Geoff Prosser (Forrest, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is addressed to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. Would the minister inform the House of the government’s response to the agreement reached between the United States and India on separation of India’s civilian and military nuclear facilities? Are there any alternative policies?

Alexander Downer (Mayo, Liberal Party, Minister for Foreign Affairs) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

First, I thank the honourable member for Forrest for his question and for the interest in this agreement. With him being a Western Australian and thinking a lot about India, as you do over there, I can understand him asking the question. The government welcome the agreement between the United States and India essentially for three reasons. First of all, we do welcome the strengthening of the strategic relationship between the United States and India. We believe that that is very much in Australia’s interests. Secondly, it does mean that India’s civilian nuclear facilities will be under international safeguards and subject to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency, and we welcome that. Thirdly, obviously, India, with a vast population and a quite rapidly growing economy, is going to have very serious challenges in getting sufficient energy, and it needs clean energy. We do not want to see India using, if you like, unclean energy. Nuclear energy is obviously an option for a country like that.

We have no current intentions to change our policy on uranium sales, but of course India’s plan to bring its civil sector under International Atomic Energy Agency safeguards is a matter of considerable interest to us. Therefore, officials from my department and other departments will meet their Indian and United States counterparts to discuss the form and substance of the agreement between India and the United States. This agreement needs still to pass the United States congress. It is going to be discussed in the Nuclear Suppliers Group, of which we are a member. I note during the visit by the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, he welcomed and strongly supported this agreement. Of course, that is the position of a number of countries, such as France and Russia. Other countries can see many positive aspects of it and are having consultations with the Indians and the Americans about it.

The honourable member for Forrest asked if there are any alternatives. On that side of the House 23 March is a bit of an anniversary. It is the second anniversary of Mark Latham’s famous ‘troops out by Christmas’ statement. It is a day apparently commemorated in the Labor Party, a day when they make foreign policy speeches. The Leader of the Opposition made a foreign policy speech—which we can come back to on other occasions—and in that speech he said that this agreement between India and the United States showed a ‘serious error of judgment’ and was ‘a major policy mistake’ and, if he were to become the Prime Minister, he would ‘wind back’ an agreement. So the Leader of the Opposition would become the Prime Minister of Australia and he would then wind back the agreement between India and the United States!

Let us be frank about this: that is, I suspect, hyperbole at its worst. Even if he wanted to wind it back, you can rest assured that he would have no capacity whatsoever to do so. What this simply demonstrates is that the Leader of the Opposition has worked very hard to try to persuade commentators that he is some sort of an expert on foreign policy and trade. He is a charlatan. He is a complete charlatan. He knows very little about those issues, and this kind of remark simply demonstrates the point—a point that is only reinforced by—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister will resume his seat.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

On a point of order—

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Has the minister concluded his answer?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and International Security) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, his answer had nothing to do with the question.

David Hawker (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member does not have the call.