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PRIME MINISTER

2 November 2005

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON JOHN HOWARD MP INTERVIEW WITH RAY MARTIN, A CURRENT AFFAIR, CHANNEL NINE

Subjects: Anti-terrorism

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RAY MARTIN:

Mr Howard, thank you for your time.

PRIME MINISTER:

Pleasure.

MARTIN:

Now you have certainly scared Australia today whether you intended to or not.

PRIME MINISTER:

I didn’t set out to scare anybody, Ray, but it’s a question of you are damned if you do and you are damned if you don’t. We have over the past few days received some specific information from intelligence and police sources about a possible terrorist attack. It is information that I have fully shared with the Leader of the Opposition. And after consulting all six State Premiers yesterday, we have decided to alter the existing terrorism legislation to substitute for a current provision which says that in order to prove a charge you have to prove an established preparation for a specific terrorist act with a more general provision providing for a terrorist attack. Now, I know that sounds pedantic but…

MARTIN:

It’s very legal isn’t it.

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PRIME MINISTER:

But in order to prosecute people, Ray, you have got to do it legally and you have got to have the law on your side.

MARTIN:

Does that make us safer tonight if that’s passed tomorrow?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well, the reason we have passed it through the House of Representatives is that we have been told by our law enforcement agencies, and I am satisfied on the basis of the information I have, that passing this law or making this change would enhance the capacity of the law enforcement agencies to deal with the situation. I can’t guarantee that any particular thing is going to happen. I can’t go into the detail of the information I have.

MARTIN:

Why haven’t you felt the need to change the alert, the terrorist alert system. We’ve kept it as it has always been?

PRIME MINISTER:

Well it’s medium, we might be advised any moment to change that. But medium covers, in a sense, the current contingency, the current situation which is that a terrorist attack is possible.

MARTIN:

So we could be advised any moment?

PRIME MINISTER:

But you don’t…I mean, this is a very difficult balancing act. On the one hand, we have to tell the public why we are changing the law. But on the other hand, if I go into all the details of what I have been given I will prejudice the operations and security services and the police.

MARTIN:

I understand that.

PRIME MINISTER:

I am sure your viewers understand that.

MARTIN:

Yep. I understand that totally. Are we in any more danger tonight than we were at the weekend?

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PRIME MINISTER:

Well, let me put it this way, that I have information tonight that I didn’t have at the weekend and that information concerns me and that information has been shared with the Labor Party and in general terms with the State Premiers and it has caused us to change the law. Now, that means that we are doing everything we can based on the information we have to protect the community.

MARTIN:

All right. You know, of course, that everything in politics is about timing, is it just coincidental the timing of this rush announcement today came at a time when we have got two of the most important and controversial pieces of legislation in Parliament?

PRIME MINISTER:

Absolutely. Absolutely, Ray. I mean, those who would argue that, and I know you’re not suggesting that in some way the police and the security services are doing the Government’s bidding. What happens in these situations is that when security services and police get information, and incidentally a lot of this police information would have been shared with State governments, they bring it to people in my position, and the Attorney-General’s position, and tell us the information and we discuss it with them. And in this particular case advice was given that the situation would be strengthened if we could make this amendment. Now, I don’t want to put it any more strongly than that but it is purely coincidental. Now, if I had made the calculation that I would put this off for a few days so people won’t accuse me of that and something were to happen, people would have every right to condemn me unconditionally.

MARTIN:

Okay. You are saying tonight though don’t panic, but let’s keep our fingers crossed.

PRIME MINISTER:

I am saying that the Government is doing - in cooperation with the security agencies and the police - and also on this occasion, with the cooperation of the Opposition, everything we can to protect the community.

MARTIN:

All right. Prime Minister, thank you so much for your time, we appreciate it very much.

PRIME MINISTER:

Thank you.

[ends]