Doorstop interview
JULIE BISHOP: The world has been shocked once more by what appears to be a terrorist attack in Manchester in the United Kingdom. British authorities are confirming that 19 people have been killed, about 50 have been injured although media reports are suggesting it's closer to 60. We extend our deepest sympathies to the victims and the families; to those who are injured, we pray for their speedy recovery. The British Government has indicated that it has the hallmarks of a terrorist attack and indeed the authorities are treating it as a terrorist attack unless further evidence comes to light, and I note that Prime Minister Theresa May has described it as an 'appalling' terrorist attack.
I have been in contact with our High Commissioner in London, Alexander Downer. At this point there is no information to suggest that Australians were involved but we are continuing to make contact with the authorities, including with hospitals and other emergency centres. There are about 300 people who work at the Australian Embassy – half of them are Australian and the other half are locally-based – and I can confirm that all 300 are accounted for and safe. To put this in context, at any one time there are about a million Australians who visit the United Kingdom, about 130,000 Australians living there. So there is a possibility that there could be Australians in the area, but it is too early for us to say.
I have sent a message to Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and I have also spoken with the High Commissioner and Deputy High Commissioner of the United Kingdom here in Australia. This was a particularly brutal attack on young and innocent children; an Ariana Grande concert is likely to attract young concert-goers. The stadium holds about 21,000 people, and we have already seen on televised images the chaos and the tragedy unfolding. The Australian Government stands ready to support the British government in anyway.
If any Australians are concerned about the whereabouts of their loved ones, they need to contact the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade consular hotline, the number is 1300 555 135, if they are overseas the number is +61 2 6261 3305.
JOURNALIST: Has the Department had any contact from Australians concerned about loved ones in it?
JULIE BISHOP: We have had contact but at this point there is no information to suggest that any Australians have been involved in this terrible, what we believe to be a terrorist, incident.
JOURNALIST: Ms Bishop, on another issue, two men have just been caned in the Aceh Province in Indonesia, have you seen the video of that caning and should it actually make us reconsider our diplomatic relationship with Indonesia?
JULIE BISHOP: No I have not seen the video of that caning, and I'm not aware of the specific details, but I will certainly look into it.
JOURNALIST: Do you think that if men are being caned for being gay in Indonesia, one of our biggest partners in the region, it should raise concern with a lot of people in Australia?
JULIE BISHOP: Would you allow me to make enquiries about this matter? I have not been informed of the details of that video and so I'd like to make enquiries before I respond to that.
JOURNALIST: We've obviously had the arrest of a woman, 22 year old in Adelaide this afternoon on terror charges with AFP. What is your understanding of the situation, what can you tell us?
JULIE BISHOP: I'm aware of that. I have spoken to Michael Keenan, the Minister for Justice and Assisting the Prime Minister on Counter Terrorism issues, and he has informed me of the details, but I will allow Minister Keenan or the Federal Police to go into further details about that.
JOURNALIST: What is Australia's current level of terror threat at the moment?
JULIE BISHOP: The Australian level of threat has not changed; it is 'probable', it has been that for some time. We of course continue to review this, and we act on the advice of our intelligence agencies.
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