Transcript
Interview - Sky News AM Agenda with Kieran Gilbert
2 October 2009
Subjects: Indonesia, Samoa, China, Malcolm Turnbull.
KIERAN GILBERT: Joining me this morning on AM Agenda, the Trade Minister Simon Crean, from Melbourne. Mr Crean, thanks for your time.
First of all, these two unfolding tragedies in Samoa and Indonesia. What's the latest information to the Government on both?
SIMON CREAN: Well, in Indonesia, Kieran, it's obviously huge devastation there. The official toll is something in excess of 500. That could go well in excess of that. We just don't know at this stage.
So far as Australians are concerned, there are roughly 250 Australians known to have been in the area. Not all of these have registered, and that's what's making the contact difficult. About 150 have been able to be contacted and they're considered okay. So there are still, as Stephen Smith has indicated, a hundred unaccounted for.
This is a combination of the fact that they haven't registered and that communications are pretty poor. But we've had no indications of either fatality or injury to any Australian at this stage...Insofar as Samoa is concerned, it is slightly better news. The six unaccounted Australians have now been accounted for. There are still four Australians dead and one New Zealand citizen but permanent Australian resident.
And, of course, the death toll for the island and neighbouring islands - Tonga, for example - is quite high. These are devastating effects, and we stand ready, not just to attend to our own particular needs, but to stand ready with our neighbours in the region to lend whatever assistance we can.
We've already sent significant assistance into Samoa. We stand ready to respond to whatever requests the Indonesians have.
KIERAN GILBERT: Okay. In terms of the hundred unaccounted for in Indonesia, would you say at this moment there aren't grave concerns for all of those, that simply that the communication issue is one, and also that they haven't registered?
SIMON CREAN: Yeah, I think the latter. We obviously are working furiously to try and establish the contact. I mean, bear in mind that this is a destination - a holiday destination, but particularly for people that like surfing, that's likely to attract a lot of Australians. They're less likely to register — a bit more carefree, etcetera.
Communications are down. The fact that we've been able to locate the 150 so far, or identify them, is good news. We'll continue to try and assess the position of the 100 unaccounted for.
KIERAN GILBERT: Okay, Simon Crean, on other matters now. Yesterday, we saw a huge show of strength from China. It was more than just a birthday party for the nation wasn't it? The sixty - sixtieth anniversary celebration. It really was a show of strength to the region and to the rest of the world.
SIMON CREAN: Well, they are a strong economy. They are an economic super power, and they have come a long way in 60 years. And I think that anyone in those circumstances would like to demonstrate the progress that has been made.
But I think that we do need to understand the importance of China's development and particularly where it's come in the last decade.
Now, ever since the opening up of China some 35 years ago, Australia was at its forefront in encouraging that opening. Gough Whitlam and my father actually visited China in 1973, that was the ground-breaking first visit that established diplomatic relations and recognition of China.
That 35 years has seen a partnership go from strength to strength. In 2008-9, China was Australia's largest trading partner. In that same year, our exports to China were worth A$40 billion. China has been an important reason as to why we've been able to weather the global financial crisis in the way we have. And the relationship with China isn't just built around commodities. It's significantly built around a diversified economic relationship, trade in goods, trade in services and, increasingly now, investment flows between the two countries.
So, I can only see the relationship and the interdependency between us and China going from strength to strength, Kieran, and that's good news for Australia's future.
KIERAN GILBERT: Well, good news on the economic front, but also we saw there the pictures and we've seen the images of that parade. A lot of it was about the military strength as well. Are you concerned that the rising economic power, which is also, of course, a rising military power, that its authority might - that they might overstep the mark in certain respects over coming decades and years?
SIMON CREAN: No. I think in all of the dialogue that we've had with them, what they are looking to is stability and security within the region.
Now, all countries spend a lot of money on defence. Australia spends a lot of money on defence. China made it clear with that opening up some 35, 40 years ago that it wasn't just about economic development, it was about defence and internal security.
Now, we have to obviously, engage China about their intentions, but more importantly, we have to engage them not just as an economic partner but a more strategic partner within the region.
It's in all of our interests that what we get is stability and certainty within the region, and we must seize the opportunity and be confident about our position within the region. We certainly shouldn't be trying to drive fear and misunderstanding and worsening perceptions about what China is on about. We should be confident in the relationship, not fearful of it.
KIERAN GILBERT: A couple of other quick issues before I let you go. On Brand Australia, you have governance of that particular initiative within the Government. I understand you've been inundated with expressions of interest. How many have you received and when will we know the outcomes of the Brand Australia campaign?
SIMON CREAN: Well, the initial expressions of interest were announced last week. We had 60 immediately come in, so it has been a huge response, Kieran, and I'm delighted about that. This has captured the imagination. What I want though is the creative talents, the creative juices to flow.
We know what we've got on offer. We know that what we do we're good at. We know we punch above our weight, and we know that we're more than just a commodity supplier to the rest of the world.
We have a huge range of quality goods and services on offer. What we've got to do is to market them better. We've got to find a way to get that message out.
Now, the first cut will close within four weeks. What I've done is to establish a business panel to help us work with those creative agencies to try and hone the direction in which this goes.
As for the timetable itself, we hope to have an announcement in February next year within Australia as to what the outcome is. But - and also importantly, to launch it on the international stage at the Shanghai expo next May.
KIERAN GILBERT: Okay. And just finally, Malcolm Turnbull has put his leadership on the line over the emissions trading scheme debate. As a former Opposition leader, do you think that's fair enough what he's done?
SIMON CREAN: He has to deal with the disunity in his own ranks. The Opposition is a rabble. The sensible elements of them know that we have to deal with climate change.
What the debacle going on within the Liberal Party shows, is had they won the last election, we would have had - we would have made no progress as a nation on climate change.
Australia has to take the lead. It requires bipartisan support. I give credit to Malcolm Turnbull for taking that lead and demonstrating some leadership. The trouble is: it's belated.
I hope that he's successful. The truth is that the nation requires a strategy going forward. The Government has put one up. If the Opposition has some constructive proposals, we've said that we're prepared to listen to them.
But whilst they bicker, whilst they fight, whilst they say no, they become irrelevant and they demonstrate themselves to be just that - an irrelevant rabble.
KIERAN GILBERT: Minister for Trade, Simon Crean, as always, appreciate your time. Thanks.
SIMON CREAN: Thank you, Kieran.
ENDS
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