Richard Marles (Corio, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Defence) Share this | Hansard source

In response to the last part of the question: we will make our best efforts to communicate with the families of victims around not only the circumstances of the release but the steps that the government is now taking in accordance with the legislation as amended that has passed this parliament. We will make our best efforts in relation to that.

In respect of the first element of the question that the Leader of the Opposition asked: indeed, the Prime Minister is in San Francisco right now at APEC, a leaders meeting which has been attended by every prime minister, including the member for Cook, and by all Liberal prime ministers since the establishment of APEC, along with Labor prime ministers. We make no apology for the fact that we are engaging with the world. What we inherited when we came to power in May of this year was the worst circumstances in terms of our global relations that this country has ever faced. We had the situation with our largest trading partner where there was no contact whatsoever. With the country about whom we have the greatest security anxiety there was no formal defence dialogue in place at all.

What the government has done is that we have been out there; we have been out there in a way which has made sure that our country is safer, our national security is improved and our trade is improved. When the Prime Minister was in the United States and when the Prime Minister was in China, he was there representing Australian working people and creating Australian jobs by getting trade back in place, and that's exactly what he is doing in San Francisco right now.

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