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Transcript Of Australian Defense Minister Peter Reith's Doorstop Interview (Melbourne, May 8, 2001) |
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(Source : Australian Defence Organisation ; issued May 8, 2001)
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 REITH:
We have obviously been following developments in New Zealand on defence policy very closely. The Prime Minister and Prime Minister Clarke had an opportunity to discuss some of these issues a few weeks back.
The New Zealanders are spending more money on defence and they are giving particular priority to the Army’s capability and in peacekeeping operations such as Timor that enhanced capability is very important. Australia is working very closely, in fact shoulder-to-shoulder, with New Zealand today in East Timor as we are also working in the peace monitoring group in Bougainville.
The decisions taken today do have some practical implications, immediate practical implications with the ending of their Skyhawks at Nowra. Those planes do provide air training capability with Australian Naval forces. That is an issue that we will need to address. It is basically a timing issue though because we have the Hawk [inaudible] Fighter coming into service in the next couple of years. So that means that we will need to plug the gaps and there are various options for us to do so.
Of course, these are decisions for the New Zealand Government to make and therefore there are political issues, obviously, a political debate to be had in New Zealand about their defence policy. But from an Australian perspective they are a democratically elected Government so it’s a matter for them to make the decisions that they have made.
JOURNALIST:
Does it mean though that Australia will shoulder a greater burden when it comes to regional security?
REITH:
Well, the burden that we will shoulder is that which we set out in our White Paper prior to Christmas. And their decisions do not in any way cause us to review or change either the assessments or the capability decisions that we made in the White Paper.
Australia has a very strong position in regards to defence. We think more money ought to be spent, we think it’s justified, I believe there is strong public support for what we are doing and we are literally in the thro’s of implementing that statement that was made before Christmas with some major purpose acquisitions as well as reforms of one sort of another.
So we have set our course and we are pursuing our new strategies for defence.
JOURNALIST:
So it doesn’t really matter what New Zealand does…
REITH:
Well, obviously as the Prime Minister said this morning, you know, there are always consequences of decisions that are made. But the New Zealand Government is perfectly entitled to make decisions which it thinks are in its best national interest. So we understand and respect their rights to make decisions about defence policy in the same way that I am sure they respect the decisions that we have made about defence policy.
JOURNALIST:
If we put a case to them against [inaudible]…
REITH:
Well, there was some discussion about the sort of practical side as far as the Skyhawks are concerned and we suggested it would certainly suit us a bit better if they could keep that capability for a bit longer, another year or so. And so there certainly have been those discussions. But look, it is a matter for them and whilst that’s an important matter for us it is principally a timing issue rather than anything else.
JOURNALIST:
The New Zealand Prime Minister says that New Zealand is no longer a member of ANZUS and yet under article 10 it has not yet withdrawn. Where does that leave the status of the ANZUS agreement and does Australia believe New Zealand is still a member of Austral ANZUS?
REITH:
Well, I think the answer to that question this morning really said that the relationship between New Zealand and the United States is a matter for them. In terms of Australia and New Zealand relationships you only need to look at the practical cooperation we have developed in Timor. That is very important to Australia and having good relations with New Zealand is a very important part of Federal Government’s foreign policy outlook.
JOURNALIST:
But there is now no strategic alliance.
REITH:
With New Zealand?
JOURNALIST:
Well, it’s a three-part treaty, New Zealand says it’s no longer a member.
REITH:
Well, I hear what you say but I answer in the way that I have.
JOURNALIST:
The P3 Orions’ maritime surveillance at the east of New Zealand. Will the RAAF take up that capacity if New Zealand drops off?
REITH:
Well, as I understand they are keeping the Orions and there will be an upgrade in the technical capability of those planes but not as advanced as an upgrade which we are proposing. As to how that pans out in the practical operational sense I would need to take that on notice.
JOURNALIST:
Would you say that over the past few years, over the past five years or so, that New Zealand has been a disappointment as far as defence goes?
REITH:
What I would say is that Australia has an important interest in maintaining very good relations with New Zealand on defence issues and as part and parcel of that the decisions that they take are decisions for New Zealand. That is a political responsibility of the government of the day in New Zealand and, you know, what are essentially political internal debates should be matters for the New Zealand Government.
JOURNALIST:
But are they keeping up their end of the deal?
REITH:
Well, Australia has made its own assessment of Australia’s needs and we have set that out in the White Paper and we are proceeding. If you ask me are the assessments different? Well obviously they are different but, you know, in arriving at that conclusion you’d also be blind to reality to not understand that there are areas of conjunction such as peacekeeping operations and that is a matter of very real and practical relevance in any commentary you might want to offer on the relationship between Australia and New Zealand.
JOURNALIST:
So still a reliable ally?
REITH:
Well, we have nothing but the highest respect for what New Zealand has done in East Timor and as Defence Minister, you know, that rates pretty highly with me because we have got our young men and women on the frontline there and to have New Zealanders side-by-side with them is a matter of reassurance.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible] has been a one-way street….
REITH:
Well, you cannot say that in regards to the East Timor operation. You certainly can’t say that with, you know, the Bougainville matters that we have been dealing with. And you know there have been other instances in recent years.
JOURNALIST:
Kofi Annan wants to keep the UN force in East Timor until the August 30th election, has Australia budgeted for that? How long will our troops remain in East Timor?
REITH:
Well, we have certainly…well, there will be a Budget on the 22nd of May but obviously we are in a position to maintain the forces that we currently have in East Timor and we shared the assessment that Kofi Annan has made in that regard.
JOURNALIST:
Is it open-ended though? How long will they remain?
REITH:
Well, look, in terms of this year we have got the elections sort of August/September of thereabouts and then we’ll be moving to a state of independence. Exactly what the timing of that, you know, is yet before us and I suppose our basic attitude is that it’s important to maintain the Forces that we have got there to maintain stability through this process. Now, I think the mandate runs out the sort of start of next year, the UN mandate and, you know, for an answer about the short-term obviously we’ll be maintaining our Forces there for the time being.
JOURNALIST:
Just on another matter, do you think Cabinet or the Government is any closer to knowing where the leak came from last week and what the intention was and why it was leaked….
REITH:
I don’t have any comment on that at all.
JOURNALIST:
[Inaudible]
REITH:
Well, I think you should ask the New Zealanders, you know, what they think they might do in the future. Thank you. Â
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