The Hon Stephen Smith MP
Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs
Transcript E&OE
10 June 2009
Interview with Joe O’Brien : ABC2 News Breakfast
Excerpts
JOE O'BRIEN: Now as we've been reporting this morning, Indian students have written directly to the Prime Minister back in New Delhi to ask him to intervene to help protect them from attacks in Australia. The Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith is in Brisbane today to chair the Australia-PNG Ministerial Forum. Stephen Smith, good morning. We'll turn to the Indian issue first. Has your office received any official expressions of concern from India about the attacks on students in Australia?
STEPHEN SMITH: Well last week, late last week I spoke to my counterpart, External Affairs Minister Krishna, and relayed to him the things that the Prime Minister, the Deputy Prime Minister and I have been saying, both in the Parliament and publicly.
But of course we're concerned. We're working very closely with our State counterparts, particularly Victoria and New South Wales, to make sure that firstly people who have committed these terrible crimes are brought to justice, but also to restore confidence and trust, so far as the Indian student community is concerned.
Overnight, we have of course seen the Indian Prime Minister himself, Prime Minister Singh, make a statement to the Indian Parliament where he has underlined all of those things. He's made the point that Prime Minister Rudd and he have spoken.
So we're doing everything we can with the Indian authorities, both in India and also in Australia through their High Commission. An also working very closely with the relevant state authorities here, and of course we've established a high level taskforce chaired by our National Security Adviser.
It may well take some time to bring these matters entirely under control, but we're working very assiduously and closely with the Indian Government on it.
JOE O'BRIEN: You say you are doing everything you possibly can at the moment, but as you point out, the situation does seem to be getting worse, night by night, at the moment.
STEPHEN SMITH: I notice that overnight, my counterpart, External Affairs Minister Krishna, has effectively called for calm and restraint so far as Indian students in Australia is concerned. We've seen the points that Indian students have made, through generally peaceful protest, both in New South Wales and in Victoria.
But I simply echo the comments of my Indian counterpart. The time has now come for restraint. The time has come for calm. People should simply let the police authorities get on with their jobs. We know that both in Victoria, and New South Wales, those relevant authorities are working very hard on this.
Those sentiments were indeed echoed by the Indian Prime Minister in the Indian Parliament last night.
I think the time has now come for everyone to let the authorities get on with the job and to bring people who've committed contemptible acts to be brought to justice, but also to allow the educational authorities, including our own universities, who are working very hard both in Australia, and in India, to make sure that all of the relevant information about personal security and safety is brought to the attention of Indian students here, or people who are intending to come here.
JOE O'BRIEN: So you'd like to see these protests stop now.
STEPHEN SMITH: I think the time has come for people to simply let the authorities get on with the job. People have made their point. Now let us see the authorities take the steps that they need to take.
In that respect, I simply echo the sentiments of the Indian Prime Minister overnight in the Indian Parliament, and the call overnight by my Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Krishna.
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