Transcript of doorstop

Sydney

Subjects: Detention of Australian teenager in Bali

Transcript E&OE — Proof only

6 October 2011

Mr Rudd: My focus on the last period of time has been on this young 14 year-old boy who as we speak is being held at police headquarters in Denpasar. You're familiar with the background in this case.

I have just spoken with our Ambassador in Jakarta, Ambassador Moriarty. I've indicated to him that his number one priority in the immediate period ahead is how we support this young boy and his family and everything we can to obtain his early return to Australia.

This is a foreign legal environment. I think everyone's familiar with that. And we are proceeding with great care and caution in order to obtain that objective.

I've also asked Ambassador Moriarty to have our Consul and Consul-General in Denpasar to maintain rolling contact with the mum and the dad and the boy. That has been occurring during the course of today and we will continue to maintain that contact in the days ahead.

I think if you put yourself in the position of being a mum or a dad with a 14 year old who's got themselves caught up in this situation your heart would go out to the parents. My heart goes out to the parents. I'm sure many Australians would feel exactly the same and we will do all within our power to support them and to get this young fella back home.

Over to you.

Journalist: What were the circumstances of his arrest?

I've just been briefed thoroughly by the Ambassador in Jakarta. I don't wish to go to questions of fact because these are matters which will be the subject of discussion between both the family, the boy, their legal representation, as well as ourselves and the Indonesian authorities. So I'd rather not comment on the facts.

What we are focussing on however is this young boy's welfare, the legal situation which he and his family now find themselves in, and as I said, our objective is to have this young fella back home as soon as we're able. I emphasise again we are not operating under the laws of Australia. We are operating under the laws of a foreign country and this requires caution and care in how we proceed.

Journalist: Have you had much contact with authorities in Indonesia?

Mr Rudd: Through the Ambassador, yes. And through our Consul-General in Denpasar, yes. And we are seeking to manage this at that level at this stage. Our collective judgement is that this is the most appropriate way in which to deal with this given the objective we have is to try and get this young bloke home.

Journalist: Is it likely that he'll be transferred to police headquarters to prison anytime soon?

Mr Rudd: I have no advice to that effect based on my discussion just now with Ambassador Moriarty. But based on my advice right now he is in police HQ.

We know the authorities well. We are working very closely with them. Regrettably we know the authorities in Denpasar too well, through matters we've had to deal with over the years.

Journalist: Just on the point of the justice system that you've pointed is different to ours. They're not distinguishing between adults and minors. Does that concern you?

Mr Rudd: I'm not going to be in the business of providing public lectures from abroad on the nature of anyone else's legal regime and legal system when my job as the Foreign Minister of Australia is to try and get this young bloke home.

We'll work within the laws of the country. We respect those laws and we'll work very closely with our friends and colleagues in Jakarta and in Denpasar to do what we can.

Journalist: Are you looking to extradite him?

Mr Rudd: I don't want to go to the details of the legal engagement we have with the Indonesian government. They obviously are analysing this themselves as are the Indonesian authorities.

And I don't wish to prejudice those discussions by making any random comment here about what might or might not happen.

Our concern, my concern as the Minister, is for this young lad and to try and get him back home.

Thanks folks.

ENDS

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