TRANSCRIPT
THE HON PETER COSTELLO MP
Treasurer

Doorstop Interview
Victorian State Council

Pakenham, Victoria
Saturday, 24 July 2004
12.00 pm

SUBJECTS: Bali Bombings, industrial relations reform

JOURNALIST: (inaudible)

TREASURER:

Well you have got to bear in mind that it’s a decision of the Constitutional

Court. It’s a split decision. It’s on a question of law in relation

to one of the charges. Now the Indonesian Government itself has indicated that

it wants to ensure that the Bali bombers are brought to justice and brought

to trial. So it may well be that the Indonesian Government itself has the capacity

with other charges or with other legal avenues to deal with this situation and

we welcome their support in relation to that.

If Australia can be of any assistance, as we were in collecting, assisting with

the collection of evidence for the original trial, we stand ready to do it.

The Australian Government for the sake of 88 of our fellow Australians wants

to see those responsible be brought to justice and punished. And if we can be

of any assistance to the Indonesian Government in doing that we will do it.

JOURNALIST:

When you said they didn’t die because of the situation in Iraq, were

you alluding directly to what you have called Labor Party’s cut and run

policy?

TREASURER:

No…there are some people that argue that Australia became a terrorist

target because of our engagement in Iraq. The point I make is this. That the

attack by terrorists in Bali which killed 88 Australians was before there was

any war in Iraq. Before there was any Australian engagement. Australia has been

a terrorist target because of who we are, not because of what we have done,

but because of who we are. And the proof of that is the Bali bombing.

JOURNALIST:

It is a very emotive issue I should think for all Australians but for those

families of victims today who are waking up and reading this news. Is there

any reassurance you can give to them?

TREASURER:

I think the heart of every Australian will go out to the families of those

who died in Bali and I think every Australian would want to know the sake of

justice for those 88 and for their families that everything that can be done

should be done to bring to trial those responsible. Now this is a legal technicality

on a split court we would not want to see substantial justice interrupted on

such grounds and we welcome the fact that the Indonesian Government itself wants

to ensure that these people come to trial.

JOURNALIST:

(inaudible) Has any particular assistance already been offered to the Indonesian

Government or will you wait for some kind of (inaudible).

TREASURER:

Well, the Australian Government has been in touch with the Indonesian Government.

We have indicated our concern for the families and for the dead themselves and

the Indonesian Government agrees that the people responsible must be brought

to justice. But you have got to understand this is a ruling by an Indonesian

court on a constitutional question with a split bench. This is one of those

legal technicalities and it’s a legal technicality not in our country

but in another country and so the authorities that will have to deal with it

will have to be the authorities in that country.

JOURNALIST:

(inaudible)..are we offering legal experts (inaudible)

TREASURER:

Well if there is any… let me make this point. This is a decision by an

Indonesian court on an Indonesian law with a bench split on a technicality.

We the Australian Government believe that those responsible for the Bali bombings

should be brought to justice, so does the Indonesian Government. But what has

to be addressed is this legal issue in Indonesia. It is not an Australian law,

it is not an Australian court, it is not an Australian issue. It’s a matter

for the Indonesian legal system. Now we will be through the diplomatic channels

on behalf on the dead Australians and their families urging the Indonesian Government

to act and I believe the Indonesian Government will do what it can but it’s

a question of Indonesian law.

JOURNALIST:

(inaudible) IR would be a key part of the election campaign…(inaudible)

are you planning a major overhaul of the system as reported in the Fin Review

this morning?

TREASURER:

Look, the Government will be seeking to improve Australia’s industrial

relations system in the following areas: we think that unfair dismissal laws

still are too complex and they still hold small business to ransom and we want

to reform them. We believe that there should be much more freedom encouraged

between employers and employees. We believe that it is important that voluntary

unionism be respected and will continue to be working to ensure those things

are respected.