Australian Politics Forum

I’ve never seen a custody battle as pathetic and destructive as the one now being fought over a 14-year-old boy in Bali.

And, as with so many custody brawls, this ego wrestle between Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Foreign Affairs Minister Kevin Rudd risks hurting the very child they claim to care for.

What a farce it’s been since a Lake Macquarie schoolboy was pinched in Bali last week, allegedly for carrying $25 worth of marijuana.

We’ve had Rudd rushing our ambassador in Jakarta over to Bali to handle what’s usually the job of a mere consular official, and then holding a fanfare of a press conference to declare this was the “number one priority” for his staff there, adding: “I have kids.”

Then we got Gillard, unfortunately childless at this critical point, nevertheless trumping her smirking stalker by announcing she’d actually got the boy on the phone to let him know she’s on his side.

So there.

What next? Will Defence Minister Stephen Smith, another leadership hopeful, beat them both by sending in the SAS?

Meanwhile, every expert with half a brain and an ounce of concern for the boy rather than their own popularity is trying to tell both Rudd and Gillard to put a sock in it.

This isn’t the time for showboating. This is an issue that needs to be talked down, not amped up for the applause of the nation’s xenophobes, slavering to hear more about the savagery of foreigners to our north.

What a prostitution of our foreign affairs priorities and a pandering to prejudice.

Let’s recap. Last week the 14-year-old, on holidays in Bali with his family, was arrested by police as he came out of a massage shop.
bolt.daily telegraph.

I did think the Ambassador looked more than embarrassed arriving at the police station to be honest... we have a consulate in Bali..and now a personal call from the PM..

this could all very well go against this boy... he could become quite a celebrity when he returns.. every TV and radio station wanting an interview... its bizarre.. I think even the Indonesians can see this sticking out a mile..

Bring in Bill Clinton, he's the only one who can get people out of tight spots when all the others fail.

Ex Dame Pansi wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:21am:

Bring in Bill Clinton, he's the only one who can get people out of tight spots when all the others fail.

well in case you dont know he a Yank.. do you think the way the govt is handling this is the way to go pansi??

You can't have it both ways cods

If Rudd and Gillard done nothing you would be jumping up and down.

They are doing something about it and you still jumping up and down.

So what would you like Rudd and Gillard to do? Try to get the boy back into Australia or for Rudd and Gillard sit on their ass and do nothing?

24 hours too late Cods
The Ambassador to Indo poured cold water all over Bishops little point scoring rant last night, unless of course you consider him a Labor lacky.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:47am:

oh come on wattle...the PM making a personal call a 14 year old caught with drugs.... since when??????.

this boy I think could become a media spiv when he returns.. they would all be lining up with the cheque books..I am just saying the Ambassodor looked embarrassed he looked very uncomfortable..

we only always have a consulate take care of these things..Ambassadors deal with ministers of the govt.. not policemen..

its ok yes I would expect the Pm to speak up on his behalf like I would expect them to speak up on behalf of the Bali members that are under streat of death..because it goers against everything this country stands for.,.. however this looks to me like overload...rudd to my mind looked most insincere...sorry worshippers... but he didnt look into the camera at all..he was just mouthing what he thought sounded good....hummmmmmmmm.. well OK..he likes the limelight and why miss an opportunity like this..but then out comes gillard... it doesnt do it for me.. they have already been told they are over doing it..

Dsmithy70 wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 8:01am:

24 hours too late Cods
The Ambassador to Indo poured cold water all over Bishops little point scoring rant last night, unless of course you consider him a Labor lacky.

well I dont know what you mean smithy but I am sure it makes you feel all warm and fussy...

but I dont care.. I still think its opportunism..

to me its obvious.

a PM phoning a 14 yr old on drug charges..????????.. sorry mate it doesnt do it for me,

cods wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:17am:

It's all a farce really.
Is the PM going to phone every stupid 14 year old on drugs charges now, or just the really really stupid ones that do it in Indonesian territory.
This is just another Labor stunt.

Once again, the Lib hacks prove that they will whine and squawk no matter what the Labs do!

It was predetermined, by the record of the Abbott Tropposition, that Gillard and Rudd would be damned if the did - and damned if they didn't!

BTW, what say you lot over Julie Bishop's hypocrisy in this case compared to her antics in relation to the Stern Hu arrest and subsequent trial!?

Just to jog your memory: -

http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2009/s2623354.htm

Quote:

Bishop critical of Govt response to Hu arrest

Print Email

Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Broadcast: 12/07/2009

Reporter: Barrie Cassidy

Deputy Opposition Leader and spokeswoman for foreign affairs Julie Bishop discusses the arrest of Rio Tinto's Stern Hu in China.

[...]

BARRIE CASSIDY: Do you really think that the public shares your outrage with the Government's handling of the Stern Hu matter?

JULIE BISHOP: I think the Australian public would expect our Government to stand up for the rights of an Australian citizen who is in serious trouble in China.

The lack of information and the...

[...]

JULIE BISHOP: The point I was making is that if I were in Mr Hu's position where I'd been taken by the Chinese secret police in circumstances that are questionable and that there was no information coming out to the Australian Government and I had no access to my family or to lawyers or to consular officials for about five days, then I would want the Australian Government to be doing all it could to secure my release.

And so far the Australian ministers, as far as we're aware, have not even picked up the phone to their counterpart ministers and raised this issue.

Now I'm sure that the Australian bureaucrats are working very hard to get consular access but Barrie there appears to be a major fracture in the relationship between Canberra and Beijing. There's been a lack of cooperation, no response to numerous requests for information and no information coming from Beijing. And in fact our Foreign Minister Stephen Smith has been reduced to scouring Chinese Government websites to find out information on Mr Hu.

BARRIE CASSIDY: But that's the fault of the Chinese surely, not the fault of this Government. And they say that they've made contacts every day in Canberra, in Beijing and in Shanghai.

JULIE BISHOP: Barrie at what level are they making contacts? We are yet to hear whether the Prime Minister or our Foreign Minister have picked up the phone to their counterpart ministers in China and said what is going on?

This is a senior executive of Rio Tinto involved in major and sensitive iron ore price negotiations and he's been taken into custody of the Chinese secret police. And there are claims of espionage and stealing state secrets. These are serious criminal offences and yet there's no information.

If I were the Australian ministers I would be picking up the phone and calling my counterpart ministers.

Now Mr Rudd claims to have a special relationship with China. Well what benefit is this Australian citizen getting from that so-called special relationship?

BARRIE CASSIDY: Though a lot of people who have had dealings with China over the years are saying that the better approach is to be low key. Otherwise it can be counterproductive.

JULIE BISHOP: Barrie there's also the very strong view that we should shine as much sunlight on this as we are able and raise it at the highest possible level because of the secrecy surrounding these circumstances.

Now if commercial negotiations in China are going to be equated to state secrets because the Chinese companies are state-owned enterprises then that brings a whole different perspective to our negotiations with China and I would have thought it entirely appropriate for Mr Rudd and Mr Smith to pick up the phone, speak to their counterpart ministers and ask what is going on.

But our main and primary concern at this point must be for the welfare and safety of Mr Hu.

BARRIE CASSIDY: But you did say the other day that they're treating it like, by treating it is a consular matter it's like the run of the mill tourist issue.

What makes this different though? Why should this businessman be treated any differently to an Australian tourist who gets into trouble?

JULIE BISHOP: I was referring to the statements by Mr Smith that this was just another consular matter. It is far more serious than just a tourist getting in trouble with the local police.

BARRIE CASSIDY: But why is it?

JULIE BISHOP: This is a senior Australian businessman who is involved in major negotiations at the highest level within the business circles in Australia and China. He has been taken by the Chinese secret police and there are accusations of espionage and state secrets.

That elevates this matter to a Beijing-to-Canberra issue. And I would have thought that the least the Australian Government could do is elevate it from just another consular matter to something of much more significance.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Well Malcolm Turnbull says he should be released and released now. Do you stand by that as well?

JULIE BISHOP: I'm deeply concerned that charges have not been laid...

BARRIE CASSIDY: But you can't demand that he be released, surely?

JULIE BISHOP: Well if charges were laid then applications could be made for him to be released.

But my concern is that...

/contd.

Quote:

JULIE BISHOP: Well if charges were laid then applications could be made for him to be released.

But my concern is that it took so long for Mr Hu to be even granted consular access, the absolute maximum time allowed under the consular agreement between Beijing and Canberra, but also that I understand it he's had no access to lawyers.

Has he been interrogated? In what fashion has he been interrogated? These are great concerns.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Sure yeah, they're all fair, they're all reasonable criticisms but Malcolm Turnbull got it wrong, didn't he, when he demanded that he should be released?

JULIE BISHOP: No, he didn't get it wrong at all. In fact if Mr Hu...

BARRIE CASSIDY: But on what basis? He doesn't know, you don't know and I don't know whether there's any guilt or innocence here.

JULIE BISHOP: If Mr Hu is not charged then he should be released.

BARRIE CASSIDY: But the, it's not unusual for somebody to be held for some days before charges are laid.

JULIE BISHOP: Well, he's already been held for seven days.

And the information that we've received from the Chinese website, because there's no minister-to-minister contact indicates that there has been an extensive inquiry and that they have evidence, conclusive evidence that he's guilty of stealing state secrets.

Now if the Chinese Government say they have conclusive evidence then he should be charged and released or released immediately.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Now you made contact with the Chinese embassy in Canberra?

JULIE BISHOP: Yes I did.

BARRIE CASSIDY: On what basis did you do that? What authority do you have to make that sort of representation?

JULIE BISHOP: I'm the shadow minister for foreign affairs and I'm deeply concerned about the health, wellbeing, safety and security of an Australian citizen in Beijing. And I telephoned the Australian embassy and I spoke to the acting ambassador.

What concerned me was that the Foreign Minister didn't call in the acting ambassador until Thursday, the day after I had made contact.

Now I would have thought that one of the first steps the Australian Government should have taken was to call in the acting Chinese ambassador and ask him for an update of what was going on.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Have you got any theories on why you think the Chinese have done this?

JULIE BISHOP: I don't think it's useful for me to speculate but there's certainly been public commentary that this is connected with the iron ore price negotiations.

There's also a lot of evidence to indicate that there is a major fracture in the relationship between Beijing and Canberra, based on the fact that there's been such a lack of information and lack of cooperation and almost to the point where Beijing is snubbing Canberra.

Now I don't think these events occur in isolation. I don't think this is just one event. I think this may well have been a build-up of concerns on the part of China about the way the Australian Government has been treating China.

We know they are deeply troubled by the Government's White Paper. We know that they were deeply insulted by Mr Rudd's raising of the human rights issues in Tibet.

It's interesting that he can raise the human rights of the Tibetans but not the human rights of an Australian citizen.

BARRIE CASSIDY: And just on that, an Australian parliamentary delegation - it was unofficial - they've just been to India, to a Tibetan enclave and they met the Dalai Lama. Could it be that that was a factor?

JULIE BISHOP: That may well be part of it. It would not be just one issue. I would imagine that there are a number of issues that are causing concern in Beijing. But it's deeply troubling that the Australian Government has not been able to make any meaningful contact at any level within the Chinese Government.

I know Simon Crean happened to be in Shanghai and in passing he met with some junior official in the provincial government but that's hardly meeting with the Chinese Government in Beijing.

BARRIE CASSIDY: In retrospect though, should this parliamentary delegation have gone to India at all?

JULIE BISHOP: Well it's been, Barrie. There's no point in speculating whether they should or should not have gone...

BARRIE CASSIDY: Okay...

JULIE BISHOP: But at the time of course I would have supported it.

BARRIE CASSIDY: You said that you didn't want to speculate on what the reasons might be but Barnaby Joyce certainly did and was quite emphatic about it. Was he wrong to do that?

JULIE BISHOP: I think Barnaby is making the point that if commercial negotiations are elevated to state secrets by virtue of the fact that Chinese companies are state owned enterprises then that brings negotiations in these iron ore price issues into a completely different perspective and it is troubling, deeply troubling.

BARRIE CASSIDY: Okay, I wanted to ask you about some domestic issues now. But just before I do, the Australian mine worker that was shot dead apparently by a sniper but we don't know that for sure, in Papua.

Is this something that the Government should be raising with the Indonesian authorities?

JULIE BISHOP: Well this is very concerning and obviously we feel for his wife and his young child. He has a young family as I understand.

There isn't enough information at present to indicate whether there was a motive, whether it was a personal issue, whether it was something broader or more sinister than that. But hopefully...

Equitist wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 12:21pm:

Gillard and Rudd would be damned if the did - and damned if they didn't!

Indeed.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:47am:

There is one thing both Rudd and Gillard seem to be forgetting/ignoring in their ill-advised game of one-upmanship over this boy and that is the fact that the Indonesians do not respond well to megaphone diplomacy. They are far more receptive when talked to directly, rather than through the media. Hopefully the Indonesians will ignore the childish antics of these two buffoons and treat the kid fairly regardless of what Rudd and Gillard say/do.

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:47am:

So what would you like Rudd and Gillard to do? Try to get the boy back into Australia or for Rudd and Gillard sit on their ass and do nothing?

Personally, I'd like it if they were competent.
That would be a nice start.

Armchair_Politician wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 12:51pm:

wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:47am:

Even Rudd is a no go for leading labor. He has now supported and kissed Gillard with glee over the carbon tax. lol, now who does this failed government have to replace the lying B Gillard.

Brothers I am prepared to go the extra mile and do what is needed to dismantle and marginalize the corporations and there false economy forever and re socialize. A line has been drawn in the sand in front of Wall Street from which there can be no retreat from the CEO's and banks. Their days of Tax payer bailouts and subsidy's are coming to an end. Corporate greed will be wiped from the face of the earth and that is a promise you can take to the bank. We will all see the annihilation of the scourge of capitalism through our collective efforts and will.

corporate_whitey wrote on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 12:58pm:

Hi Bill ;D

I'll worry about the polls in 2 yrs time when there is an election

Australian Politics Forum
http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl General Discussion >> Federal Politics >> which way will the POLLS go now? http://www.ozpolitic.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1318367828 Message started by cods on Oct 12^th, 2011 at 7:17am