Julie Bishop - Member for Curtin

Radio Australia with Tracee Hutchison

Subjects: Visit to Indonesia; asylum seekers; border protection

E&OE…

JULIE BISHOP    I could not be more delighted with the reception I have received in Indonesia, and particularly from the Foreign Minister. I have met with a number of government representatives, all our meetings were very cordial and I received a particularly warm welcome from Foreign Minister Marty Natalegawa.
 
We committed to an ongoing close dialogue on all matters of mutual interest and that included how to tackle the people smuggling syndicates operating in Indonesia. I explained the details of our policy, he raised the concerns that Indonesia had about the growth of the people smuggling syndicates in Indonesia and we recommitted to working together, as we had in the past when the Liberal National Coalition were in government.
 
TRACEE HUTCHISON    You have talked about the Coalition’s policy which does include the mantra of stopping the boats and indeed turning the boats around, and some of those meetings in Indonesia haven’t have been as cordial as you described. Indeed the Deputy Chairman of the parliament Hajriyanto Thohari has described your approach as ‘arrogant’; he said Australian policy is already too tough. It is pretty arrogant isn’t it to say you’ll turn boats around?
 
JULIE BISHOP    Well from my perspective the ABC story is a complete beat up. The Vice Chairman did not raise any such concerns with me during the meetings, I regarded it as a friendly and constructive meeting. In fact at that meeting I said we must try and stand in each others shoes to understand the concerns we each had about the people smuggling trade. Of course we expressed our views and we exchanged our thoughts but the tone of the meeting was pleasant and constructive.
 
TRACEE HUTCHISON    Julie Bishop, the Coalition’s policy though is to stop the boats and if you stop them you make asylum seekers in the region Indonesia’s problem. That is arrogant isn’t it?
 
JULIE BISHOP    Not at all. We talked about how we can assist Indonesia with breaking up the people smuggling trade. Our policy is to reinstate the policies that were in place under the Howard government. Those policies worked. We did dismantle the people smuggling trade working closely behind the scenes with Indonesia. We did stop the flow of boats - as a matter of fact. Indeed when we left government in 2007 there were about four asylum seekers who had arrived by boat in detention so we had effectively dismantled the people smuggling model. And we intend to reinstate the range of policies that we had in place that had proven to be effective. That is what we have done in the past and we will do it again.
 
In my discussions with Indonesian Ministers we agreed that the travelling by boat is exceedingly dangerous for people and Indonesian laws are being broken by the people smuggling syndicates, Australian laws are being broken and we want to put an end to that trade and we are both committed to that.
 
TRACEE HUTCHISON    How would you do that in partnership with the Indonesian government, what is your model?
 
JULIE BISHOP    As we did in the past. The Coalition’s policies are well known, we have been talking about them ever since Labor unpicked those policies. It involves temporary protection visas, as I note New Zealand is pursuing now as the Australian government should have pursued, it involves offshore processing and it involves working closely with Indonesia to prevent the people smuggling trade from flourishing. It includes turning back boats where it is safe to do so. We have done it in the past and we would intend to do it again.
 
TRACEE HUTCHISON    You are now in Singapore Julie Bishop but I do want to ask you what other meetings you took in Jakarta and anything else you’d like to tell us about those meetings?
 
JULIE BISHOP    I had very positive meetings with a range of Ministers, government officials, business people discussing trade and investment opportunities with Indonesia. I believe it is one of our most important relationships and when Australia and Indonesia work in close cooperation we can resolve many problems.
 
I had a very warm reception. I think that as neighbours, as leaders in the region, the close and constructive relationship between Indonesia and Australia is essential, it is indispensable, and there are few countries more important to Australia than Indonesia.
 
I committed to ensuring that the Coalition would adopt a ‘no surprises’ policy with Indonesia because I know they are deeply concerned about announcements made by the Labor government without reference to Indonesia. For example, the ban on live cattle exports, the announcement of the East Timor solution and the Malaysia solution without reference to Indonesia.

We have a long history of working closely with Indonesia and I have recommitted the Coalition to that end.