Bill English National Leader

11 November 2002

Productive meeting with John Howard

National Party leader Bill English has held a "very useful" warm and friendly one on one meeting with Australian Prime Minister John Howard.

A seven strong National Party delegation has been in Canberra today discussing Australian Government initiatives in a number of areas including the economy and welfare.

"But political discussions here are still dominated by the aftermath of the Bali bombing," says Mr English.

"It's clear New Zealand needs to be strong on defence, but to achieve that we have to work with Australia.

"The meetings with John Howard and other ministers have given us a sense of what's required.

"There's a strong view that we must work together to further our common interests in promoting stability in the Asia Pacific region," Mr English says.

Mr English heads to Sydney with Finance Spokesman Don Brash on Tuesday where the itinerary includes briefings on the Australian and the world economy with international bankers.

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