KEY POINTS:
Helen Clark seized the chance to be the first Prime Minister to visit Australia's new Labor Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, in a flying visit yesterday before his historic visit tomorrow to the Bali climate change conference.
"I think there is a lot of symbolism in me as Kiwi Prime Minister being the first foreign leader to meet with him," she said after the meeting.
"It speaks volumes about the significance of the relationship to both countries."
Mr Rudd said he looked forward to continuing the relationship and broadening it.
In what Helen Clark referred to as a "tour d'horizon", the pair discussed trade, the recent East Asia summit and Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting, the Pacific and the Bali conference, where Mr Rudd will also symbolically lead Australia's re-entry into multilateralism on the global approach to climate change.
The meeting began with tea on the verandah of Mr Rudd's Brisbane home. His wife, Therese Rein, was away on business in Europe.
It was an informal and small meeting between Mr Rudd and Helen Clark and their chiefs of staff, David Epstein and Heather Simpson.
Mr Rudd said he had regarded himself as a friend of Helen Clark's going back a number of years when she took him to the Beehive for dinner.
Before becoming Labor leader in Opposition a year ago, Mr Rudd had been the party's foreign affairs spokesman.
He said New Zealand was Australia's sixth largest trading partner and the two countries had common security interests. He heaped praise on New Zealand's regional effort.
"New Zealand's role in the Pacific has been outstanding under Helen's leadership."
Asked about differences in the approach of his predecessor, John Howard, and himself in the Pacific, he said it was not a time for partisan comments.
"I've always been impressed by what the Kiwis have done on the ground in the South Pacific. It has been very attentive to emerging problems.
"None of us ever get it perfectly right. It is a complex region but I look forward to working very closely with Helen Clark's Government."
The pair discussed the Bali conference, which aims to launch a two-year negotiation that will determine goals to take effect after the first Kyoto commitment period (2008 to 2012) ends.
Most countries are not represented at leadership level but Mr Rudd promised during the election campaign that Labor would ratify the Kyoto Protocol and that he would go to Bali.
"There will be challenges from the Bali negotiating agenda but with friends and common interests we can work this through. They will be tough, hard negotiations."
As well as setting global goals for 2050 that will include developing countries, negotiations are beginning on a commitment by developed countries on a goal for emissions reductions by 2020 - a draft proposal is to set it in a range of 25 to 40 per cent below 1990 levels.
Helen Clark said the most important negotiation would be how developed countries, including New Zealand, divided up the various commitments in order to reach their goal - which Australia would be joining for the first time.
"We are wanting better recognition of our unique circumstances - we've got to negotiate that, of course."
