‘I’ve got no doubt it will be of interest to various regulatory agencies’, PM says when asked about Channel Nine’s reported payment to free crew

This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Malcolm Turnbull has weighed into the 60 Minutes abduction saga by saying the incident would be of interest to regulatory agencies and appeared to be “most unwise”.

On Thursday financial documents revealed the Nine Network paid $69,000 to a “child recovery agent” hired to abduct two children from a south Beirut street on behalf of their Australian mother. The television crew returned to Australia on Thursday night after about two weeks in a Lebanon prison.

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Appearing on 2SM on Friday, Turnbull was asked by John Laws whether the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (Asic) should examine a reported payment from Channel Nine to free their crew after they were arrested over the incident.

Turnbull said “I’ve seen those reports, I’ve got no doubt it will be of interest to various regulatory agencies.

“I’d rather say no more about it, other than to make this observation: it doesn’t matter who you are, or who you work for, when you are overseas you must obey the laws of the country in which you are visiting. Nobody is above the law,” he said.



“If you break the law in other parts of the world, you may well be breaking Australian law as well.

“We have laws against corruption, we have laws against fighting overseas for terrorist organisations or in foreign wars. There are a lot of Australian laws you can break overseas.

Turnbull said Australia provided consular support to Australians arrested overseas, but Australians were still subject to the other country’s jurisdiction.

“From what I have read about it, it appears to have been most unwise.”

When asked on Channel Seven if Asic should investigate the payment and whether it might constitute a bribe, the treasurer, Scott Morrison, responded “you are making a lot of assumptions, I am not going to do that this morning”.

“I am not going to respond to hypotheticals,” he said.

“You are asking me to speculate on a set of facts that would have to be determined. I am not going to try this case on morning television.”

Journalist Tara Brown, producer Stephen Rice, cameraman Ben Williamson and sound recordist David Ballment touched down in Sydney about 10pm on Thursday after flying from Beirut via Dubai.



Shielded from the media throng by Rice, a beaming Brown expressed relief as the crew was escorted to a waiting van.



“I’m so glad to be home,” she told reporters.



Ballment said he was looking forward to “a shower and seeing my wife”.

Turnbull also addressed the possibility his government might lose the election in the radio interview, and said Labor would reintroduce minimum pay rates for truck owner-drivers if they won.

“All federal elections are very close, 53% is a landslide, 52% is a great win. Many elections are won with margins just over 50%,” he said.

“[Bill] Shorten is definitely the alternative prime minister. Labor could win the election. And if they did, those independent truck drivers will be out of work again.”

Asked to nominate a quality he liked about Shorten, the prime minister said “I don’t want to say there’s nothing I admire in him ... I’ve always got on well with him”, but passed up the opportunity to praise his opponent.

“I haven’t focused on his personal qualities or efficiencies. I am more focused on his policies.”

Turnbull said the government would make an announcement on the construction of submarines shortly.

Turnbull said Australia was a country with a very strong sense of a fair go and “this is what you’ll see in the budget”.

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“You will see a budget that is prudent, that demonstrates that we are going to live within our means ... It will be fair.”

“It will also be one that encourages enterprise, to have a go and invest.”

When asked to revisit the decision to replace Tony Abbott as prime minister in September, Turnbull said Abbott had had “ample warning there were concerns in the party room” due to the earlier February 2015 spill motion against him.