Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Prime Minister. Has the Prime Minister or his government given any commitment to President Yudhoyono or the Indonesian government that Australia would play a role in the processing and resettlement of 240 asylum seekers moored in Merak for the past four months?

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

In terms of the diplomatic conversations between ourselves and the Indonesians, they have gone to resettlement procedures generally. As they relate to this particular vessel I have no information which I could convey to the honourable member. I say more broadly, though, to the honourable member that our conversations with the Indonesians over a long period of time have gone to resettlement and how we can assist the Indonesians over a whole range of countries, the whole spread of resettlement countries, including Australia, as in fact did the previous government. I say therefore to the—

Ms Julie Bishop (Curtin, Liberal Party, Deputy Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I raise a point of order. The Prime Minister has spoken about his conversation with President Yudhoyono. I have asked him about a specific commitment from this government to the Indonesian government about the 240 asylum seekers at Merak.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The Prime Minister is responding to the question.

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As part of our rolling cooperation with Indonesia on the challenge of asylum seekers we have had a whole range of discussions over a long period of time about how that cooperation should be unfolded. It deals also with Indonesia’s existing caseload of asylum seekers within Indonesia itself. It deals also with the totality of the caseload in that country. We stand ready to assist Indonesians in their challenges, in their dealings with other resettlement countries and also where we can assist with Australia. That has been the case in the past. That will be the case in the future. That was the case also, I seem to recall, on the part of the previous government, which assisted with some resettlement of those who were asylum seekers in Indonesia to Australia. That is precisely the approach that we would embrace in the future because for the Indonesian government, President Yudhoyono and myself the situation is as follows. This is a common challenge for both of us and therefore we would work very closely with Indonesia on source problems, on what we do with transit people who are in Indonesia itself and also what we do with people who need resettlement to other countries, including Australia.

Andrew Laming (Bowman, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Laming interjecting

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Bowman is warned!

Kevin Rudd (Griffith, Australian Labor Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Australia stands ready to assist our friends in Indonesia as Indonesia has stood ready to assist Australia. That is the way in which sensible governments deal with the challenges of asylum seekers. That is the way we will deal with it in the future.