2007 Media Releases

All Media Releases

Aid-related media releases are also available from AusAID

November

• Dr Ashton Calvert AC, 16 November
• Pakistan: State of emergency, 4 November

October

• Turkey and Northern Iraq, 26 October
• Australia Implements Bilateral Financial Sanctions against Burmese Regime, 24 October
• Australian Muslims Visit South-East Asia, 23 October
• Terrorist Attack in Karachi, 19 October
• Malcolm Lyon OBE, 18 October
• Australia to Help Protect Fish Stocks in the Pacific, 17 October (AusAID)
• Australia Commits $20 Million to Tackle Chronic Diseases in the Pacific, 17 October (AusAID)
• Ministerial meeting of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, 16 October
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Mexico, 12 October
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Brazil, 12 October
• Burma, 12 October
• Australia Delivers on Support for Asia-Pacific Infrastructure, 12 October (AusAID)
• Journalism Award Fosters Indonesian-Australian Relationship, 11 October
• Who would lead Australia's foreign policy under a Rudd government?, 10 October
• McClelland's Big Mistake - Telling the truth on Labor policy, 9 October
• Inaugural appointments to the Commission for International Agricultural Research, 8 October
• Australia Challenges Business to Help Reduce Poverty in the Asia-Pacific, 8 October (AusAID)
• Australia's Ambassador for HIV/AIDS, 6 October (AusAID)
• Australian appointed to key UN counter-terrorism position, 5 October
• Australia to Provide Humanitarian Assistance to the People of Burma, 5 October (AusAID)
• Kevin Rudd's Short Memory for the Truth, 5 October
• Papua New Guinea on the move - by Road, Air and Sea, 4 October (AusAID)
• North Korea: Six‑Party Talks Agreement, 4 October
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to East Timor, 4 October
• Diplomatic Appointment - Consul-General in Noumea, 4 October
• Australia Increases Support to Fragile Countries, 1 October (AusAID)
• Bali Bombing Anniversaries, 1 October

September

• Burma, 28 September
• Canadian Membership of the Asia Pacific Partnership on Clean Development and Climate, 28 September
• Australia Pledges Support to Fight Aids, Tuberculosis and Malaria, 28 September (AusAID)
• Arrogant Labor Puts Diplomatic Achievements at Risk, 27 September
• Closer Cooperation with NATO, 26 September
• Australia Boosts Development Aid to the Mekong, 26 September (AusAID)
• Labor left behind as international climate changes, 25 September
• Protests in Burma, 25 September
• Attendance at the Sixty‑Second UN General Assembly and visit to the United States, 21 September
• James Osmond Furner AO CBE DSM, 21 September
• Assassination of Lebanese Parliamentarian, 20 September
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to the OECD, 17 September
• Roads Upgrades to Boost Regional Indonesian Economy, 16 September (AusAID)
• Council for Australia Latin America Relations: Appointment of new Executive Committee Members, 14 September
• Australia Funds Six New Secondary Schools in Bali, 14 September (AusAID)
• Australia Increases South Asia Flood Relief, 14 September (AusAID)
• Rejection of the challenge to the PNG Defence Force Inquiry into the Moti Affair, 13 September
• Australia Comes to the Aid of Quake Survivors in Indonesia, 13 September (AusAID)
• Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade celebrates 15 years supporting Clean Up the World, 13 September
• More Australian Aid for North Korea Flood Relief, 13 September (AusAID)
• Australian appointed to lead UN Democracy Fund, 12 September
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Kuwait, 11 September
• Australian Government announces further cluster munitions initiatives, 11 September
• Australia Pacific Technical College opens doors in Papua New Guinea, 10 September (AusAID)
• Indonesian Forests Partnership to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions, 9 September (AusAID)
• Guidelines for economies to weather pandemics, 7 September
• Australia increases contribution to APEC, 6 September
• Establishment of Australia-China Strategic Dialogue, 6 September
• A pair of pandas for Adelaide Zoo, 6 September
• Youth Events Complement APEC Leaders Week in Sydney, 4 September
• Australia Provides Humanitarian Support to the Caribbean, 3 September (AusAID)

August

• Celebrating Malaysia’s 50^th Anniversary of Independence, 31 August
• Lowy Poll Confirms Confident, Optimistic Australia, 31 August
• Enhanced Package of Assistance to East Timor, 30 August (AusAID)
• New Appointments for Australia-India Council, 30 August
• Visit to East Timor, 29 August
• Australia to Provide More Food Aid to Zimbabwe, 28 August (AusAID)
• Hyderabad bombings, 28 August
• Kevin Rudd’s APEC Ignorance, 27 August
• Australia Combats Human Trafficking Through Indonesian Partnership, 27 August (AusAID)
• Aid to Afghanistan boosted, 23 August
• Australia Provides $2 Million for North Korea Flood Relief, 20 August (AusAID)
• Australia takes new steps against senior Zimbabwe regime figures, 17 August
• Australia Contributes $6.5 Million for Global Climate Challenges, 16 August (AusAID)
• Australia and Tonga Sign Performance Partnership, 16 August (AusAID)
• Official Opening of the Commonwealth's Greenest Building, 15 August (AusAID)
• Australia Provides $11 Million for Improved Education in Indonesia, 15 August (AusAID)
• Australian secures top police job at the UN, 10 August
• Inter-Korean Summit Meeting, 9 August
• Council for Australian-Arab Relations: Appointment of new Members, 9 August
• Australia Provides $2.2 Million for South Asia Floods Relief, 9 August (AusAID)
• Diplomatic Appointment - Ambassador to Zimbabwe, 8 August
• Australia and the Philippines Building a Better Education System7 August (AusAID)
• Australian Culture on the World Stage, 7 August
• Appointment of Xanana Gusmao as East Timor's Prime Minister, 6 August
• Australia Selects Designer of the Australian Pavilion at World Expo 2010, 6 August
• Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Micronesia, 6 August
• Australia hosts Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, 6 August
• Invitation to Meeting of Major Economies on Energy Security and Climate Change, 4 August
• South Korean Hostages in Afghanistan, 3 August
• Australian Assistance to Iraqi Justice System, 2 August
• Sudan: United Nations peacekeeping force for Darfur, 1 August
• Signing of the Joint Declaration on the ASEAN-Australia Comprehensive Partnership, 1 August

July

• US-India Civil Nuclear Initiative, 31 July
• 50^th Anniversary of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), 31 July
• Eleventh Australia-China Human Rights Dialogue, 30 July
• Visit to the Philippines, 30 July
• Australia-Pacific Technical College Opens for Business, 27 July (AusAID)
• North Korea: Six-Party Talks Developments, 19 July
• Australia welcomes Cambodian Counter-Terrorism law, 16 July
• Australia Provides More Assistance for Darfur, 15 July (AusAID)
• Regime Harms Fiji’s Economy, 15 July
• Visit to Nauru by Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Alexander Downer, 15 July
• Visit to Tonga and Nauru, 15 July
• East Timor Parliamentary Elections, 12 July
• Swearing in of Solomon Islands Attorney-General, 10 July
• Australians in Lebanon to face charges, 4 July
• Papua New Guinea National Elections, 2 July
• Australia provides a further $7 million in aid to Afghanistan, 1 July

June

• Appointment of Tony Blair as Quartet Representative, 29 June
• Resignation of Tony Blair, 27 June
• Australia supports formation of emergency Palestinian Government, 27 June
• Attack on UNIFIL troops in southern Lebanon, 26 June
• Kevin Rudd’s vote of ‘No Confidence’ in his own team, 26 June
• Visit to Israel, 26 June
• Australia and the European Union set the direction for future relations, 25 June
• Japan - Extension of Iraq Special Measures Law, 23 June
• Zimbabwe:  Australian Financial Sanctions, 21 June
• Allan Taylor AM, 20 June
• Fiji, 19 June
• Australia Provides $4 Million to support the displaced in the Sudan Region, 19 June (AusAID)
• Australia Provides $2.7 Million for Solomon Islands Post-Tsunami Reconstruction, 19 June (AusAID)
• North Korea: Discussions with the International Atomic Energy Agency, 18 June
• Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Turkey, 18 June
• Diplomatic Appointment: Consul-General in Honolulu, 18 June
• Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Laos, 18 June
• Indonesia Disrupts People Smuggling Syndicate, 14 June
• Attack on the al-Askari Shrine, 14 June
• Car Bombing in Beirut, 14 June
• Japan-Australia Joint Foreign and Defence Ministerial Consultations -Joint Statement 6 June
• Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago, 5 June
• Visit to Japan for inaugural Australia-Japan Ministerial Consultations (JAUSMIN), 1 June

May

• New Awards Honour Diplomats' Contribution to the Indonesian-Australian Relationship, 31 May (AusAID)
• Australia welcomes the Establishment of a Special Tribunal for Lebanon, 31 May
• Australia Gives More Children in Developing Countries a Better Education, 31 May (AusAID)
• Australia Provides Further Assistance to the Philippines on Human Rights Matters, 31 May (AusAID)
• Australia Increases Philippines Aid to $100 Million to Tackle Poverty, 31 May (AusAID)
• Australia to Co-Sponsor Regional Interfaith Dialogue, 28 May
• Glen Simpson Appointed as Chairman of Council for Australian-Arab Relations (CAAR), 28 May
• Burma, 28 May
• Douglas Gabb Australia Pacific Journalism Internship, 24 May
• Australia responds to growing humanitarian emergency in Sri Lanka, 23 May (AusAID)
• Australia implements United Nations Security Council Resolution 1747 imposing further sanctions against Iran, 21 May
• Australia Provides $12 Million to Combat Emerging Infectious Diseases in our Region, 22 May
• David Hicks is transferred to Australia under the International Transfer of Prisoner's Scheme, 20 May
• Mr Downer - Hometown Visit to the United States (23-24 May), 18 May
• Australia congratulates East Timor's new President, 17 May
• Australia International Cultural Council - "Australia on the World Stage", 17 May
• Australian grant to International Atomic Energy Agency’s Nuclear Security Fund, 16 May
• Australia to boost relief and human rights funding for Zimbabwe, 14 May (AusAID)
• Afghanistan / Pakistan Relations: Ankara Declaration, 14 May
• Death of Taliban leader Mullah Dadullah Lang, 14 May
• Australia commits $25 million to tackle malaria in the Pacific , 14 May (AusAID)
• Labor's foolish foreign policy statements, 13 May
• Sir James Plimsoll Lecture, 10 May
• Restoration of the Northern Ireland Assembly, 9 May

Budget 2007-2008

• Budget 2007-2008 -Joint Release, 8 May
• Shanghai World Expo 2010 - Phase 1, 8 May
• Australia on the World Stage, 8 May
• Consular Emergency Services, 8 May
• Maintaining Overseas Property, 8 May
• Australia's Overseas Aid Programme: Major new initiatives promote regional growth and stability, 8 May
• Infrastructure for Regional Growth Initiative, 8 May
• Global Initiative on Forests and Climate, 8 May
• Climate Change, Global Health and Multilateral Initiatives – Building and Supporting Effective Partnerships, 8 May
• Better Governance and Leadership in the Asia-Pacific Region, 8 May
• Performance Incentives, 8 May
• Enhanced Emergency Preparedness in Asia-Pacific and Humanitarian Response Capacity, 8 May
• Delivering Better Health, 8 May
• Delivering Better Education, 8 May
• Anti-Corruption for Development, 8 May
• Australian Response to Emerging Country and Regional Priorities, 8 May
• Australia-Indonesia Partnership for Reconstruction and Development – Supplementary Administration Costs, 8 May

• Australia continues strong support for Iraqi people, 4 May (AusAID)

April

• Labor leader should come clean on dishonesty over AWB, 30 April
• APEC to bring real benefit to Sydney and Australia, 30 April
• Diplomatic Corps Visit to South Australia, 30 April
• Negotiations to Expand the Australia-Russia Nuclear Safeguards Agreement, 27 April
• Australia Provides Humanitarian Relief to North Korea, 27 April (AusAID)
• Diplomatic Appointment - New Ambassador to Italy, 26 April
• Australia Provides $3 Million for Humanitarian Relief in Africa, 22 April (AusAID)
• Launch of New Smartraveller Campaign, 22 April
• Iraqis know who to trust on major global security issues, 20 April
• APEC Education Resource Distributed to 3,000 Secondary Schools, 18 April
• Australia-Vietnam Human Rights Dialogue, 16 April
• Attack on the Iraqi Parliament, 13 April
• Terrorist Incidents in Algiers, 12 April
• Australia Provides More Support to Solomon Islands, 10 April (AusAID)
• Australian Relief Distribution in Full Swing in Solomon Islands , 6 April (AusAID)
• Australia Welcomes the Release of 15 UK Naval Personnel, 5 April
• Australia and China to Work Together for Better Environment and Health Outcomes, 5 April (AusAID)
• Australia Doubles Scholarships for Mongolia, 5 April (AusAID)
• Australia Mongolia Bilateral Relations Strengthened, 4 April
• Australian Medics and Relief Supplies for Solomon Islands, 4 April (AusAID)
• Australia Welcomes International Recognition of Increase in Overseas Aid, 3 April (AusAID)
• Australia Ramps-Up Response in Solomon Islands, 3 April (AusAID)
• Australia Launches Design Tender for the Australian Pavilion at World Expo 2010, 3 April
• Australia Assists Solomon Islands in Response to Earthquake-Tsunami, 3 April (AusAID)
• Australia Welcomes Formation of Interim Government in Nepal, 2 April

March

• Australia among First to Sign UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, 30 March
• Visit to China and Mongolia, 30 March
• Australia Expands Efforts to Combat Corruption, 30 March (AusAID)
• Australia Increases Aid for Zimbabweans, 29 March (AusAID)
• Diplomatic Appointment: Ambassador to Serbia, 29 March
• Diplomatic Appointment: High Commissioner to Kenya, 29 March
• Australia calls on Iran to cooperate with the international community, 25 March
• European Union celebrates 50 years, 24 March
• Australia Provides Help for Victims of Political Violence in Zimbabwe, 23 March (AusAID)
• Illegal Arrivals Will Be Transferred to Nauru, 15 March
• Australia Welcomes Removal of Ledra Street Wall in Cyprus, 13 March
• Further Political Repression by the Mugabe Regime in Zimbabwe, 13 March
• Death of Australians in Yogyakarta, 10 March
• Australia Provides Support for the Displaced in the Asia Pacific, 7 March (AusAID)
• Government Welcomes New Philippines Counter Terrorism Law, 6 March
• School Construction in Indonesia Gathers Momentum, 6 March (AusAID)
• Security of Australians in East Timor, 5 March
• Misleading reporting on East Timor, 5 March
• Diplomatic Appointment: Hungary, 5 March
• Visit to Indonesia, 1 March
• Fiji Human Rights, 1 March
• Entry into Force of London Protocol, 1 March
• Australia's Aid Program Working to Narrow the Gender Gap, 1 March (AusAID)

February

• Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to Mauritius, 27 February
• Group Transferred to Christmas Island, 24 February
• Entry into Force of Greater Sunrise Treaties with East Timor, 23 February
• Ruddism continues with a bet each way on our troops, 22 February
• Australia Implements United Nations Security Council Sanctions Against Iran, 20 February
• Australia Condemns Train Bombs in Northern India, 20 February
• Labor's Hypocrisy on Iraq, 18 February
• Australia to Provide $5.8 Million to Assist Conflict Victims in Africa, 18 February (AusAID)
• Appointments to the new Advisory Board for the Australia-Japan Foundation, 16 February
• Australia provides $6 million to support displaced Iraqis, 14 February (AusAID)
• North Korea: Progress in Six-Party Talks, 14 February
• Australia and Turkey Sign Agreement on Counter-Terrorism, 12 February
• Australia to Help Kick-Start Business Recovery in Tonga , 12 February (AusAID)
• Three Agreements Signed with Germany, 9 February
• Timor Sea Agreements: Setting the record straight, 8 February
• Visit to United Kingdom, Germany and Turkey, 7 February
• Northern Ireland Elections, 7 February
• David Hicks: charges outlined, 3 February
• Labor's false claims about the treatment of David Hicks, 1 February

January

• Diplomatic Appointment – Ambassador to Cambodia, 31 January
• North Korea: Six-Party Talks, 31 January
• Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to Malaysia, 30 January
• Australia Provides $5 Million for Post-Conflict Activities in Lebanon, 25 January (AusAID)
• Ratification of the Two Optional Protocols to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Joint Release), 22 January
• Eminent Australian Jurist to Assist Human Rights Inquiry in Sri Lanka, 18 January
• Bangladesh Elections, 16 January
• Australia Commits $5 Million to Fight Infectious Diseases in ASEAN Countries, 12 January (AusAID)
• Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to Solomon Islands, 12 January
• Visit to the United States, 09 January
• Diplomatic Appointment – High Commissioner to Fiji, 09 January
• Australia Urges Democratic Process to Be Followed in Bangladesh, 08 January
• Australia and China Ratify Nuclear Safeguards Agreements, 05 January