23 March 2014

TRANSCRIPT OF THE PRIME MINISTER THE HON. TONY ABBOTT MP DOORSTOP INTERVIEW, PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Subjects: Visit to Port Moresby; Malaysian Airlines flight. E&OE. PRIME MINISTER: The visit to PNG is about to conclude. thin! it"s been a ver# success$ul visit. "ve been thrilled at the %ar&th o$ the %elco&e at all levels but 'articularl# $ro& Pri&e Minister Peter O"Neill and his (overn&ent. This is in $act the lon(est and the &ost e)tensive visit b# an *ustralian Pri&e Minister in al&ost a +uarter centur#. The last ti&e %e had such a tri' %as bac! in 1,,0 under -ob .a%!e. /ust be$ore conclude0 thin! should (ive #ou an u'date on the search in the 1outhern ndian Ocean. Over the last 24 hours there have been three si(ni$icant develo'&ents. Ne% satellite i&a(er#0 ne% 2hinese satellite i&a(er# does see& to su((est at least one lar(e ob3ect do%n there consistent %ith the ob3ect that earlier satellite i&a(er# discovered %hich told the *ustralian Parlia&ent about last %ee!. 4esterda# one o$ our civilian search aircra$t (ot visuals on a nu&ber o$ ob3ects in a $airl# s&all area in the overall *ustralian search 5one. 6inall# the search is bein( 3oined toda# b# $our additional aircra$t 7 t%o 2hinese aircra$t and t%o /a'anese Orions. %ant to sa# that this is a reall# bi( international e$$ort and it does sho% that &an# countries are ca'able o$ 'ullin( to(ether in a ti&e o$ trouble. t is a ver# i&'ortant hu&anitarian e)ercise. 8e o%e it to the al&ost 240 'eo'le on board the 'lane0 %e o%e it to their (rievin( $a&ilies0 %e o%e it to the (overn&ents o$ the countries concerned to do ever#thin( %e can to discover as &uch as %e can about the $ate o$ M.390. QUESTION: Pri&e Minister %hen did #ou $ind out about the visuals as #ou call the& $ro& #esterda#: PRIME MINISTER: (ot in$or&ation late last ni(ht about these 'articular si(htin(s. QUESTION: 8hat details can #ou (ive us o$ those visuals Pri&e Minister: .ave #ou had an# descri'tion o$ ho% &an# ob3ects are there: 8hat si5e the# are: 8hat identit# has been (iven to the&: PRIME MINISTER: * nu&ber o$ s&all ob3ects $airl# close to(ether %ithin the *ustralian search 5one0 includin( as understand it a %ooden 'allet.

QUESTION: ;inaudible< has (iven #ou as to %hat this could be and the si(ni$icance o$ it: PRIME MINISTER: Obviousl# the &ore aircra$t %e have0 the &ore shi's %e have and .M*1 1uccess is in the search area no%. The &ore aircra$t %e have0 the &ore shi's %e have0 the &ore con$ident %e are o$ recoverin( %hatever &aterial is do%n there and obviousl# be$ore %e can be too s'eci$ic about %hat it &i(ht be0 %e do actuall# need to recover so&e o$ this &aterial. QUESTION: That said Pri&e Minister %hat"s the e)'ert assess&ent #ou"ve had on the li!elihood that that debris is $ro& an aircra$t: PRIME MINISTER: t"s still too earl# to be de$inite but obviousl# %e have no% had a nu&ber o$ ver# credible leads and there is increasin( ho'e0 no &ore than ho'e0 no &ore than ho'e0 that %e &i(ht be on the road to discoverin( %hat did ha''en to this ill=$ated aircra$t. Than! #ou. ;ends<