Radio: Gold 104.3 - Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran

28 April 2015

E&OE TRANSCRIPT

RADIO INTERVIEW

GOLD 104.3

WEDNESDAY, 29 APRIL 2015

 

SUBJECT/S: Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran

 

BRIG: Joining us now is the Opposition Leader Bill Shorten, and Bill I assume that this is a bipartisan approach?

 

BILL SHORTEN, LEADER OF THE OPPOSITION: Yeah, it’s terribly sad news. My thoughts are with the families of these two men who had, whilst they had done the wrong thing and did deserve punishment they never, never, ever, ever deserved to have what’s happened to them this morning. In terms of what Tony Abbott has said he and I had a discussion in the last two days or so. I do support withdrawing our Ambassador, I think the Indonesian Government should have perhaps listened to us more than they did and there’s no doubt that this was the wrong actions taken place this morning.

 

LEHMO: Yeah, yeah, it’s a horrific day and horrific to think what they’ve gone through and their families have gone through but with withdrawing the Ambassador which will happen in a couple of days, ministerial contact also remains suspended. Practically Bill what’s the effect of that?

 

SHORTEN: Well I think it’s demonstrating that Australia doesn’t see this as a minor matter. The Indonesian legal process hadn’t been exhausted, there were matters on foot. We believe that there was the capacity for the Indonesian legal system to have all the matters heard before the next terrible step could be contemplated. So it means that the Indonesian Government also knows because we, the Opposition are working with our Government, that I think all Australians believe that this was a completely disproportionate response. By all accounts these two young men had seen the error of their ways for a decade, they’d been rehabilitated. I’ve spoken to people who were working with them and the families lawyers and it’s just a terribly, terribly sad thing and I don’t believe it deters, I believe it just means there’s two lives which will never have a chance to see what they could have done.

 

BRIG: Well research shows that it doesn’t deter doesn’t it? Also Bill we are very close neighbours with Indonesia obviously and while I obviously support the action taken by the Government I wonder how it will affect us, because especially with all the terrorist threats around the world at the moment, I feel like we sort of do need Indonesia, you know, as a partner.

 

SHORTEN: Well the executions have just taken place a few hours ago, people are legitimately upset and frustrated. Indonesia is our neighbour, we do have common interests but I think to do nothing would be a mistake so we have to indicate very clearly our frustration and displeasure with what’s happened.

 

LEHMO: And what will need to happen for our ambassador to eventually return? Do you foresee that happening in six months, 12 months, how do you see it unfolding?

 

SHORTEN: We’ll speak to the Government first. I think the one thing which we need to do is to make sure that, as much as people maybe feeling hot under the collar, that the Government and the Opposition work together on this. So in terms of the duration of the response I think we’ll have to wait and see. We’ll be talking to the Government as we have throughout this process, this ordeal. Again though, I think you were saying something about the relations with Indonesia - I’ll be standing up later this morning with my shadow foreign spokesperson Tanya Plibersek. There’s ordinary Indonesians, there’s ordinary Balinese, I’m not sure that they should be the aim of our frustration here. I think our frustrations with their legal system and also with the fact that these executions have taken place but I for one don’t hold individual Balinese people responsible for instance.

 

BRIG: Yeah, well that’s it, absolutely. We don’t want the people on the ground to suffer, there’s no doubt about that, especially in Bali where they’ve been through so much already. Opposition Leader Bill Shorten thank you very much for speaking to us this morning.

 

SHORTEN: Yeah, it’s good to talk to you but I’m sorry it’s on this topic. I just again feel for the families and everyone who worked so hard to try and prevent this dreadful outcome this morning.

 

ENDS

 

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