TRANSCRIPT
THE HON PETER COSTELLO MP
Treasurer

Malvern Central School

Monday, 5 May 2003
approx. 11.30 am

SUBJECTS: Governor General

JOURNALIST:

Mr Costello, should the Governor General resign?

TREASURER:

Well, as I said yesterday, there are certainly no grounds for dismissal, because

in the conduct of his office he has, he has made no errors. But, of course,

he would recognise, and in fact has recognised, that as Archbishop of Brisbane,

he should have taken a firmer line against priests who had molested children.

And I think if he had his time again he would do that. But that was in his previous

office, not in his office as Governor General, so there are no grounds for dismissal.

What the Governor General decides to do, and he can at any stage go to the Prime

Minister and indicate what he intends to do, but that is a matter solely for

him.

JOURNALIST:

Would you personally urge him to see the Prime Minister?

TREASURER:

No, I think that the Prime Minister has a duty to look at the situation and

to ask himself, has he conducted himself properly in the office of Governor

General. He has. And as far as the Prime Minister is concerned, he has taken

the appropriate course of action. What the recent inquiry from Peter O’Callaghan

found, the QC, was not that the Governor General had done anything wrong as

Governor General but prior to being Governor General, whilst he was the Archbishop

of Brisbane that he should have taken a firmer line against priests who molested

children. I think most Australians would agree with that, I certainly do.

JOURNALIST:

There might be no formal grounds for asking for his resignation but do you

think there are moral grounds that, for the Governor General to step down?

TREASURER:

Well, it is not that the Governor General has done anything in the office of

Governor General other than to perform his duties quite properly. This is something

that occurred before he was Governor General and so it is really in his prior

conduct…(bells ringing)

JOURNALIST:

Recess, is the bell tolling for you, this is my next question?

JOURNALIST:

Sorry, we’ll start that again.

TREASURER:

Sorry…shoot.

JOURNALIST:

Where were we at? Oh, just about whether there are moral grounds for him to

stand down?

TREASURER:

Look, in the discharge of his duty as Governor General, nobody has any grounds

for concern. He has entirely properly discharged that duty. But in his prior

occupation as Archbishop of Brisbane, obviously he now looks back and says he

should have handled things better. He made an error, an error of judgment, but

his response to that is entirely a matter for him. He has not done anything

in the office of Governor General which means that he can no longer adequately

discharge those duties. In fact, in the office of Governor General he has properly

discharged those duties.

JOURNALIST:

But this lack of support from senior Government Ministers, should this be reason

enough for him to stand down?

TREASURER:

No, I think senior Government Ministers are taking the view, as do many Australians,

that in the conduct of his office as Archbishop of Brisbane he should have taken

a firmer line against priests who had molested children. Senior Ministers, and

I am one, think he should have taken a stronger line. It is very hard to justify

continuing a priest in the office of a priest when that priest is known to have

molested children. And I think even the Governor General, as he looks back on

that, would take the same view. But I continue to stress that was not a decision

he took whilst he was Governor General, it was in a previous occupation.

JOURNALIST:

Do you personally regret the appointment?

TREASURER:

Look, I have made it entirely clear that like many Australians I believe a

very firm line has to be taken against people in authority who molest children,

whether they are priests, or whether they are school teachers, or whoever they

may be. And I am sure that looking back on it, the Governor General had the

same view.

Thanks.

JOURNALIST:

Can I just ask one more question…

TREASURER:

About what?

JOURNALIST:

…you’re Acting Prime Minister but if you become Prime Minister would you

be comfortable with the Governor General remaining.

TREASURER:

I have said all I have to say on that subject. Thank you very much.