Interview on AM with Alexandra Kirk
Topics: North Korea, misuse of Australian passports
Transcript, proof E&OE
26 May 2010
ASHLEY HALL: The Australian Government is calling for restraint on the Korean Peninsula and wants the United Nations to intervene. But the Foreign Minister Stephen Smith also has his Liberal counterpart in his sights. He's accusing Julie Bishop, the Deputy Opposition Leader and foreign affairs spokeswoman of breaching national security and calling on her leader Tony Abbott to disavow his front bencher. In interviews yesterday she said she thought Australian agencies had forged foreign passports for security operations. She later backed down saying she had no knowledge of any Australian authority forging passports of any nation. The Foreign Minister Stephen Smith spoke to Alexandra Kirk a short time ago.
STEPHEN SMITH: Well we are concerned about the potential lack of peace and security on the Korean Peninsula. It is appropriate that all parties exercise restraint. The Republic of Korea, South Korea has been very restrained throughout this entire episode, from the sinking of the Cheonan until now, including a very measured responsible response from President Lee during the week. We believe this matter should be attended to by the United Nations and we certainly don't want to see any escalation or serous incidents or any potential for military conflict.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: What do you think the UN should do?
STEPHEN SMITH: We think there should be a Security Council response. We think the international community through the Security Council has to show its condemnation of North Korea's conduct, of its belligerent attitude, and of its constant destabilisation of the Korean Peninsula.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Is that really going to do anything or is it going to embolden North Korea?
STEPHEN SMITH: Given the results of the Cheonan investigation, given the attack by North Korea on the South Korean naval vessel, there has to be a condemnatory statement by the international community. But then, we have to ensure that one incident doesn't lead to another serious conflict.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Domestically, and the fall-out from the Government's expulsion of a member of the Israeli Embassy in Canberra, the Prime Minister's accused your Liberal counterpart, Julie Bishop, of breaching national security. Is the problem for the Government that Julie Bishop let the cat out of the bag when she said Australian intelligence agencies do what Australia sanctioned Israel for, in other words, forging passports?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well I have been critical of Julie Bishops response to this matter because I believe that if she had been in Government, being the minister, then there would not have been an appropriate response to the forging of our passports, that she would have turned a blind eye to the risks that were presented to the travelling Australian public, the risks to the integrity of our passport system and the risk to our national security. But yesterday we saw her breach a very sensible long standing practice that all Governments, all political parties have adhered to in Australian politics which is we don't comment or speculate about intelligence practices.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: She made a faux pas by speaking about intelligence operations, but the bottom line is, have Australian intelligence agencies forged passports as part of their security operations?
STEPHEN SMITH: That is not the bottom line and that is not the issue. I do not and will not comment or speculate, nor with the Prime Minister, nor will any other responsible member of the Australian Parliament, comment about, or speculate about those practices.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: Well are there rules that say Australian intelligence agencies should not do that?
STEPHEN SMITH: The Australian intelligence agencies operate in accordance with the framework of Australian law. They are subject to the oversight of the Inspector-General of Intelligence and they report regularly to the relevant parliamentary committee. But the point…
ALEXANDRA KIRK: And is forging passports part of their undercover work?
STEPHEN SMITH: No, the issue here is not forging passports. This is the issue; she has broken a long standing convention. She has put our national security interests at risk and worse than that, instead of acknowledging and admitting her mistake yesterday, she pretending that she didn't say it. She pretended that black was white. She pretended that yes was no. What we now need to see today is the leader of the Liberal Party, the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Abbott, disavow her and come out strongly supporting the long standing convention that we do not put our national security interests at risk by speaking, commenting, or speculating about these matters.
ALEXANDRA KIRK: So you're saying anything more than trying to put pressure on the Opposition Leader — or are you saying that she should be sanctioned?
STEPHEN SMITH: I am saying no more nor no less than what all of my predecessors in the past have said, there is a long standing convention that we do not comment or speculate about these matters. That is for very good national security interest reasons.
ASHLEY HALL: That's Stephen Smith, the Foreign Minister, speaking to Alexandra Kirk.
[ENDS]
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