Alexander Downer
Alexander Downer
Alexander John Gosse Downer, ACis a former Australian Liberal Party politician who was Foreign Minister of Australia from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007, the longest-serving in Australian history. He was also the Leader of the Opposition for eight months from 1994 to 1995. Until early February 2014, Downer was the United Nations Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Cyprus...
ProfessionPolitician
Date of Birth9 September 1951
Alexander Downer quotes about
access crucial european market meeting offer progress successful union
We want to see progress on agriculture, we want to see the European Union come back with a better market access offer that's going to be crucial to a successful meeting in Hong Kong,
east indonesia security situation
We have said many times before that ... at the very least, Indonesia is responsible for the security situation in East Timor,
came course letter looking outside police suggest
Well, I'm not going to go into what the letter says, because the police are looking at that. But as you say it's in Bahasa. But of course that's not to suggest that the letter came from outside of Australia. It came from in Australia. It came from Victoria.
diplomatic hope path possible
We hope that it's going to be possible to get back on to the diplomatic path before too long,
aspect australian disappoint discussion intelligence time tradition worn
Well, it's a - I don't want to disappoint you, but it's a time worn tradition of Australian Governments over many years not to get into any discussion about that aspect of intelligence matters.
thinking wife prime
Yes, I don't think I shall ever become Prime Minister. Hard as that is to swallow, I tell you one person who is very happy always to see me say that, and that's my wife.
party leader deputies
I'm not terribly focused on whether I even could ever become the Leader of the Liberal Party or the Deputy Leader of the Liberal Party in the future.
views media people
So this is all part of a free society. People are entitled to hold whatever view they want, and the media can report things how they wish.
father names house
My father had the same name as me but he was known as Alec. He was a member of the House of Representatives.
growing-up father ideas
Well people often ask me how I felt growing up with a father who was a politician and who was often away. But when I'm asked that question I often reflect on my inability really to be able to answer it in any relative sense because I never grew up with a father doing anything else. So I just have no idea what it would be like otherwise.
reflection people house
If people are concerned about my house and where I live again it's much more of a reflection on them than it is on me.
hate kissing approach
I hate to spoil my own prospects, but I really don't respect the kiss-and-tell approach to public life at all, not at all.
thinking records matter
I think prime ministers, I actually think Cabinet ministers should be subject to intense scrutiny, I think that's in the public interest, even if some of the allegations made aren't right and so on, and they have to correct the record, it doesn't matter.
ministers prime yeah
Yeah, well I'm not aspiring to be the Prime Minister.