CRAIG EMERSON MP. Subjects: PM’s visit to Indonesia.

THE HON DR CRAIG EMERSON MP

MINISTER FOR TERTIARY EDUCATION, SKILLS, SCIENCE AND RESEARCH

MINISTER FOR TRADE AND COMPETITIVENESS MINISTER ASSISTING THE PRIME MINISTER ON ASIAN CENTURY POLICY

Transcript Parliamentary Doors

 

20 June 2013

 

CRAIG EMERSON: In the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century, the Government has identified Indonesia as a top priority for Australia. We have an excellent relationship with the Government of Indonesia, but that will be further advanced with the Prime Minister's visit to Indonesia with the President. The relationship is in great shape. And just recently, for example, the Indonesian Government announced that it would be importing, free of quotas, high-quality beef. And that's a really important breakthrough for the relationship. We'll continue to deepen and strengthen that relationship in other areas such as education, such as infrastructure development. Certainly the Indonesian Government has a philosophical approach of inclusive growth. It wants to ensure that the benefits of growth aren't limited just to large corporations and the major cities, but that people in rural Indonesia also benefit. And, of course, we are already cooperating on beef cattle with the Indonesian authorities to improve the animal husbandry in Indonesia. We know that the Indonesian people would like to consume more and more beef. My good friend and counterpart, Trade Minister Gita Wirjawan, considers that we can get beef consumption in Indonesia up from two kilograms per person to 20. That's a tenfold increase. So there are enormous opportunities here and we are seeing a responsive Indonesian Government which wants to see us investing in Indonesia, maybe Indonesia investing in Australia, and greater trade in beef and in other products.

QUESTION: Why is this Indonesia trip being left to the last minute? I mean, you're about to go into an election campaign. Why now?

EMERSON: This is the third … this is actually the third meeting at leaders' level involving Prime Minister Gillard and President Yudhoyono. The timing's actually set by the Indonesian authorities and it's one of three regular meetings.

QUESTION: Given that President Yudhoyono is retiring at the next Indonesian election, how productive do you think this visit will be?

EMERSON: Well, you always want to have meetings with the top leadership of any country. I think President Yudhoyono has shown great leadership and continues to do so. He's been an influence for peace and stability within Indonesia and beyond. So I think he's performed very well, and he's got more work to do. So we will continue to nurture that relationship. Because this is a country of 245 million people, which is not too far off entering, you know, the top echelons of economies around the world. That's certainly set out in the White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century. We see countries such as Indonesia - obviously China, Japan, Korea and India - as being really central to the creation of not only more jobs in Australia but better jobs. And, you know, creating in the Asian region more peace, more stability, more prosperity is good for both countries.

QUESTION: Is this just a way to appease voters in Western Sydney that you are doing something about boats?

EMERSON: This is a regular visit. I just explained that.

QUESTION: It appears before an election campaign, though.

EMERSON: I just explained that. I don't know what appears to you, but this is the third in a series of meetings at the leadership level whose timing has been determined by the Government of Indonesia.

QUESTION: But realistically, [indistinct]

QUESTION: What will be discussed on asylum seekers?

EMERSON: On asylum seekers: I'm sure that will come up. You know, the value of regional cooperation. These are regional problems that can only be addressed through a regional solution.

QUESTION: What can Indonesia do to help?

EMERSON: Well, Indonesia has been working with the Australian authorities in intercepting and providing information on people smuggling operations and boats that might be departing. The problem is, of course, that Indonesia is an archipelago of, I think, 19,000 islands. So you can't actually monitor and provide surveillance over activities across such a broad expanse of land and sea.

QUESTION: Have they done enough, though?

EMERSON: Well, it - the Indonesian Government - is working very hard on what is a vexed issue. No-one believes otherwise. We've obviously seen Tony Abbott realise that his own slogan of “stop the boats” doesn't actually stop anything. And now he's vacillated and backed down to some very vague reference that maybe if he was elected some time into the future, maybe not, something might possibly happen.

QUESTION: You're convinced Julia Gillard will be going there on 4 and 5 July as Prime Minister?

EMERSON: Of course. And the President of Indonesia, President Yudhoyono, will be the President of Indonesia.

QUESTION: Realistically, what can be achieved by these talks given you'll effectively be in caretaker mode?

EMERSON: We won't be in caretaker mode at all. I think that happens when the writs are issued in August. We're governing and we will be talking constructively with the Indonesian Government about, you know, increased beef - cooperation in the beef industry - education's a really important area for us. The Indonesian Government wants to see greater opportunities for Indonesian students studying here in Australia. And indeed the Australia Awards program dwarfs the Colombo Plan, absolutely dwarfs it. It does in five years what the Colombo plan took 35 years to do. So these are the sorts of areas of cooperation that the Prime Minister and the President will be discussing. Okay, thanks very much.