Bill Shorten says Vladimir Putin shouldn’t attend G20 over MH17

BILL Shorten says Vladimir Putin should have enough of a conscience not to visit Australia for the G20 leaders summit.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten says he would not give Russian president Vladimir Putin the time of day.

BILL Shorten has hit out at Vladimir Putin, saying the Russian leader should have enough of a conscience not to visit Australia for the G20 leaders summit instead of “rubbing our faces in it’’.

The Opposition Leader accused Mr Putin of knowing more about the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 in July than he was letting on, and indicated he believed the Abbott government should have pressed the international community harder to ban the Russian President from attending the economic summit.

“When you deal with international bullies, the way you do it isn’t by laying out the red carpet,’’ Mr Shorten said today. “So no, I don’t think he’s welcome. I don’t think most Australians want him here.’’

“The government was talking tough, they haven’t proven to be able to do anything to stop him or discourage him coming. I for one certainly won’t be seeking to meet with Vladimir Putin while he’s here.’’

On Sunday, Joe Hockey confirmed Mr Putin planned to visit Brisbane next month for the G20 and there was nothing Australia, as G20 president, could do to prevent his attendance.

The Treasurer said it was the strong view of United States President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, among other G20 leaders, that Mr Putin should be included in the summit.

But Mr Shorten said he would not give Mr Putin the time of day.

“I think I’m like most Australians and I’ve been appalled by what’s happened with the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines jet over eastern Ukraine.

“There’s plenty of evidence to indicate indirect if not direct Russian involvement in the shooting down of this aeroplane which saw hundreds of souls snatched away from their families, with no justification or rationale.

“It was an act of murder,’’ Mr Shorten said.

He said Mr Putin was thumbing his nose at the rest of the world, going wherever he pleased without any international repercussions.

“I believe Putin knows more about what happened with MH17 than he’s let on.’’

Mr Shorten said he understood the G20 was an international conference and the Abbott government was “between a rock and hard place’’.

“It’s an international conference, not a conference run by Australia so if Putin has the arrogance to turn up to visit a nation whose nationals died in this plane crash he can,’’ Mr Shorten said.

“But I’m like most Australians, I wish that Putin would at least show enough conscience to be able to not come to Australia because he’s rubbing our faces in it.’’

Mr Shorten said Mr Putin needed to answer questions about what really happened and “that would be a respectful act to a nation you’re visiting as a guest of’’.

He said there needed to be a discussion about the way the Russian leader viewed the rule of international law.

“It is completely unsatisfactory the attitude of the Russian government towards this disaster, towards this murder of innocent lives, so I think that the Russians have a left explaining to do and again I understand that the position is in, it’s an international conference, but it’s extremely frustrating so see this Putin fellow come to Australia, when Australians are revolted by what happened to MH17.’’