quarantined [inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER:

I will simply, David, repeat what I've said. And that is, that my responsibility to the Australian people, and in the end they are my masters, nobody else, and I owe an obligation to them to discharge my office in relation this issue in a conscientious manner. And that means that I have a particular responsibility that nobody else has. I have the responsibility of recommending or not recommending a course of action. Now I am therefore in a very different position from anybody else, and I've got to do that conscientiously, and I am doing my job by the Australian people by saying to them I'm trying to form a conscientious view about this, and I'm doing it, and that conscientious view is what I have just outlined, and it hasn't changed since I first outlined it.

JOURNALIST:

Mr Hollingworth has expressed the view that the focus on his treatment of these allegations may actually lead to a quickening [inaudible] in the area to help people have confidence that institutions that are dealing with child sexual abuse efficiently, Do you think there is a role for the government in that area, as separate to his position?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, I'm not going to comment on what he may have said. I don't know the context. I mean, this government has a very clear and unequivocal view on child abuse, and this Prime Minister has a very clear and unequivocal view, and I expressed it very strongly at a press conference in Canberra the week before last, which apparently went on for too long according to some of your colleagues.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]

PRIME MINISTER:

No, no….well you'd better talk to the people who said it went on for too long, because you know, I might get bad habits and stop having regular press conferences and engaging in these fruitful and candid exchanges of views.

Dennis I've got an unequivocal, uncompromising view, and it was expressed at that press conference. I find it abominable, unacceptable and repulsive, and everybody's got a responsibility to do everything they can to fight it. There can't be any cavilling in relation to that. That has always been my view. I find it just flesh-creeping in the extreme. Now I can't be any more explicit, and we will do everything we can within our responsibilities, but I mean, everybody has got responsibilities - state governments have got responsibilities in relation to this - so our position is very clear.

JOURNALIST:

Prime Minister can you give us your clear and unequivocal view on Zimbabwe?

PRIME MINISTER:

Yes, I'll make a couple of statements, remarks about Zimbabwe. The first thing I have to say is that the principles of the Commonwealth require that elections in Zimbabwe, as in other Commonwealth countries, be fair and open. And it's fair to say that the Commonwealth and other countries around the world will be watching what happens and will be very interested in the report of the observers. I don't think it's appropriate for me in advance of the retreat, and this issue is going to be discussed at the retreat in detail, I don't think it's appropriate for me in advance of the retreat to start expressing a view, and I say this out of courtesy to my fellow Commonwealth leaders, expressing a view about what has gone on in Zimbabwe up until now. I owe them the courtesy particularly as I'm Chairman of this Commonwealth meeting, and will be under the new arrangements adopted as a result of the acceptance of the High Level Review Group Report, I'll be, I think it's called the Chairman in Office between now and the next Commonwealth meeting at the end of next year. But I have a view and obviously that view will come out. But it's an issue where there's a range of views but clearly the fundamental requirement is that the elections be fair and democratic and there are observers it and clearly those observers will report.

JOURNALIST:

Prime Minister, can I just clarify, I've heard what you've said constitutionally about Dr Hollingworth and your position as Prime Minister, but does it concern you that one of Australia's most respected child welfare groups, the Barnados, believe that our Governor General is not a suitable patron for their work and their group?

PRIME MINISTER:

What I'm saying Paul and there's really no clarification needed, I made my position very clear. I said I wasn't going to comment on that because I don't know the background, I don't know the discussions, I don't know the full basis of the decision. So I'm simply not going to answer that. No clarification needed, I thought I'd made that very clear.

JOURNALIST:

Prime Minister, do you see any need for a national inquiry or royal commission into child sex abuse?

PRIME MINISTER:

That's a difficult question to answer because if you say no somebody will then turn around and say well he's going soft on it, he doesn't care. On the other hand up until this issue, let me put it this way, up until this issue arose, this debate, I hadn't had people coming to me saying we ought to have a royal commission. So once again that's a creature if I can put it that way ….hadn't had people proposing a royal commission, I mean I've had people who have spoken to me about the issue but not in that context. Now it's not something that I would ever rule out but then don't go and write an article saying Howard refuses to rule out therefore he's necessarily going to…look, if it were, if I was completely satisfied that that was going to advance the cause of helping victims and preventing it occurring then it would be very important. But I think it's also, can I just make one other comment about this issue that it's tremendously important repelled though we are by the issue and what is involved in it we mustn't go to the other extreme of creating a situation where there is a suspicion in the community that every group or everybody or every person that interacts in an intimate way, personal way with children is a potential child abuser. That would be doing an enormous, a grievous, horrible disservice to thousands of dedicated people including thousands of dedicated ministers and priests, thousands of dedicated teachers and other people who have the care of children. We've got to keep a sense of proportion and I would hate to ever see a situation in this country where people who want to express natural affection in the way that we express affection to people, feel in some way they're constrained form doing that because of a fear that they might be seen in some way as child abusers. I think that would rob our community and our society of a precious outpouring of normal human emotion. I think it would be terrible thing if that were to happen. I feel quite strongly about that.

JOURNALIST:

[[inaudible]]

PRIME MINISTER:

Have I pulled somebody into line about their reported comments? I don't normally pull people into line about reported comments. I pull people into line if they deserve to be pulled into line.

JOURNALIST:

Well have you?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well the assumption in your question is that he or somebody else deserves to be pulled into line. I have a lot of discussions with Bill and he's a good bloke and he's doing a good job as Cabinet Secretary.

JOURNALIST:

[inaudible]…his position in view of developments like Barnardos ?

PRIME MINISTER:

I think Dr Hollingworth is a thoughtful person who is monitoring the situation very closely.

JOURNALIST:

[[inaudible]]

PRIME MINISTER:

I see that as having, given the track record of that organisation on any issue that involves my government, I'm a little suspicious as to whether that is the result of a spontaneous outpouring of views from the men and women of Australia who do a magnificent job teaching in our schools. I mean let's be…I think some of the stances that have been taken on this issue have been quite political, quite political. I don't think there should be any doubt. I mean there is an issue involved, you know there's an issue involved and I try to deal with the merits of it. But I think it's been quite political.

JOURNALIST:

On global warming Mr Howard. Have you got anything to respond to the concerns of some of the low lying atoll states about Australia's agreement with the United States in respect of climate change and suggestions that could undermine the Kyoto protocols, and also some concerns raised on that same issue by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well the British Prime Minister did not raise that issue with me when we had our bilateral. He has not raised that issue with me at any time since he's been in Coolum. Now he may some time from now on, I don't know. But I was interested to read that report. I had a lengthy bilateral with Tony Blair and we've had a number of corridor exchanges and pull-asides since, and it hasn't been raised yet. I mean he may and he's perfectly entitled to raise anything he likes, but he's not raised it with me. In relation to the Pacific Island states, it was raised briefly by one country at our breakfast. I had a breakfast meeting with all the Pacific Island countries on Friday morning. It was my first group encounter of the whole conference. That issue was raised. I pointed out the understanding we have with the United States is not in the terms that it's been described by one newspaper to the effect that it's an agreement that brings us together in opposition to the Kyoto protocol. We have not entered into any understanding with the United States which in any way effects the commitments we have made to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Our position on this issue is not identical with the United States. We are more understanding of the United States' position than the Europeans are because in our view the European position is geared to suit Europe and is not sufficiently accommodating of Australia's position. Australia is different from Europe on this issue. We are a net exporter of energy and our view remains very strongly that unless you have the Americans and the developing countries in you will not have an effective arrangement and that is a commonsense logical view and we won't be deviating from that. But I felt the explanation that I gave of that to my friend from the Pacific area was understood.

JOURNALIST:

Mr Howard you mentioned as Chairman in Office under the changes of the High Level Review Group [inaudible] new role.

PRIME MINISTER:

Will be what?

JOURNALIST:

You mentioned the High Level Review Group changes and said you would be Chair in Office until the next Commonwealth meeting.

PRIME MINISTER:

Yeah just as Thabo Mbeki has been the Chairman in Office since the last one.

JOURNALIST:

Is there any suggestion at all though that that will give you a role in determining what action may or may not be taken over Zimbabwe after the election?

PRIME MINISTER:

Any role I might have in that would be entirely at the discretion of heads of government.

JOURNALIST:

[[inaudible]] consequence of the practice of transferring some [[inaudible]] debt into US dollars?

PRIME MINISTER:

Are you talking about that……well look I think you better ask the Treasurer about it. He's across all of the detail of that.

JOURNALIST:

Do you think that the Treasurer should be gambling taxpayers' funds….?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well the advice that I've had from the Treasurer is that they haven't been gambling and he would reject completely any suggestion that the Treasury had been gambling with your money or mine.

JOURNALIST:

Just to return to the point of the press conference…..

PRIME MINISTER:

The point of the press conference, yes.

JOURNALIST:

You mentioned you've celebrated six years. I'm just wondering how the last six days rates among those six years and is the beginning of this term what you expected?

PRIME MINISTER:

One of the things that I've learned in the last six years Michael, I've had reinforced, is that you never know what's going to happen and things always come out of the clear blue sky both beneficial and not so beneficial. Look there have been some political challenges over the last two or three weeks but I expect that. I don't expect a smooth ride from the media, from anybody. I expect the Opposition to have a go at me, I expect you and your colleagues to have a regular go at me and you never disappoint me and that's understandable. But I take a long view and the last six years has taught me, I mean you go back to the beginning of last year. I don't think there would have been too many people here who would have thought I'd have won the election but we did. There are a couple of challenging issues. I want to say, I mean I've dealt in some detail in relation to the Governor General. Could I just say that I have to say because I'm at a media gathering I thought some of the remarks made at the attempted expense of the Chief of the Defence Force at a news conference the other day were to me quite deplorable. Any suggestion that that man lacks personal courage is offensive and I repeat the very strong support that I gave to him. I mean it's one thing to criticise a person politically and so forth. It's another thing to impugn his courage and I don't think that's acceptable particularly to a Naval officer who by definition places his life on the line in the interests of the nation.

JOURNALIST:

Do you think Defence needs a shake up though?

PRIME MINISTER:

Look they're sort of, you know, look let me answer it this way ? I have enormous confidence in what the Defence Forces have done, enormous confidence in what the Defence Forces have done in relation to their responsibilities. I think they have served us incredibly well in the time that I've been in government and I'm sure beforehand too. I'm not limiting this to the period of office that I've been Prime Minister. I think what they did in relation to East Timor was outstanding and has the admiration of defence personnel around the world and the two people responsible for that were Admiral Barrie and Peter Cosgrove. I mean I made the political decisions but once those political decisions had been taken, and I wouldn't have been able to take those political decisions particularly in relation to the deployment of Australian troops if it hadn't been for the advance advice and preparation over which Admiral Barrie as head of the Defence Force had presided. And of course I have great admiration as all Australians do for the work that General Cosgrove did. And in relation to Afghanistan I can only repeat again that the main preoccupation of the leadership of the Australian Defence Forces in the early days of October were our involvement in the war against terrorism and Admiral Barrie was very heavily committed to that and I think he's done, did do and has done a first class job in relation to that. As to the other aspects of that broad issue well I don't have anything to add to what I've already said. I've said all and everything I can possible say in relation to that.

JOURNALIST:

In terms of that broad issue has the issue of asylum seekers been raised with you? At least one leader has mentioned to some members of the press he was going to raise asylum seekers with you. And just secondly on CHOGM, in terms of your two years of Chairmanship what do you set as the goals for what you'd like to achieve there?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well I have no recollection that anybody's raised it with me. I don't think they have. I'm not aware….no I don't think anybody has. I would simply, I mean I don't want to…..I mean we better be careful we don't run away with this Chairman in Office thing. It's not sort of some new sort of, you know, imperial possession. I mean please, I mean I'm in real trouble on this. Anything vaguely related to the Commonwealth and John Howard, I mean there'll be real trouble with some of the Australian media on that. Look it's just my, you know, it just falls to me because I'm chairing this meeting and whatever I do I will do with the explicit authority, and it's not a new office in that sense, so we shouldn't get…..What are my, my goals are I think to defend what the Commonwealth does best and that is provide a point of interaction between people of different religions, different races but brought together by a common historical association and the shared values of a reverence for the rule of law, democratic principles, human rights. They are the things that the Commonwealth does best. I think what the Commonwealth has done best over the years has been to protect and bring back democracy. When you look at the Commonwealth 11 years ago there were a lot of military dictatorships. That's all gone and I think the Commonwealth is very good at that and they're the sort of things that I would like to defend and protect. Thank you.

[Ends]