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

My question is to the Minister for Foreign Affairs. I refer the minister to his meeting with foreign ministers from East Timor and Indonesia in New York in September. What advice has the minister provided to the Prime Minister on the prospects of East Timor hosting her regional processing centre?

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

I thank the Deputy Leader of the Opposition for her question. In addition to meeting the foreign ministers of East Timor and of Indonesia on these matters, I have had discussions with the foreign ministers of Afghanistan and Pakistan on these matters as well—as you would expect because, in dealing with the challenge of people smuggling and irregular people movements around the world, you are dealing with global factors and you are dealing with source countries, transit countries and destination countries.

On the question of the response by those foreign ministers to the discussions I had with them, they agreed, as the minister for immigration has said subsequently, that these matters will be progressed through the Bali process, because that involves all regional countries. Furthermore, in the participation of the Bali process I will have further meetings with the Indonesian Foreign Minister in Bali in December. That is as it should be.

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

Mr Speaker, there are still three minutes and he has not answered.

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

The Deputy Leader of the Opposition does not have the call.