John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I ask for the indulgence of the House. The House will recall that I informed it on 28 May that I had invited His Excellency Mr Shinzo Abe, the Prime Minister of Japan, to address a joint sitting of the parliament. I regret to inform the House that the Prime Minister rang me a few days ago to say that, although he would be proceeding with his visit to Australia in September for APEC, domestic political commitments precluded his continuing on to pay a bilateral visit to Canberra.

Wayne Swan (Lilley, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Treasurer) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Swan interjecting

John Howard (Bennelong, Liberal Party, Prime Minister) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

This is unfortunate—and I think it will be a matter of regret to the House, despite the rather stupid interjection of the member for Lilley, who has no courtesy or respect for the Prime Minister of Japan. I hope that at some time in the future the Prime Minister of Japan will have the opportunity of addressing a joint sitting of this parliament, because I think it would indeed have been a historic moment for the Prime Minister of Japan to have taken up that offer. I look forward to meeting him at the APEC gathering.

I am delighted to confirm that the Canadian Prime Minister, Mr Harper, has accepted the invitation to address a joint sitting. In light of the changes to Mr Abe’s program, I have offered the Canadian Prime Minister the option to make his address to parliament one day earlier than previously planned and I expect that will now be on Tuesday, 11 September.