 especially for a news limited channel right okay can i just start by saying particularly to the traveling media to thank you all for coming with me i know that it's not normal for a foreign minister visit to have traveling media you don't have to report all this you know what i'm actually just talking to you like it's not it's not sort of you know usual business but i think it's really important i think that you know we've got a lot of work to do in the region and you saw some of that yesterday and part of what we i have to do and the government has to do is you know we have to engage more with the region we have to talk more about Australia to the region but we also have to talk to Australians about the region and i think continue to strengthen our understanding of the region that is so critical to Australia's future so thank you for coming and i'm glad you didn't get lost you seem like you've got a lot to say it feels like you've got this sort of pent-up message to me but you know pent-up message that you've been wanting to give south east age probably for a long time right well that's what it looks like we've been in opposition for a long time yeah although i did point out so you can't say that in Malaysia given that Borussia national was in government for was it 50 years yeah he goes that's right um so you can't talk about how long it was really yeah um look i'm reluctant when i'm overseas to get into partisan politics what i what i would say is you know i think as i have said many times we are in a time where the region is being reshaped and the world is being reshaped and this generation of leaders and media people we've got an opportunity to help shape that and a responsibility and i the new government and me as foreign minister i do feel that sense of responsibility as i think to the people from foreign affairs here at poston who are traveling with me you know we know this is a really important time for Australia and the engagement we have now goes to our relationships and our capability our capacity to influence the shape of the region that we want to live in and so if that means i have a lot to say i'm surprised you've been on a extraordinary blitz of cities i do like the word blitz you like the word blitz yeah i'm sorry it's a tabloid term what is there one common theme that all these countries have been telling you that Australia perhaps wasn't doing before look i think people appreciate the energy people appreciate the engagement people appreciate the willingness to listen and i want to approach this job with being able to listen and not just to tell people what we think they should do i think you know Australia diminishes its capacity to influence the region if we spend a lot of our time appearing up we're telling people what to do there's a process of dialogue the process of engagement and that's what i want to be engaged now saw that the three-quarters of Australians see time as foreign policies and military select people are very unsafe i'm just wondering how we meet the messages of Asian spirituality with addressing those issues well i think first you know we know we live in challenging times we know that that means we have to increase Australia's influence in the region and globally and you do so by delivering actual strategic capability and you do so also through your diplomacy and through your relationships the gazian is important as i try to refer as i try to to articulate in the speech asian centrality recognises that the centre of a peaceful stable region in which sovereignty is respected requires asian to be at the core of that we understand that that's the basis of which we're engaged but what i'd say to people in response to that well it is it is i understand why people are feeling unsettled i understand why people feel nervous in a time of change so we have to act with confidence and clarity and a sense of nervous and that's what the new government is seeking to do and as to china has invited the civic island leaders to a separate meeting on the same day as the civic island forum retrieves do you believe that china is deliberately trying to sideline that forum i'd simply say this i gave my first speech as foreign minister in the civic island forum for a reason i did it because we respect regional architecture in the same way as in in my discussions in southeast asia and in the speech you've heard today and i think also when we talked about the regional architecture i would hope that any major power in the external major power engaging with the pacific would respect the regional architecture you seem to be also seeking some understanding for australian's position joining the quad and also orcas i mean you you mentioned quite a not orcas but you know that there's room in the i've figured you'd ask three questions on orcas yesterday so you probably had it had everything you needed on that but really it's more about the you seem to be saying look asian centrality centrality is it given but there's room for others i mean and i i think that the nuance of that message is important i don't want to go over history but obviously there was a reaction in the region to the orcas announcement we are supportive of the submarine decision as you know what i'm trying to do is explain the context of that situation how important is the five powers defense arrangement to sort of counter that re-envigorating that you know we should be focusing on what we would do or what we are full right now so the five powers defense arrangement has been around for a long time probably longer than some people here have been alive and you know it's a reminder of the historical and very deep strategic ties between australia and the region yes there's currently a i think an officials level meeting you know you should be aware we have regular exercises in the context of the five powers arrangement is there any move to impose sanctions in Myanmar and have you sought any advice from DFAT as to who might be sanctioned and how you would best target them i said clearly before the election that was something we thought was necessary and you should anticipate that that's a matter of consideration but what i would say on Myanmar is this obviously Myanmar has been a topic in the meetings i've been having in the region i have been struck by the extent to which members of ASEAN with whom i've met are realistic about and share our frustration about the lack of progress in relation to the five it's important for us to engage with regional leaders about the next steps we wish to take as well as others who seek to take in Myanmar both yourself and minister Zafiq have mentioned cyber security in this trip it's just kind of like a trade-off for you know they can stand to know what we're saying oh yes it's a cynical go-well no because cyber is if we are serious about making sure we keep our nations and people safe this is a domain which we have to in which we have to improve our capability and also the international framework it's another security domain that we have that we can work together and sorry you asked just on Myanmar in short you know the previous government had had asked Cambodia to put a word in if you like uh you know to try to try and get him out can you sort of articulate where that's at if that was successful at all i mean the news out of there is obviously doesn't happen as a country often well look obviously we are the first tunnel is our first priority when it comes to Myanmar and we we have obviously engaged with regional counterparts about this this issue we acknowledge the role that Cambodia played and we will continue to press through regional just one more on that um obviously we've heard from Marie's pain a lot that sanctions were under consideration that was her standard answer every time that was asked so i think you know that so we're you know we what you've said is not that much different active can you know he's being actively considered what does that actually mean i mean are we going to see sections and i'd also make this point i think one of the things that i did before uh in opposition was to engage with the NUJ to you that is my intention to engage sorry i know you get did you hear anyone else she's ahead i'm way ahead hot yeah no you're all okay so i was actually going to ask you talked about speaking to regional partners but obviously the US managed to secure Danny Fenster's release by sending in an envoy that understood the region well um has that is that under consideration i mean i know we're looking at a southeast asian envoy for more general purposes but is that under consideration prospect of sending someone into Myanmar i think the previous government made some efforts on that and i think the judgment at the moment is to try and utilize other counterparts in the region but you know we will work we will do what we think is best to try and maximize the chance of this release when do you expect an announcement at the southeast asian envoy i've got to get home and look at a few things so what in the next couple of weeks just yeah we've got a few a few announcements to work through just one for online have you um raised she said last question sorry i'll be quick have you raised with Malaysian officials the cases kind of burning jikens uh the anti-labour and the human muslim population uh look um not in this trip uh i've previously uh raised that in opposition you know i don't find out where that measure is that with things very distressing i was briefed on it quite uh quite more than opposition could you just say one thing for the camera about being so buggy what is the time look it is it's really wonderful to come back to Malaysia it's such an honor to be here as Australia's Prime Minister and i'm looking very much to going back to the town of my birth where i first went to school and where our old family home still is and to see my brother and his wife and my niece and nephew and the royal family looking for a way if there's one dish that you are looking forward to yes the seafood the fishball we're going tomorrow one and a half well i'm not supposed to tell you what you're going to have fishball duck thank you thank you thanks minister