MTR1377 Mornings with Steve Vizard
8 July 2010
Topics: Asylum seekers
STEVE VIZARD: we're talking with Brendan O'Connor, Minister for Home Affairs. Brendan, thanks for talking to us.
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Good morning, Steve.
STEVE VIZARD: Brendan, is this going to happen?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: This is something that we seriously want to have happen because it's important that we ensure that we stop the boats not out at our shorelines but before they even leave those faraway ports. The Prime Minister has said she will make this happen because we need a regional processing centre.
Now, in relation to where that centre will go, we've already said we are talking with the President of East Timor and, indeed, we've spoken with the Prime Minister of New Zealand. And she's also spoken now to the President of Indonesia.
This needs a regional approach. We need our partners to tackle this regional problem because it needs a regional answer.
STEVE VIZARD: What's in it for any other country to agree to solving our problem?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Can you just repeat that? I'm sorry, Steve.
STEVE VIZARD: Why would any other sovereign state try and solve our problem?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Because it's a problem for the region. There are people moving across our region. There are 42 million people displaced around the world, 15 million of which are in our own region so we have source and transit and destination countries having to deal with this issue.
I mean, Indonesia as a transit country does not want to have to deal with this people movement. We, as a destination country, of course want to take our fair share and that's why we've signed up to the Refugee Convention but we do not want to see people embark on dangerous vessels, on perilous journeys that just, of course, increase the likelihood of death.
STEVE VIZARD: It's not currently a problem for East Timor, though, is it?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: East Timor have said - and the President, and I think, firstly he's highly regarded, has an international reputation for dealing with global and regional issues, but the President of East Timor has said they believe that they can consider assisting us in this regional issue.
They want to take a humanitarian approach and that's why they've said they're willing to sit down and discuss this issue and we do appreciate them considering this. I also think it's important that we speak with other destination countries such as New Zealand and the Prime Minister of that country's also indicated a willingness to discuss the matter. That's an important thing and I have to say, by way of contrast, Tony Abbott is talking about a solution that is entirely unworkable and inhumane.
STEVE VIZARD: But your solution depends on other countries, other sovereign states acquiescing. At the moment we've got East Timor's Deputy Prime Minister saying it's unlikely that this is going to be accepted. So if that's the case, that would rule out East Timor. Can you genuinely see New Zealand taking these asylum-seekers?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: East Timor - look, you know, we're going to have commentary on these matters. East Timor is a democracy. There's going to be different views and there's going to be debate, as there is in this country, about these very complex matters, as should be the case.
But in the end, this matter has to be dealt with at a regional level and by engaging partners in the region to remove the product, that is, removing the capacity for people-smugglers to lure people on dangerous vessels and one of the ways to do that is to make sure that they cannot seek to guarantee a person can get to their place of destination in such a dangerous manner.
The way we do that is, of course, to look at a regional process centre that takes away the incentive for people to really place their lives in very grave danger.
STEVE VIZARD: I think we understand the idea, Brendan, but if East Timor say no, and New Zealand say no, is that the end of your idea?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: There's a whole bunch of hypotheticals in those questions.
STEVE VIZARD: Well, no, there's two simple nos. I mean…
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Well, there's two - there are two countries that have actually said they're willing to sit down. Now…
STEVE VIZARD: Yeah, but if they say no, what's your next solution?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The point is the Prime Minister has realised from the outset, since her elevation to that position, that firstly that the Australian people are concerned about this matter and they want to see something done.
Secondly, that we need a regional approach and that's why we've had positive responses from two countries already and there'll be other countries in the region that need to deal with this matter as well.
So we do need, of course, to deal with our partners. For example, the Malaysian government, only this week introduced into their Parliament people-smuggling laws to make it an offence with penalties up to 20 years. Now, that sort of cooperation is going to help dismantle those organised criminal syndicates that are working in our region to exploit people's desperation and fear and, indeed, put people in very dangerous positions and that's the sort of cooperation we require.
STEVE VIZARD: So when would you expect to start processing people on East Timor?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: Again these are points of discussion that will be, of course, part of the engagement between the Gillard Government and, indeed, the countries that have been mentioned.
STEVE VIZARD: Are we talking in the next six months, the next eight months, the next nine months?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The Prime Minister hasn't put a timeline. She has said there is no quick fix but the Gillard Government is determined to get this matter right. We accept that we need a regional approach. The Opposition have a slogan, they do not have a solution and, indeed, the notion that you can turn vessels on the high seas back out of our area when no other country will receive them is tantamount to placing people's lives entirely in danger and we know that the Australian people would not want us to push vessels out and to see people, including women and children, drown.
That is not an option and the best way we can go forward is engage with our partners within the region to ensure we have an effective approach to undermine the product that's currently being sold by people-smugglers and, indeed, at the same time, stem the flow of vessels to this country.
STEVE VIZARD: I think, Brendan, we understand the problem but the point is, and I ask you again, if New Zealand say no and East Timor say no, where is your solution?
BRENDAN O'CONNOR: The Prime Minister spoke with Indonesia yesterday. That's another country that I think will want to engage. We've been engaging with the region for some time. There's the Bali process that was set up which - where there is the co-chairs of - led by Australia and Indonesia.
We've said all along we needed to make sure we have good cooperation between source, transit and destination countries. This is, I think, the way forward and for that reason, Steve, we do need to engage in this.
There is no easy and quick fix. It can only be done through discussing these details but, you know, the most important thing is, with the first approach was made by the Gillard Government we've had positive responses by already two countries in the region and we'll continue to talk to them and other partners in the region to get this - to get this fixed. And we need to get it fixed.
STEVE VIZARD: All right, Brendan, appreciate your time. That's Brendan O'Connor, Minister for Home Affairs.
