Interview on Meet The Press

PAUL BONGIORNO: Typical of the Rudd Government, new Foreign Minister Steven Smith has hit the ground running. His itinerary has taken in Bali, Dili, Washington, New York and Tokyo. Welcome to the program. Welcome back in your new guise.

STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks very much, Paul. Good morning.

PAUL BONGIORNO: I was going to ask you about jet lag but you'd tell me you had to get up early this morning.

STEPHEN SMITH: I would have said that it's good practice for getting up in Perth. But it's good to be here, Paul.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Thank you. Just going to those reports from Pakistan - has Australia got any concerns these elections in such a crucial nation as Pakistan can be free and fair?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, we certainly want them to be free and fair. We certainly want there to be full and free participation. There are international observers there. There will be international observers from the US, from the European Union and we've contributed a small amount of money to try and encourage participation by the public in the election. But it's a very important election.

We want democracy in Pakistan. That's the best way to guard against terrorism. And of course what occurs in the south of Pakistan has implications for our troops in Afghanistan and for Afghanistan generally. We of course, like everyone were shocked by the Bhutto assassination but the best way forward for Pakistan is democracy and we hope that there's full and free participation in the election.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Going to the other news-making item this morning - the reports that Kevin Rudd had a number of email exchanges with Brian Burke back in 2005. I suppose post election the question is, was Mr Rudd as frank as he should have been with the Australian people before the election?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, people have seen in the past, stories about contact between Mr Rudd and Mr Burke. I think there are a number of conclusions we can draw. Firstly, I think the Australian public has already made its judgment about whatever contact there was between Mr Rudd and Mr Burke, that's the first point.

Secondly, I certainly think the Australian community has made its judgment about Mr Burke and that's certainly adverse. Mr Burke is a relic from the past and he should remain so. But I think the community have made their judgment about whatever contact there was between Mr Rudd and Mr Burke and I think the community at the time when this was raised last year or a couple of years ago, were looking to the future then and I think they are certainly looking to the future now.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Going to East Timor, Timor-Leste, as it calls itself, doubts were raised during the week by one of Australia's respected defence experts, Professor Hugh White, over the way the new Rudd Government has shown support for Timor-Leste. Here is what he said.

PROFESSOR HUGH WHITE (ABC 7:30 Report): There's a resonance of what one might call the 'John Howard approach' to the immediate neighbourhood - a very heavy militarisation of Australia's regional diplomacy, the idea that best thing and the first thing to do when a crisis erupts is immediately to send in military and defence forces.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Australia has been almost 10 years in Timor-Leste. We've spent $4 billion and yet just this last week we've seen an assassination attempt on its two high-profile leaders?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, if all we were doing was military intervention, then there might be something of the analysis that that Hugh White has made. Hugh White is very well respected and I pay him some regard but it's not the only thing we're doing. Our approach in East Timor is this - we want East Timor to have the chance to grow as a nation. But to do that you've got to have peace and security and stability to enable the capacity of a nation state to develop and emerge.

We're also making substantial development assistance aid to East Timor. We want to help in infrastructure, in roads and schools and hospitals. But also in the nation-building capacity, a capacity of a fully-fledged parliamentary democracy. Things like jobs, education, training, particularly for young kids. So these are the things we've also got on the go. Substantial development assistance, but we're looking to do more. But you can only do that if the starting point is peace and security and stability. And the events of recent days have shown just how important it is for the international stabilisation force and for the United Nations to be in East Timor, bringing that about. That may well take a considerable longer period of time, but frankly it's the only chance East Timor has.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Aren't we the meat in the sandwich? There have been reports no-one has denied, that Australian troops, in fact, on certainly on one occasion, maybe two, have had Reinado the slain rebel leader in their crosshairs and were told by Canberra they weren't to fire?

STEPHEN SMITH: They weren't told by Canberra not to fire. They were told by the East Timor Government some time ago, about nine months ago, that the East Timorese Government wanted to negotiate a settlement with Reinado, and as a consequence the international stabilisation force, the UN police, should cease trying to apprehend him. So when a couple of weeks ago there was a chance contact, warning shots were fired by Reinado and his men and the Australian contingent sensibly withdrew in accordance with that requirement of the East Timorese Government some time ago. So that was a decision of the East Timorese Government.

President Horta himself was very strongly of the view they should try to get a negotiated settlement. And aid to the Foreign Minister Zacarias De Costa when I saw him in Darwin during the week, that that's something the East Timorese Government now may well wish to reflect upon, given what's occurred.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Do we need to reflect on the fact that we had no intelligence to say something was brewing?

STEPHEN SMITH: We never comment on intelligence matters. But I've also made it clear that when we do have what we regard as a full and complete analysis - which will take some more time - there are always lessons to be learnt in these areas. Lessons to be learnt about whether it was the right strategy to call off, if you like, the international stabilisation force from Reinado, whether it was right for example for East Timorese to be responsible at their own choosing for the personal protection of the President and the PM. All of these things, there may well be lessons to be learnt, and we will give that obviously very high consideration and very thoughtful consideration at the appropriate time. We're still working our way through what we regard as the final facts and the final analysis.

PAUL BONGIORNO: When we return with the panel - the US alliance and who would be best for Australia - McCain, Obama or Clinton? And the hardest word in Australian politics over the past decade stopped the nation on Wednesday.

KEVIN RUDD (Wednesday): To the stolen generations, I say the following. As PM of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Government of Australia, I am sorry. On behalf of the Parliament of Australia, I am sorry. And I offer you this apology without qualification.

PAUL BONGIORNO: You’re on Meet the Press with Foreign Minister Steven Smith and welcome to our panel, Annabel Crabb from the Sydney Morning Herald and Steve Lewis from the News Limited papers. The Foreign Minister has had high level talks in Washington. Since that time, John McCain has emerged as the unassailable front-runner for the Republicans, while Barack Obama has pulled ahead of Hillary Clinton for the Democrats. What does it mean for Australia?

ANNABEL CRABB: Mr Smith, good morning. The stated opinion at this stage of the Australian Government on the matter of Barack Obama is that his election as President of the US would be a boon for Osama bin Laden, that was the expression, the opinion of the former PM. I wonder if that accords with your current view?

STEPHEN SMITH: It doesn't. Just as Barack Obama has indicated, just as John McCain and Hillary Clinton has indicated, they're all saying if they're elected, they'll happily work productively with the Australian Government, with the Rudd Labor Government and just as we do. We don't know who will win the election. But we will deal with whatever administration is elected. Whether it's Democrat or Republican, Labor or Liberal, the alliance in historical terms is long term and enduring. We regard it as an indispensable part of our foreign policy, defence and security make-up. So we'll work with whoever emerges but we certainly won't be disparaging as John Howard and the Liberal Party were, of any of the particular candidates.

STEVE LEWIS: There's no doubt, though, Mr Smith, that the Australian Labor Party would prefer to work with the Democrats, isn't that the case?

STEPHEN SMITH: We'll work with whoever is elected. We have a very good working relationship, very positive and productive, with the current administration. That's clear after my visit to the US and clear after contact between my colleague, Joel Fitzgibbon, the Defence Minister and his counterpart, Defense Secretary Gates. We're working with the current administration in a whole range of areas that are important to us, Iraq where we're withdrawing our troops and also Afghanistan, we'll work with whoever.

STEVE LEWIS: Back at home, Mr Smith, the Australian Labor Party caucus the other day voted for a wage freeze as part of this campaign against inflation. Can I ask you as Foreign Minister, will you be imposing this wage freeze on Australian diplomats?

STEPHEN SMITH: Well, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, consistent with restraint from the Government, is effectively engaged in about $57 million worth of cuts. We're doing that in a way which will make sure we continue to develop and implement our policy, foreign policy priorities. But there's restraint in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade just as there is restraint among caucus members. And that's as it should be, because we know that combating inflation is our most important economic task.

STEVE LEWIS: But specifically, will that extend to a wage freeze on our diplomats?

STEPHEN SMITH: If the Government makes a decision to extend wage arrangements to the public service, the potential is that applies to...

STEVE LEWIS: As Foreign Minister, would you like to see that extended to the diplomatic core?

STEPHEN SMITH: It's not a matter for me in the first instance, it's a matter for my economic ministerial colleagues. But if the Government makes such a decision, then members of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade will comply, as will all public servants so far as the Government is concerned. But that's something I've seen mentioned in dispatches, in the media. It's not something I've had come across my desk in a formal sense. That would be a matter for my ministerial colleagues who manage the economy, Mr Swan and Mr Tanner.

ANNABEL CRABB: Mr Smith, if I can turn your attention for a moment to another gentleman who currently pulls down a parliamentary wage, soon to be frozen, Mr Downer, my colleague Steve reported this week that he's looking at a career in high-end lobbying. I just wondered what the dispensation of the Australian present Government would be to lobbying approaches with Mr Downer? Would you deal with him?

STEPHEN SMITH: Mr Downer's our longest-serving foreign minister. When I came to this job he was very kind in his remarks of me because he regards a lot of the position that I occupy as being of a national interest nature. I have a good professional working relationship with Mr Downer. And we've spoken on a couple of occasions to date. And I'd happily pursue that in the future.

ANNABEL CRABB: What about engaging his services? You're sounding very enthusiastic, so is there a possibility for Government work for Mr Downer?

STEPHEN SMITH: I wouldn't be proposing to assist in his remuneration but I'd always happily hear his view.

STEVE LEWIS: When you say that you have spoken with him, Mr Smith, have you sought his counsel on tricky foreign policy issues?

STEPHEN SMITH: No, we have just spoken in general terms very early. When I became Foreign Minister I rang him to ask whether he wanted to relay some good wishes to the diplomatic corps and thanked him for the kind remarks he made about me.

STEVE LEWIS: He hasn't become an informal mentor?

STEPHEN SMITH: No, he's neither been trying, nor have I. But there's a good professional relationship there.

STEVE LEWIS: Mr Smith, if we can move on to the issue of relations with Japan, there are suggestions they will invite Australia to be an observer at the upcoming G8 summit in Tokyo. Our relations have been strained because of the whaling issue in particular. Do you expect Australia to get a guernsey at the G8 summit?

STEPHEN SMITH: We're hopeful that we will receive an invitation from Japan. Japan has been in the region our most consistent and closest friend for a long period of time. It's been encouraging Australia's entry into a range of regional forums. So when I was in Japan, the possibility of an invitation was raised. And if that is extended formally, obviously Australia would respond positively. We have an economic, a strategic and a security partnership with Japan. It's a very good fundamentally based relationship. And the fact we agree to disagree over the whaling issue doesn't get in the way of the fundamental basis of that long-term enduring relationship.

ANNABEL CRABB: In September last year, the United Nations declaration on the rights of indigenous people was passed with the objections of only four countries, one of which was Australia. Given the week we've had, do you think there's now an argument for Australia to reverse that opposition?

STEPHEN SMITH: Absolutely. And we're currently giving consideration to that. We're currently going through consultations. Jenny Macklin is leading that. But the events of the week I thought were just terrific for Australia, both domestically and internationally. What we saw with the sorry motion through the parliament was I think an uplifting of the nation's spirit and certainly the feedback and the commentary we've seen from overseas that this has been very well received internationally. Australia's always wanted to be a good international citizen and I think this has enhanced our credentials and reputation.

ANNABEL CRABB: How does Australia go about reversing its opposition to the declaration of indigenous rights? The vote has already been taken. Is it a case of Australia going back to the UN and making a retrospective support of the motion?

STEPHEN SMITH: It's associated with a resolution of the General Assembly, so it's not a formal treaty as such. But we're required to go through consultation with stakeholders, the States and the Territories. We're in the process of doing that. But once we come to - and we're, of course, positively disposed to the declaration. But once we've finalised those consultations, and we come to a conclusion, we simply let our view be known. It's not a formal revoking of a treaty position. It's a declaration associated with a General Assembly declaration and we will simply let our view be known at the appropriate time.

PAUL BONGIORNO: Thank you for being with us today, Foreign Minister Stephen Smith.

STEPHEN SMITH: Thanks, Paul.

Ends

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