Transcript of interview with Neil Mitchell — 3AW

Subjects: Detention of Australian teenager in Bali

Transcript E&OE

7 October 2011

NEIL MITCHELL: First though — it's a busy day — but first, how do we get him home?

Kevin Rudd is the Foreign Minister — we'll go to your calls in a moment. Kevin Rudd's the Foreign Minister; he's on an aircraft at the moment. I caught up with him a few moments ago on his way to the airport.

KEVIN RUDD: Good morning, Neil.

NEIL MITCHELL: Where is Lewis Mason now? Do you know where he is and how he is?

KEVIN RUDD: Yes. Last night I spoke with our Ambassador in Jakarta, Ambassador Moriarty. I also spoke this morning, early Indonesian time — I think it's about four o'clock up there this morning — with our Consul-General in Bali.

The Consul-General has been, through his consular officers, has obviously been in direct contact with the family during the course of the last period of time.

The boy and his parents are currently, I'm advised, at Bali police headquarters and during the course of last night either one or other of the parents have been with him.

NEIL MITCHELL: His lawyer's saying he's unwell; he can't eat; he's very upset. Is that the report you get? Is he in some strife?

KEVIN RUDD: I don't want to go into the detail of how he is at this stage, if that's okay, Neil…

NEIL MITCHELL: Sure.

KEVIN RUDD: …we're handling this matter with a high degree of sensitivity. We are dealing ourselves through the Consul-General, directly with the Bali police and we are making sure that his wellbeing is being attended to.

I think it's always important though for your listeners to understand, we are dealing with a foreign country and a different legal jurisdiction. And my job as the Foreign Minister is to do everything possible to get this little bloke home.

NEIL MITCHELL: I was going to ask that. I mean, it's a very sensitive situation because we can't just walk in and say, you know, and trample over their legal system, obviously, but we …is that the aim? Your aim is to get him home as quickly as possible?

KEVIN RUDD: Yeah, clearly, that's my objective. But I've got to recognise that it's a different legal jurisdiction and we are often engaged — usually below the radar — with, you know, different legal systems around the world in support of consular cases. This one, obviously and understandably, has got a whole lot of media attention.

But my objective is to do everything we physically can to get this little bloke home and it's — there are real challenges that we face here and I think we've all got to be patient. I don't think this is looming as something that we can simply fix overnight; this is going to take some time.

NEIL MITCHELL: It's that complex, is it? It's that difficult it'll take that time?

KEVIN RUDD: Well, I'm just being deliberately cautious…

NEIL MITCHELL: Mmm.

KEVIN RUDD: …and being very respectful of our Indonesian counterparts in making sure that we are liaising with all the proper levels of the Indonesian Government and the police authorities.

Obviously, this little bloke is, you know, 14 years old and I think anyone who's a parent — and you are, I am — if you've got teenage kids, we all live in fear of them running into problems with the law — legal authorities at home or abroad through whatever behaviours. And therefore, both as a parent, but also as Foreign Minister, my job is to make sure we do everything we can.

And I've told our Ambassador in Jakarta to make this the number one priority for the Embassy and for the Consul-General in the period ahead. So it's all hands to the pump and we'll see how we go.

NEIL MITCHELL: At this stage, I mean, what's the protocol? Do you get involved personally, or do you deal through the consular officials?

KEVIN RUDD: Look, I think wisdom suggests, Neil, that we handle this at an operational level through the Consul-General in Bali and that's the level at which we would normally engage with the local police authorities and the local Indonesian Foreign Ministry authorities, as well as dealing with the relevant section of Foreign Ministry in Jakarta and the other relevant Indonesian Government departments.

But, at the same time, we are well connected with various parts of the Indonesian bureaucracy and we'll be dealing with all of those as well. And we're dealing with them as quietly and as effectively as we can, but this is — this will be a challenge for us all.

NEIL MITCHELL: It's a bit of a warning, isn't it? I mean, I've been to Bali, you've been to Ba…I've been offered marijuana on the streets myself; I think anybody who's been there has. But there's a bit of a — whenever these cases come up there's a warning to Australians to be — how careful you've got to be overseas.

KEVIN RUDD: Well, all the warnings are issued through, you know, DFAT travel advisories — Department of Foreign Affairs advises when people go — it's — the world is a different place. It's not Australia; you don't have the assumed legal protections that you've got in Australia, depending on which country you are in.

And so, again, I would just plead to all young people travelling and all their mums and dads to exercise caution and vigilance every time they travel. I mean, I think all parents feel that way, but this is a timely reminder that we need to be very mindful of our young ones.

But our focus right now is on this young bloke and we'll be doing everything we can. And it's going to be a difficult challenge.

NEIL MITCHELL: Thank you so much for your time. How's the health, by the way?

KEVIN RUDD: I'm fine, Neil; I've been back on deck now I think for about two weeks. And so the stamina's going okay; sort of, getting up early and going to bed at a reasonable hour and doing some exercise and I haven't fallen over yet.

NEIL MITCHELL: And I love your policy; when asked about the leadership, send a message about Tony Abbott.

KEVIN RUDD: Well…

NEIL MITCHELL: So how's the leadership [laughs]? How's the leadership tension going now, Mr Rudd?

KEVIN RUDD: Well, I think one of the things Mr Abbott would do is pull the plug on the large injection of federal government funding which is about to flow to the state hospital system in Victoria, were he to become prime minister, because he opposes the deal.

There you go.

NEIL MITCHELL: Caucus will love that. Thank you very much for your time.

ENDS

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