Transcript: Press Conference - Australia’s response to UN resolution on South Sudan
26th December, 2013
Warren Truss MPActing Prime Minister
Press Conference: Australia’s response to UN resolution on South Sudan, Governor-General, Second Sydney Airport
CPO, Melbourne
26 December 2013
WARREN TRUSS: Thank you all for coming and giving up some of your Christmas break. I’ve asked you here because the Australian Government has made a decision to respond to an urgent request from the United Nations for strategic air-lift support to the United Nations mission in South Sudan. You'll be aware that yesterday the United Nations Security Council unanimously approved a temporary increase in the strength of the United Nations mission in South Sudan from up to 12,500 military personnel and 1323 police. That's an increase from the current strengths of 7000 military personnel and 900 police. The Australian Defence Forces are preparing to provide a royal Australian Air Force C17A Globemaster and a C130 Hercules to move United Nations personnel and equipment and undertake other tasks in South Sudan in the coming days. These two aircraft are currently operating in the Middle East area and they are being pre-positioned to the Al Minhad air base in United Arab Emirates, awaiting their future tasks.
The precise deployment timeframe which we expect will be just a couple of weeks will be subject to the United Nations accepting the offer and the aircraft will not be positioned to Africa until we're satisfied about the scope and nature of the mission and the risks have been properly assessed. We will, though, in the interim, be positioning these aircraft and preparing them for the work that they will do in South Sudan which is not dissimilar from their current tasks obviously in the Middle East area. You'll be aware that there's been a degree of unrest in South Sudan over recent times. Fighting has broken out in the country between government forces and rebel forces under the leadership of the former Vice President Machar. Rebel forces have recently succeeded in overrunning the Jonglei State which is the largest of the 10 states of South Sudan.
The United Nations decision to reinforce its current mission of some current mission of some 7000 personnel is to ensure that the objective that the Sudanese people and indeed the countries of the world had when South Sudan was established as a country following an overwhelmingly supported referendum in January 2011. The United Nations mission has been present in South Sudan since that time but since independence, declining economic circumstances has led to deteriorating security situation in South Sudan and the need for there to be this further intervention. It of interest to note that there are some 70 countries currently involved in this United Nations mission. It is genuinely an international effort to try and support the United Nations' youngest member in these times of difficulty.
These additional forces would ensure that the original objective to consolidate peace and security and help establish conditions for the development in South Sudan with a view to it - to strengthening the capacity of the Government to operate effectively and democratically and so to establish good relations with its neighbours. So that was the stated objective of the mission when it was established and now it's going to be necessary for there to be a renewal of that effort by the United Nations to help secure peace and to ensure that the Government is able to function in an appropriate way. The initial tasks may well involve moving some of these additional military personnel into Sudan, into South Sudan but also perhaps evacuation of people, there's some 45,000 now people being protected by this mission as a result of the fighting.
Civilians and there may be a range of other tasks that this particular force will be asked to engage. Can I just finally say that there are still a number of Australians in South Sudan, some 70 registered with our mission in the country. Many of these are personnel from non-Government organisations. We're aware of some 230 Australians who have already evacuated the country. There are commercial flights still available and we would encourage Australians still in South Sudan to make urgent arrangements to leave the country, to make sure that they are not caught up in the kind of violence that been occurring over recent days. Now we have reason to believe that there's perhaps 500 to 1000 additional people, mainly dual nationals, who have not registered with the Australian Embassies and therefore their presence and their activities in Sudan are not especially known.
Now those people too should take advantage of the commercial flights that are currently available so that they can leave the country and ensure their own safety. So if f there's any questions I'm happy to try and answer them. We trust that this mission will be relatively brief, that we will be able to make a constructive contribution to this United Nations force and that peace will return to South Sudan just as soon as possible.
QUESTION: Are you saying that the mission is only expected to last two weeks or it's only expected to start within two weeks?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, we expect it will only take a couple of weeks and our authorisation is for a period of two weeks after the request has been received or approved and accepted by the United Nations, so we anticipate that the task will be mainly to take advantage of the heavy-lift capabilities, to move these additional personnel into Sudan and to reposition those who are in danger now as a result of this outbreak of further hostilities. So we anticipate that will be a short-term commitment.
QUESTION: And you talked about aircraft contribution, can you just clarify in terms of personnel?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, the C130 and the C17A will have an appropriate crew to undertake their purpose but no other additional Australian personnel are being deployed.
QUESTION: Would Australia consider sending any more resources or troops?
WARREN TRUSS: We haven't been requested by the United Nations to provide anything other than this air-lift capacity. Australia has particular skills and is well equipped in that regard. This a task we've undertaken before and we're confident that it can be done well but we've had no request for additional personnel and therefore we're not considering any other commitments.
QUESTION: How likely do you think it is that Australia will be asked to broaden its response?
WARREN TRUSS: We have no evidence. There's no information that we're likely to be asked to provide anything in addition to the aircraft we are offering today.
QUESTION: Just on those Australians still in South Sudan, what's the Australian Government doing to help them?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, we've certainly been provided to offer them the consular assistance that we normally offer. There are commercial services available at the present time so people are able to make their own way out of particularly the capital. I'm told that that's relatively stable. And so there is an opportunity for Australians to leave and they should take their own initiative to do so to secure their own safety.
QUESTION: Do you know roughly how many Australian crew these planes have that will be going to South Sudan and do you expect it to be a dangerous mission?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, there's always risks and as you'll be aware, the US had an aircraft fired upon as it was trying to evacuate civilians on 21 December. Subsequently, those American personnel were evacuated and evacuated successfully but there are risks and we will assess those risks before authorising the aircraft's travel into Africa.
QUESTION: What timeframe are you expecting for a decision on the new Governor-General?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, everyone knows that the Governor-General's term is about to expire but it would be inappropriate to speculate on when a replacement will be announced or who that person might be.
QUESTION: Is it true that the Government has taken a decision to appoint General Cosgrove?
WARREN TRUSS: I don't want to speculate at all about who might be nominated for the position. That's a matter I'm sure the Prime Minister has in his mind but he's on holidays at the present time and I don't intend to comment.
QUESTION: Do you think Peter Cosgrove would make a suitable candidate?
WARREN TRUSS: I'm sure Peter Cosgrove would be an excellent candidate but I'm sure there are other people also who could do the job well.
QUESTION: Have you have had much dealings with him? Can you say what he's like as a man who could potentially take that role?
WARREN TRUSS: I just don't want to speculate on who might fill the position.
QUESTION: And what's the process for filling that position? Do you - does the Government notify the Queen or consult with the Queen about the appointment?
WARREN TRUSS: My understanding is that the Government does suggest names to the Queen and she makes an appointment of her choice.
QUESTION: What do you think will be the appropriate qualities for our next Governor-General?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, we want somebody who can be a representative for our country that we will feed proud of as the head of state. We want someone who has obviously a proven record of personal achievement that's admired and accepted by all Australians as a suitable person to do the job.
QUESTION: I understand the Queen is usually notified well in advance the public announcement. Is it a concern to you that there are these rumours at the moment about Peter Cosgrove in advance of a formal announcement?
WARREN TRUSS: I think that at every time when a Governor-General's term expires there is public speculation about who might fill the position and sometimes that speculation is accurate and sometimes it's not accurate.
QUESTION: How important do you think it is that the Governor-General has no partisan leanings or is not seen to be associated with either side of politics?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, there has been some Governors-General who have had very close associations with politics, who've filled the task admirably. So I think it's best if the person is not unduly controversial but people have been very successful Governors-General who've had a strong history in politics just as there have been people who've come from other walks of life.
QUESTION: Mr Truss, the Government has attracted a bit of criticism recently for some of its other appointment s of former Liberal MPs or people who might be considered fellow travellers of the Coalition cause. Do you think a new Government's entitled to appoint people from its ranks or appoint people of like mind to it to Government jobs?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, I think Government should always appoint the best people for the position and some of the best people for the position will be people who have had some association with the Government. Some of them may well be from the other side of politics. Now we have already demonstrated our willingness to appoint people with a history of association with the Labor Party just as we have appointed people who've had a history of association with our side of politics. The previous Government did similar things.
QUESTION: Sorry, I've just a couple more questions on Sydney Airport. Now that you've received the master plan for the Sydney Airport, when do you expect to make an announcement about a second airport?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, I've indicated that the Government intends to make a decision about the site of the second airport or a second airport in Sydney during its first term in Government. We are well on track to honour that commitment and indeed I expect that we will do that in the first half of our first term in Government.
QUESTION: Is Badgerys Creek still the preferred site?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, as you rightly said, we've just received the master plan from Sydney Airport. We need to assess its contents. That plan talks about ways in which the existing airport would be able to serve Sydney in the years ahead. We need to assess the credibility of those claims and then look at what the timing would be for the provision of additional airport facilities in Sydney. That's a decision we'll be setting our mind to early in the new year.
QUESTION: Just one last question on South Sudan, sorry. What would you say to the South Sudanese community in Australia worried about their relatives?
WARREN TRUSS: Well, I can understand their concerns. There was such hope and that the new country would provide a new era of peace and prosperity for the people living in that region. As you know, something like two million or more died in the long periods of conflict before the establishment of South Sudan, most of them from hunger and most of them were civilians and so we don't want a repeat of that kind of thing happening again.
That's why the United Nations has acted so quickly and why we have been willing to respond promptly to their request to be a part of this new assistance and I hope that it can have the effect of ensuring that the Government of Sudan - South Sudan - is able to operate effectively and provide for its people and in particular to provide for food and shelter so that the country can get on with being a normal nation, a country that's able to care for its people without the need for there, in the long-term, to be a continuing United Nations presence. That's our objective and that's why we have been prepared to be involved in this new initiative.
Thank you.
[ENDS]
