ABC’s AM program, Sydney - interview with Michael Brissenden

JOURNALIST But today, you're launching what you call an economic diplomacy initiative. What are the economic threats as you see them?

JULIE BISHOP Our economic diplomacy initiative is boosting not only Australia's economy, but also our regional economies and contributing to global prosperity, making more dynamic trading relationships and promoting trade more generally, encouraging growth and investment and assisting businesses, both in Australia and in our region, because we believe that boosting the private sector in Australia and in the region will promote growth. So we're focusing on our economic efforts overseas. In fact, getting all of our missions overseas to focus on promoting economic diplomacy and we've asked each of them to come up with a strategy for economic diplomacy in their specific country and they've come up with about 2,000 separate ideas, practical ideas that we hope to implement over the coming years.

JOURNALIST On other international news, Foreign Minister, there's news this morning that there are moves to reprieve some of the Bali Nine from the death squads. What do you know about that and is that move afoot?

JULIE BISHOP We have been advocating for some time in support of the claims for clemency from the Bali Nine on death row. So of course we support any steps to commuting their death sentences. We are aware of reports that the prison governor in Bali has made recommendations for two of Bali Nine on death row to have their sentences commuted to life: Andrew Chan and Myuran Sukumaran. So we support those and we also support the efforts of other members of the Bali Nine to have their sentences reduced.

JOURNALIST Foreign Minister, Julie Bishop there.